Women’s Suffrage in Oklahoma
Glossary
activism: Working to support or oppose a controversial or political issue.
allies: Two parties that agree to work together for a greater cause.
amending: To change the words of a law.
boarding school: A school where students live while it is in session.
burdensome: distressing or troublesome.
campaigns: An individual or group effort to bring about a desired result.
consensus: An agreement among a group.
constituent: A person who is represented by an official figure.
contradict: To be the opposite of what was previously said.
controversial: When a topic causes people to disagree.
cult of true womanhood: Cultural expectations held by some regarding female gender roles.
democracy: A system of government influenced by the whole population, typically by elected officials.
delegate: A person who represents other people.
domestic: Referring to the home and activities at home.
empowerment: Gaining freedom or power to control your own situation.
Fifteenth Amendment: The 1870 amendment to the Constitution that gave all men regardless of race or previous servitude, the right to vote.
gender roles: The expectation that an individual should be responsible for certain tasks and act a certain way simply because they are male or female.
grandfather clause: A legal mechanism used by some southern states that allowed those eligible to vote before 1866 (white men) to be exempt from the new voting requirements. This mean that Black citizens, who just received the right to vote in 1870, had to pass additional tests and pay taxes in order to vote.
indigenous: The original or earliest known inhabitant of a place.
inferior: To be regarded as less than or not as good as something or someone else.
legislation: Rules, laws, or policies made by states, the federal government, or other organizations.
levied: To bring a charge or tax against someone.
Liberty bond: A bond the US government sold to citizens to raise funds during World War I.
literacy tests: Reading tests that used to determined if someone was allowed to vote.
lobby: To advocate for something.
National Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage: A major national organization working to oppose women’s suffrage; founded in 1911.
National American Woman Suffrage Association: When the National Woman Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association merged in 1890, it became the National American Woman Suffrage Association.
nineteenth amendment: Grants women the right to vote.
Oklahoma Constitutional Convention: The 1906 convention that created a constitution for the state of Oklahoma.
petition: To formally ask for something.
poll tax: A charge levied on a voter.
prejudice: An unfair opinion about someone or something.
Prohibition: The movement to end the sale, production, distribution, and consumption of alcohol.
propaganda: The spreading of information to hurt or help a cause.
ratification: To officially approve. The states ratified the nineteenth amendment; this officially allowed women to vote.
Red Cross: A disaster relief organization.
reform: To change something for the better.
sexist: Bias based on gender.
social movement: Action taken by a large group to achieve a political goal.
stenographer: A person who writes shorthand to record official records.
submissive: Obeying without arguing.
suffrage: The right to vote in elections.
suffragist: A person that supports the right of women to vote.
temperance unions: groups organized to limit or ban the sale and use of alcohol.
voter fraud: Illegally interfering with an election by increasing or decreasing a particular candidate’s vote share.
Women’s Christian Temperance Union: Formed in 1873, a national organization of women working to limit or ban the sale and use of alcohol.
Women’s Clubs: It was very common in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century for women to organize clubs for social, intellectual, charitable or political purposes.
World War I: A war fought from 1914 to 1918 between the Allies, notably Britain, France, Russia, and Italy; and the Central powers, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire.
