« Kaiser Wilson » ou artisan de la liberté ?

Abstract

In the 1910s, the suffragists campaigned for the passage of a federal Constitutional amendment that would grant women the right to vote. While the various lobbying activities exhibited great diversity in forms and styles, both the National American Woman Suffrage Association and the National Women’s Party used representations of President Woodrow Wilson, conferring upon him real or symbolic images of presidential power. In the context of World War I, the perception of these roles was influenced by the ongoing debate on democracy: while the NWP portrayed Wilson as a tyrant, the NAWSA depicted him as a champion of freedom. It is now acknowledged, however, that both organizations played essential roles in the passage of the 19th Amendment. After 1919, the absence of a common goal was a contributing factor to the subsequent divisions within the woman’s rights movement, as was, the article argues, the loss of a unique adversary.