''Woman's Journal'' was an American

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

periodical Periodical literature (singularly called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) consists of Publication, published works that appear in new releases on a regular schedule (''issues'' or ''numbers'', often numerically divided into annu ...

published from 1870 to 1931. It was founded in 1870 in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, by

Lucy Stone Lucy Stone (August 13, 1818 – October 18, 1893) was an American orator, Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist and Suffrage, suffragist who was a vocal advocate for and organizer of promoting Women's rights, rights for women. In 1847, ...

and her husband

Henry Browne Blackwell Henry Browne Blackwell (May 4, 1825 – September 7, 1909), was an American advocate for social and economic reform. He was involved in the nascent Republican Party (United States), Republican Party and the American Woman Suffrage Associatio ...

as a weekly newspaper. In 1917 it was purchased by

Carrie Chapman Catt Carrie Chapman Catt (born Carrie Clinton Lane; January 9, 1859#Fowler, Fowler, p. 3 – March 9, 1947) was an American women's suffrage leader who campaigned for the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which gave U.S. women t ...

Leslie Woman Suffrage Commission The Leslie Woman Suffrage Commission was an American woman's suffrage organization formed by Carrie Chapman Catt in March 1917 in New York City, based on funds willed for the purpose by publisher Miriam Leslie. The organization helped promote the ...

and merged with ''

The Woman Voter ''The Woman Voter'' was a monthly suffragist journal published in New York City by the Woman Suffrage Party (WSP). It ran between 1910 and 1917. The first editor was Mary Ritter Beard. Beard created a suffragist publication which was unique in o ...

'' and ''National Suffrage News'' to become known as ''The Woman Citizen''. It served as the official organ of the

National American Woman Suffrage Association The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) was an organization formed on February 18, 1890, to advocate in favor of women's suffrage in the United States. It was created by the merger of two existing organizations, the National Woma ...

until 1920, when the organization was reformed as the League of Women Voters, and the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed granting women the right to vote. Publication of ''Woman Citizen'' slowed from weekly, to bi-weekly, to monthly. In 1927, it was renamed ''The Woman's Journal''. It ceased publication in June 1931.

History

''Woman's Journal'' was founded in 1870 in

, by

and her husband

as a weekly newspaper. The new paper incorporated

Mary A. Livermore Mary Ashton Livermore ( Rice; December 19, 1820May 23, 1905) was an American journalist, Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist, and advocate of women's rights. Her printed volumes included: ''Thirty Years Too Late,'' first published ...

's ''The Agitator'', as well as a lesser known periodical called the ''Woman's Advocate''. The works of Ohioan comedy writer Rosella Rice, whose poems mythologized the figure of

Johnny Appleseed Johnny Appleseed (born John Chapman; September 26, 1774March 18, 1845) was an American pioneer nurseryman who introduced trees grown with apple seeds (as opposed to trees grown with grafting) to large parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, I ...

, were published in ''Woman's Journal''. The first issue was published on January 8, on the second anniversary of the first issue of Susan B. Anthony's '' The Revolution''. Stone and Blackwell served as editors, with assistance from Livermore.

Julia Ward Howe Julia Ward Howe ( ; May 27, 1819 – October 17, 1910) was an American author and poet, known for writing the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" as new lyrics to an existing song, and the original 1870 pacifist Mothers' Day Proclamation. She w ...

edited from 1872 to 1879.

Alice Stone Blackwell Alice Stone Blackwell (September 14, 1857 – March 15, 1950) was an American feminist, suffragist, journalist, radical socialist, and human rights advocate. Early life and education Blackwell was born in East Orange, New Jersey to Henry Browne ...

, daughter of Stone and Blackwell, began editing in 1883 and took over as sole editor after her father's death in 1909, continuing until 1917. Contributors included

Charlotte Perkins Gilman Charlotte Anna Perkins Gilman (; née Perkins; July 3, 1860 – August 17, 1935), also known by her first married name Charlotte Perkins Stetson, was an American humanist, novelist, writer, lecturer, early sociologist, advocate for social reform ...

Antoinette Brown Blackwell Antoinette Louisa Brown, later Antoinette Brown Blackwell (May 20, 1825 – November 5, 1921), was the first woman to be ordained as a mainstream Protestant minister in the United States. She was a well-versed public speaker on the paramount iss ...

Mary Johnston Mary Johnston (November 21, 1870 – May 9, 1936) was an American novelist and women's rights advocate from Virginia. She was one of America's best selling authors during her writing career and had three silent films adapted from her novels. Joh ...

, Stephen S. Wise,

Zona Gale Zona Gale (August 26, 1874 – December 27, 1938), also known by her married name, Zona Gale Breese, was an American novelist, short story writer, and playwright. She became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1921. The close r ...

Florence Kelley Florence Molthrop Kelley (September 12, 1859 – February 17, 1932) was an American social and political reformer who coined the term wage abolitionism. Her work against sweatshops and for the minimum wage, eight-hour workdays, and children's ...

