• Subscribe Now
  • Today In History
  • Wars & Events
    • The Russia–Ukraine War
    • American Revolution
    • The Civil War
    • World War I
    • World War II
    • Cold War
    • Korean War
    • Vietnam War
    • Global War on Terror
    • Movements
      • Women’s Rights
      • Civil Rights
      • Abolition of Slavery
  • Famous People
    • U.S. Presidents
    • World Leaders
    • Military Leaders
    • Outlaws & Lawmen
    • Activists
    • Artists & Writers
    • Celebrities
    • Scientists
    • Philosophers
  • Eras
    • Modern Era
      • 2000s
      • 1900s
      • 1800s
    • Early Modern
      • 1700s
      • 1600s
      • 1500s
    • The Middle Ages
    • Classical Era
    • Prehistory
  • Topics
    • Black History
    • Slavery
    • Women’s History
    • Prisoners of War
    • Firsthand Accounts
    • Technology & Weaponry
    • Aviation & Spaceflight
    • Naval & Maritime
    • Politics
    • Military History
    • Art & Literature
    • News
    • Entertainment & Culture
    • Historical Figures
    • Photography
    • Wild West
    • Social History
    • Native American History
  • Magazines
    • American History
    • America’s Civil War
    • Aviation History
    • Civil War Times
    • Military History
    • Military History Quarterly
    • Vietnam
    • Wild West
    • World War II
  • Newsletters
  • Podcasts
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
Skip to content
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
HistoryNet

HistoryNet

The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet.

  • Subscribe Now
  • Today In History
  • Wars & Events
    • The Russia–Ukraine War
    • American Revolution
    • The Civil War
    • World War I
    • World War II
    • Cold War
    • Korean War
    • Vietnam War
    • Global War on Terror
    • Movements
      • Women’s Rights
      • Civil Rights
      • Abolition of Slavery
  • Famous People
    • U.S. Presidents
    • World Leaders
    • Military Leaders
    • Outlaws & Lawmen
    • Activists
    • Artists & Writers
    • Celebrities
    • Scientists
    • Philosophers
  • Eras
    • Modern Era
      • 2000s
      • 1900s
      • 1800s
    • Early Modern
      • 1700s
      • 1600s
      • 1500s
    • The Middle Ages
    • Classical Era
    • Prehistory
  • Topics
    • Black History
    • Slavery
    • Women’s History
    • Prisoners of War
    • Firsthand Accounts
    • Technology & Weaponry
    • Aviation & Spaceflight
    • Naval & Maritime
    • Politics
    • Military History
    • Art & Literature
    • News
    • Entertainment & Culture
    • Historical Figures
    • Photography
    • Wild West
    • Social History
    • Native American History
  • Magazines
    • American History
    • America’s Civil War
    • Aviation History
    • Civil War Times
    • Military History
    • Military History Quarterly
    • Vietnam
    • Wild West
    • World War II
  • Newsletters
  • Podcasts
Posted inStories

National Woman Suffrage Procession

The 1913 National Woman Suffrage Procession was a turning point for American women seeking the right to vote
by Marlee Newman8/4/20101/24/2018
Share This Article

By Marlee Newman

NAWSA printed an elaborate program for the 1913 Washington, D.C., parade. (Library of Congress)

Sixty-five years after Elizabeth Cady Stanton organized the landmark women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, N.Y., the first national demonstration for women’s suffrage took place in Washington, D.C. On March 3, 1913, the day before Woodrow Wilson’s presidential inauguration, 8,000 women gathered to march down Pennsylvania Avenue in support of women’s right to vote. Attorney Inez Milholland Boissevain heralded the grand procession clad in armor astride a white horse, a beautiful and intelligent epitome of the new generation of suffragists. Banners of purple, gold and white fluttered in the breeze on the crisp Washington morning. As the women and several male supporters set forth with 26 floats, a crowd of roughly half a million people watched with mixed emotions.

The murmurs of the crowd grew loud and angry as malicious bystanders crumpled parade programs and flung them at the women. The police that Congress promised would protect the parade stood aside as men poured onto the street, shouting insults and condescending remarks, and began to physically attack the marchers. Police ignored cries for help as the mob ripped banners from the hands of young girls. Many officers joined the fray; one was heard shouting, “If my wife were where you are I’d break her head!” A policeman roughly pulled a woman off her feet and tore her jacket because she slapped a man who spit on her. Reporters from newspapers around the country snapped photographs of men dragging elderly women through the streets. By evening, all that remained of the parade were scattered papers and scraps of purple and gold cloth.

The resulting press coverage and congressional investigation led to the first congressional debate over a federal amendment enfranchising women in 26 years. The parade successfully reintroduced the suffrage movement as a legitimate and formidable political force. Seven years later, the 19th Amendment passed by a margin of one vote.

Share This Article
by Marlee Newman

Dive deeper

  • American History

Citation information

Marlee Newman (5/23/2025) National Woman Suffrage Procession. HistoryNet Retrieved from https://www.historynet.com/national-woman-suffrage-procession/.
"National Woman Suffrage Procession."Marlee Newman - 5/23/2025, https://www.historynet.com/national-woman-suffrage-procession/
Marlee Newman 8/4/2010 National Woman Suffrage Procession., viewed 5/23/2025,<https://www.historynet.com/national-woman-suffrage-procession/>
Marlee Newman - National Woman Suffrage Procession. [Internet]. [Accessed 5/23/2025]. Available from: https://www.historynet.com/national-woman-suffrage-procession/
Marlee Newman. "National Woman Suffrage Procession." Marlee Newman - Accessed 5/23/2025. https://www.historynet.com/national-woman-suffrage-procession/
"National Woman Suffrage Procession." Marlee Newman [Online]. Available: https://www.historynet.com/national-woman-suffrage-procession/. [Accessed: 5/23/2025]

Related stories

Stories

Portfolio: Images of War as Landscape

Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers, […]

Stories

Jerrie Mock: Record-Breaking American Female Pilot

In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earhart’s disappearance.

ww2-homefront-poster-war-bond
Portfolio

During the War Years, Posters From the American Homefront Told You What to Do — And What Not to Do

If you needed some motivation during the war years, there was probably a poster for that.

Sue Robinson
Feature

This Victorian-Era Performer Learned that the Stage Life in the American West Wasn’t All Applause and Bouquets

Sue Robinson rose from an itinerant life as a touring child performer to become an acclaimed dramatic actress.

HistoryNet
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

“History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.”

David McCullough, author of “1776”

HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the world’s largest publisher of history magazines. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines.

Our Magazines

  • American History
  • America’s Civil War
  • Aviation History
  • Civil War Times
  • Military History
  • Military History Quarterly
  • Vietnam
  • Wild West
  • World War II

About Us

  • What Is HistoryNet.com?
  • Advertise With Us
  • Careers
  • Meet Our Staff!

Stay Curious

Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians.

sign me up!

© 2025 HistoryNet.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service