Robert P.J. Cooney, Jr.
From the publisher
Winning the Vote captures the color and excitement of a central, inspiring but nearly forgotten chapter in American history. This beautifully designed hardback presents the American woman suffrage movement clearly and chronologically with emphasis on the fascinating personalities and turbulent political campaigns of the early 20th century. Nearly 1,000 photographs, posters, leaflets and portraits illustrate this fascinating account of the expansion of American democracy. Large format images and a fast paced text highlight key developments between 1848 and 1920 including over 52 state electoral campaigns and the final, controversial drive for the 19th amendment. Winning the Vote shows how women have long been active participants in U.S. history and how many became politically powerful before winning the right to vote. There are profiles of 78 American women and men, black and white, who led the drive for equal rights, and an unprecedented display of the symbolism, color, and imagery used by the increasingly sophisticated suffrage movement. The opening three chapters, out of eighteen, cover efforts for full democracy in the 19th century, and an Epilogue follows suffragists into government and other influential areas after 1920.
Reviews
“For more than seven decades, American women fought on the local, state, and federal level for themselves and their sisters to earn the right to vote. To celebrate the 85th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, Cooney (director, Woman Suffrage Media Project: coauthor, The Power of the People), in collaboration with the National Women’s History Project, has assembled a visually rich collection of primary source materials intermingled with explanatory text that provides an approachable introduction to the women and the movements that made the victory possible. Chronologically arranged chapters make good use of primary sources such as photographs, cartoons, posters, and newspaper articles culled from archives across the nation. Bibliographic references and an index increase the value of the work. Recommended for larger public and academic libraries with an interest in women’s studies, even those who already own documentary volumes made up primarily of textual sources.” –Library Journal
“Winning The Vote: The Triumph Of The American Woman Suffrage Movement” by Robert Cooney in association with the National Women’s History Project is a comprehensive, 496-page history of the struggle for American women to have the right to vote in local, state, and national political elections. Superbly and profusely illustrated with more than 960 color and b/w illustrations that include historic photographs, posters, leaflets, and campaign buttons, the informed and informative text is further enhanced for the non-specialist general reader with an extensive bibliography for further study or research. It’s been 85 years since women won the right to vote in 1920, and a whole new generation of women voters has arrived who would benefit from knowing the long, hard, frustrating, long-odds struggle to provide them with an equal opportunity to participate in every facet of American political life from determining candidacies, to running and holding office, but most fundamentally–the right to cast a ballot to determine who will make, administer, and adjudicate the laws under which they and their families must live. No academic library’s Women’s Studies or Political Science collections can be considered either comprehensive or complete without the inclusion of Robert Cooney’s Winning The Vote!” –Midwest Book Review
We’ve featured talks and discussions about Women’s Suffrage including . . .
[Broadcast on August 13, 2026; recorded earlier.]