Witter Bynner Harold Witter Bynner (August 10, 1881 – June 1, 1968), also known by the pen name Emanuel Morgan, was an American poet and translator. He was known for his long residence in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and association with other literary figures ther ...

, Ben B. Lindsey,

Louisa May Alcott Louisa May Alcott (; November 29, 1832March 6, 1888) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet best known for writing the novel ''Little Women'' (1868) and its sequels ''Good Wives'' (1869), ''Little Men'' (1871), and ''Jo's Boys'' ...

Harriet Clisby Harriet Clisby (31 August 1830 – 30 April 1931) was an English physician, women's rights activist, and founder of the Women's Educational and Industrial Union in Boston. Early life Harriet Jemima Winifred Clisby was born in St. James's, ...

and

Caroline Bartlett Crane Caroline Bartlett Crane (August 17, 1858 – March 24, 1935) was an American Unitarian minister, suffragist, civic reformer, educator and journalist. She was known as "America's housekeeper" for her efforts to improve urban sanitation.Renee Zimel ...

William Lloyd Garrison William Lloyd Garrison (December , 1805 – May 24, 1879) was an Abolitionism in the United States, American abolitionist, journalist, and reformism (historical), social reformer. He is best known for his widely read anti-slavery newspaper ''The ...

was a frequent contributor. Around 1887, headquarters were located in Boston on Park Street. ''Woman's Journal'' refused to carry

advertisements Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of interest to consumers. It is typically us ...

for

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

liquor Liquor ( , sometimes hard liquor), spirits, distilled spirits, or spiritous liquor are alcoholic drinks produced by the distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar that have already gone through ethanol fermentation, alcoholic ferm ...

, or

drugs A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, ingestio ...

. In 1910, ''Woman's Journal'' absorbed ''Progress'', the official organ of the

(NAWSA). Until 1912, it served in that capacity, at which point it was renamed ''Woman's Journal and Suffrage News''. By 1915, circulation had reached 27,634, up from 2,328 in 1909.

''The Woman Citizen''

In 1917, ''Woman's Journal'' was purchased by

for $50,000, and merged with ''

'', the official journal of the

Woman Suffrage Party The Woman Suffrage Party (WSP) was a New York City, New York city political organization dedicated to Women's suffrage in the United States, women's suffrage. It was founded in New York by Carrie Chapman Catt at the Convention of Disfranchised Wome ...

of New York City, and NAWSA's ''National Suffrage News'' to become known as ''The Woman Citizen''. It served as NAWSA's official organ until 1920, when NAWSA was reformed as the

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV) is a nonpartisan American nonprofit political organization. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include Voter registration, registering voters, providing voter information, boosting voter turnout and adv ...

, and the

Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution The Nineteenth Amendment (Amendment XIX) to the United States Constitution prohibits the United States and its U.S. state, states from denying the Suffrage, right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex, in effect recogni ...

was passed ensuring women's right to vote. The editor-in-chief of ''The Woman Citizen'' was Rose Emmet Young;

was a contributing editor. Every U.S. Congress member was given a free subscription to the journal. It covered issues such as

child labor Child labour is the exploitation of children through any form of work that interferes with their ability to attend regular school, or is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such exploitation is prohibited by legislation w ...

in addition to women's suffrage. After women won the right to vote, the journal's focus shifted to political education for women. One of the aims of the League of Women Voters was to demonstrate its continued political power, now in the form of large numbers of newly enfranchised voters, and to soften its image in the eyes of women who were wary of radical politics. To that end, the journal courted middle-class female readers. It editorialized in support of the Maternity and Infancy Act of 1921, which was the first major legislation to be passed after the full enfranchisement of women. Readers were urged to support the Act by writing to their representatives and talking to their neighbors about it; one article included step-by-step instructions for finding out the names and addresses of their legislators. Publication of ''Woman Citizen'' slowed from weekly, to bi-weekly, to monthly. In 1927, it was renamed ''The Woman's Journal''. It ceased publication in June 1931.

Notes

Bibliography

* Ryan, Agnes E
''The Torch Bearer: A Look Forward and Back at the Woman's Journal, the Organ of the Woman's Movement''
1916. National American Woman Suffrage Association Collection, Library of Congress

External links

Editorial cartoons from ''Woman's Journal and Suffrage News''
in the Social Welfare History Image Portal, Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries
''Woman's Journal'' in the Harvard University Library
*
The Woman Citizen
' in the Social Welfare History Image Portal, Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries {{Authority control 19th century in Boston Defunct feminist magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1870 Magazines disestablished in 1931 Defunct magazines published in Boston * Carrie Chapman Catt National American Woman Suffrage Association Women's suffrage publications in the United States

History

''The Woman Citizen''

See also

Notes

Bibliography

External links