WHO WAS INEZ MILHOLLAND?
WHAT’S A QUICK WAY TO UNDERSTAND WHY INEZ MILHOLLAND (1888-1916) HAD SUCH AN IMPACT ON THE PEOPLE OF HER TIME?
INEZ MILHOLLAND (1886-1916) is the United States suffrage martyr. Inez gave her life while campaigning for the right of American women to vote. We honor because Inez represents the tens of thousands of activists like her, both leaders and grassroots organizers, who dedicated themselves to winning women’s voting rights from 1848 to 1920.
You may have seen photos of Inez on a horse leading the big women’s suffrage parade in Washington, DC in 1913. But you may not have connected this to the fact that Inez became the U.S. suffrage martyr three years later. Inez collapsed on a lecture platform while on the campaign trail in November 1916 to speak to citizens of the Western states about the importance of American women standing together and winning the right to vote.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: The following YouTube portrayal of Inez Milholland leading the 1913 women’s suffrage parade is enhanced by Hollywood, but you get the idea in this selection from “Iron Jawed Angels,” the 2004 HBO production. YouTube link.
This audio selection below about Inez Milholland highlights the outpouring of grief and appreciation expressed at a memorial service in December 1916.
Audio selection, Inez Milholland tribute, 1916, in Washington, DC at the time of her death. From Jailed for Freedom by Doris Stevens, 1920. Audio by Librivox. Edited by Suffrage Wagon News Channel. For resources and Inez Milholland information, consult InezMilhollandCentennial.com
Memorial service for U.S. suffrage martyr, Inez Milholland, in 1916: a suffrage centennial special! on Vimeo.
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