Article • Teaching Suffrage

Teaching Suffrage: Suffrage Cartoons

Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument, National Mall and Memorial Parks

Suffrage cartoonist Nina Allender, seated with a cartoon in progress in her lap — National Woman's Party cartoonist Nina E. Allender, seated at desk, facing left with head turned toward camera, holding a cartoon sketch in her lap. ca. 1916.
Harris & Ewing photographers. National Woman's Party collection, Library of Congress

Created in collaboration with the Hard History Project

Grade Level

This activity was designed for sixth through eighth grade students (ages 11-14)

Objectives

Students will

express comfort with people who are both similar to and different from them and engage respectfully with all people.
develop language and knowledge to accurately and respectfully describe how people (including themselves) are both similar to and different from each other.
respectfully express curiosity about the history and lived experiences of others and exchage ideas and beliefs in an open-minded way.
express pride, confidence, and healthy self-esteem without denying the value and dignity of other people.
respond to others by building empathy, respect, understanding and connection.
examine other people in social, cultural, political, and historical contexts rather than in ways that are superficial or oversimplified.

Guiding Questions

How can art be used to advocate for change? Who has been left out of the picture?

Cartooning for Suffrage

Nina Allender used her clever sense of humor and her skill as an artist to change public opinion about women's right to vote. Her cartoons presented the suffragists as political, powerful, and in control--an new approach to drawing women. Women were shown with their hands on their hips, standing proudly in public, demanding to be treated fairly. Her cartoons were visual headlines that captured the news of the week and the spirit of the cause. But Nina Allender's work also presented a misleading picture about the suffrage movement. The Allender Girls she drew were young, white, and upper-class, even though working-class women who fought for their rights in the workplace were important drivers of the fight for the vote. In addition, many influencial suffragists were Black, Native American, Latina, Asian, and other women of color, but they were not represented in Nina Allender's cartoons.

Photo Gallery

Nina Allender Political Cartoo...

20 Images

A sample of some of the over 150 political cartoons created by Nina Allender for the National Woman's Party from 1914-1927. Allender's cartoons helped change the course of an important civil rights movement in the United States, the fight for woman suffrage and the ongoing struggle for women's equality.

Political cartoon of Uncle Sam holding a pendant in his raised right hand that reads "Democracy for the World." His left arm blocks a woman behind him who holds a paper that reads "Democracy Begins at Home." — Political cartoon "Democracy Begins at Home"
Nina Allender. National Woman's Party collection, NPS

Vocabulary

amendment: a change, especially to a document like the Constitution
suffrage: the right to vote
suffragist: someone who works for the right to vote, especially for women

Think About It

Look through the collection of Nina Allender political cartoons and pick two to examine. Then answer the questions.

In a sentence or two, describe what is happening in the cartoon. How are the women in the picture portrayed?
What argument is the cartoon making? Look for symbolism and words to guide you.
Whose perspective is missing? Why do you think some women were not included?
Who do you think was the intended audience for these political cartoons?

Activity

Research a woman who has been involved in an issue that interests you. It could be someone from history or someone living and working today. Create a cartoon or other artistic representation from her perspective. Write a sentence or two describing what is shown in your picture.