The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 99, July 1995 - April, 1996 Page: 42
626 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Southwestern Historical Quarterly
Despite the church government designs to ensure male authority and fe-
male submissiveness, women asserted their prerogative, their moral au-
thority, to vote.6
The desire of women to vote can also be seen in Christ Church.
Women could be pew holders, but they were specifically disqualified
from voting for vestrymen. At the 1852 election of vestrymen, the "elec-
tion was held, for the first time since the organization of the Parish, in
the open Church, in presence of the Congregation male & female-
many of the latter having cause, expecting to vote, in consequence of a
notice to that effect, given the Sunday before by the Rector."6' The
women of Christ Church were not allowed to vote for the vestrymen that
day. When given the hope that they might, they had shown up at the
church, ready and willing to assert their votes. Either they were unhappy
to learn they would not be voting, or the men were not happy to have
the women present while they voted. For some reason the clerk noted
"the manner in which the election was conducted caused much remark
and some dissatisfaction."62 Other problems between the rector and his
congregation, apart from this incident and his failure to call a meeting
of the vestry, are not in the minutes. Yet seven months later a petition
expressing dissatisfaction with the rector, signed by "pewholders, com-
municants and worshippers" (including five women), was entered into
the official vestry minutes, and two months later, the rector was relieved
of his duties.63
Individually, within their domestic circle, women had a powerful
claim on the male members of the church. Collectively, women used
their position within the church also to exercise a great deal of
influence. Church women throughout the United States organized
women's societies "in which they could promote projects of their own"
and which they could themselves control." In the north, the founding of
sex-segregated organizations through the church both fostered a female
identity, or "culture," and led to reform movements. At least one histori-
an argues that it was this female identity which later formed the basis of
the women's rights movement in the Northeast.65 Southern women's or-
60 First Baptist Minutes, June 5, 1852, p. 1oo. The first vote was 53-3, the second unanimous,
the third 53-3, and the fourth 45-11. The votes dealt with various aspects of dancing, especially
in public. The congregation decided to continue its ban on dancing.
61 Vestry Minutes, Mar. 3, 1852, p. 107, in Christ Church Records.
62 Ibid.
6 Ibid., Oct. 28, 1852.
64 Lois A. Boyd and R. Douglas Brackenridge, Presbyterian Women in America: Two Centuries of a
Quest for Status (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1983), 13, 91-105; Cott, The Bonds of Wom-
anhood, 4 (quotation), 13.
6 Boyd and Brackenridge, Presbyteran Women in America, 13, 91-97; Cott, The Bonds of Woman-
hood, 6, 8-9.July
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 99, July 1995 - April, 1996, periodical, 1996; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101217/m1/70/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.