The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 100, July 1996 - April, 1997 Page: 14
551 p. : ill. (some col.), 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:
14 Southwestern Historical Quarterly July
capitalize on woman's march to freedom but were careful to keep her
marching in a safe direction. One company recalled that once women
won the vote, "that year we decided to let them vote on towels too."55
.Once Miriam Ferguson's unprecedented campaign received publicity,
mostly from sources outside of Texas, the Fergusons also superficially as-
similated it into her reassuring "Ma" appeal. Dressed in the bonnet and
apron of traditional womanhood, Miriam Ferguson began speaking like
a leader of women's new rights. "I never fought for women's suffrage,"
she admitted, "but... they gave us the ballot and I see no reason why we
should not exercise our right."56 Her appeal to women's new sense of cit-
izenship escalated as her campaign drew national attention over the nov-
elty of a woman candidate. The Fergusons republished a New York World
article that interpreted her candidacy to mean that "the abstract equality
of women and men before the law has been transformed in Texas into
an actual equality before public opinion and in political custom.""' An-
other optimist implored, "Think of it, a woman governor of a state ...
women can do anything nowadays."58 Ferguson, furthermore, began
courting women's votes with language such as "I appeal to my sisters to
become active and urge men to go to the polls. Our sex is now on trial
and we must again prove to all mankind that the handle that has rocked
the cradles of men can rule the destinies of men."59
Ferguson, who like her husband had opposed woman suffrage, had dis-
covered a way to present her own candidacy as a test of women's new vot-
ing rights while remaining true to her original reasons for opposing the
vote. Antisuffragists like the Fergusons had lost the battle over the vote
but were in the best position to win in the social and political context of
the 1920os in Texas. They had opposed the vote on the grounds that
women would abandon traditional roles to become more like men. By
1924, however, the revolution in morals appeared to be doing much more
than woman's enfranchisement to undermine women's commitment to
traditional domesticity. The Fergusons consequently stayed true to their
original commitment to gender hierarchy by making a ballot for "Ma"
look like a vote for traditional womanhood.
55 Roland Marchand, Advertising the American Dream: Makzng Way for Modernity, 1920o-940
(Berkeley: University of California Press, 1985), 186.
56 Bentley, "An Interview with Governor Elect Ferguson," 55 (quotation).
57 "Whole Country Keenly Interested in the Situation in Texas Where Woman Will be Elected
Governor," Ferguson Forum (Temple, Tex.), July 11, 1924.
58 "Women's Victory in Texas Battle for Governor Shows Capacity of Sex," ibid., Sept. 18,
1924.
59 The quote ends, "who have been active in the development of our Texas citizenship and
who regardless of past differences, are giving me their support in this great contest " Miriam
Ferguson, "Just a Word Before We Vote," ibid., Aug 21, 1924.
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 100, July 1996 - April, 1997, periodical, 1997; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101218/m1/42/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.