COURT HOUSE – “What a year,” Cape May County Clerk and historian Rita Fulginiti said Oct. 8, via Zoom. Hosted by the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce, the virtual lecture opened a window into the suffrage movement and how the vote remains as vital today as it did in 1919.
The world was different, in 1919. Having survived World War I and enduring the Spanish flu, America battled women’s voting rights. Many states, including New Jersey, granted women the vote on local school issues, but not on state and federal levels.
Yet, according to Fulginiti, women, in New Jersey, and Cape May County, previously experienced greater political freedom before the 19th Amendment.
When the state constitution was ratified, in 1776, women and freed African Americans had the vote. Did the state Assembly intend for the electorate to be described as “they” instead of “he?” No one is certain, but Fulginiti quoted the passage.
All inhabitants who were worth over 50 pounds, owned property, and lived in the state for a year could vote. No lines were drawn over gender or race.
In 1789, with the passage of the U.S. Constitution, women and African Americans voted. Women took part in state and federal elections from 1776 to 1807. Married women couldn’t vote since their property belonged to their husbands, leaving only single women and widows eligible.
James Madison, the Democratic-Republican candidate, sought to fill Thomas Jefferson’s role, as president and leader of the party, while Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, former secretary of state, represented the Federalist Party.
The election was highly contested, according to Fulginiti. America was still young, torn between the more conservative, aristocratic Federalists and progressive Democratic-Republicans. Fulginiti said the majority of women voted federalist, raising concern across the aisle.
A law was passed, ending 31 years of voting privileges, and Madison secured the election. How did women in Cape May County respond? Fulginiti said no official documentation reflects private sentiments, but one can imagine the effects.
“1807 was a very bad year for women’s rights, in New Jersey,” Fulginiti said.
Throughout the 1800s, women continued advocating for increased rights, especially the abolition of slavery.
“Abolition was big,” Fulginiti said. Women reformers organized abolitionist events, gave lectures and speeches, and raised funds. One of the most notable rallies occurred in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1850.
When the railroad came to Cape May County, in 1860, the county transformed under new ideas and immigrants. News traveled faster, and the barrier islands were settled. In 1865, the 13th Amendment passed, ending slavery in America.
At the turn of the 20th century, county women formed a suffrage group and held regular meetings. According to Fulginiti, the term “suffragette” was derogatory. The correct term was “suffragist.”
By 1913, there were “meetings galore” for county suffragists. Priscilla Bright organized the Wildwoods while Anna Hand, M.D., was president of the county suffragists. Dr. Margaret Mace served as vice president.
Local figures, such as Adele Wiley Elmer, opened their homes for the movement’s headquarters. Elmer’s home, the Doctor’s Inn Bed and Breakfast, in Court House, remains a gathering place today. Her daughter, Edith Elmer Wood, married a naval officer and wrote books relating to women’s rights.
Katherine Baker, of Wildwood, served as a nurse, in France, during World War I, and followed in her mother’s footsteps as a suffragist. Baker died of tuberculous, in 1919, the year Congress passed the 19th Amendment. Fulginiti said that Baker “would have gone on to be a world leader” for women’s rights.
Fulginiti encourages women, and all, voters to exercise their hard-won right during the upcoming election.
“Vote and be aware of issues,” Fulginiti said. “Vote your conscience.” She added the Cape May County Board of Elections will ensure that 2020 “is a fair election.”
Election results will be known Nov. 3, according to Fulginiti, with a second tally Nov. 11. The official results will be available Nov. 20.
To contact Rachel Rogish, email rrogish@cmcherald.com.
