Maggie Lena Walker was an African American woman, a banker, a business leader, and a civic leader. In 1903, she was the first woman to establish a bank in the United States, the Saint Luke Penny Savings Bank in Richmond. She was also the first African American woman to become the president of a bank in the United States. Maggie Walker was born in 1864 in Richmond, Virginia.
Maggie’s mother, Elizabeth Draper, was a former enslaved person who worked as an assistant cook for Elizabeth Van Lew, a wealthy white woman who freed some of her family's enslaved laborers and who ran a Union spy network around Richmond during the Civil War. While at the Van Lew estate, Draper met an Irish American abolitionist writer named Eccles Cuthbert, who was Maggie’s biological father. There is no record suggesting that Cuthbert and Draper ever married. Draper later married William Mitchell, a butler at the Van Lew home. Together they had a son in 1870, Maggie’s half-brother Johnnie Mitchell. In February 1876, William Mitchell’s body was found drowned in the James River under suspicious circumstances. After his death, the family fell into poverty and Draper started a laundry business to support her family. In 1904, Maggie described how she felt about working in her mother’s business and witnessing the differences between socio-economic classes. She said “I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth, but with a laundry basket practically on my head.”
Maggie went to school in Richmond at the Lancasterian School, a newly created public school for African American children in Richmond. She later graduated from the "Richmond Colored Normal School" in 1883 after she completed training to become a teacher. Following graduation she taught school for three years until she married Armstead Walker Jr., in 1886. Due to a school policy, as was standard for the time, Maggie retired from teaching once she was married.
In 1881, Walker joined the Independent Order of Saint Luke, a fraternal association. She rose through the ranks of the organization and became Right Worthy Grand Secretary in 1899. When she became its leader, the order was debt-ridden and on the verge of bankruptcy, but Walker transformed it to a well-resourced entity, and within five years the Saint Luke Penny Savings Bank opened for business. She used her position to encourage young Black students to continue their education and serve the community.
During the Great Depression, Walker's bank was survived the national wave of bank failures and merged with two other banks to become Consolidated Bank and Trust. In the later years of her life, Walker faced health issues that confined her to a wheelchair. Walker remained president of her bank until December 15, 1934, when she died from diabetic gangrene. Today Maggie Walker's former home at 110 ½ East Leigh Street is a National Historic Landmark (designated in 1979) and is maintained by the National Park Service. In her honor, a statue and plaza were also placed on Richmond's Broad Street.
Citation: Maggie Walker Photographic Potrait, Visual Studies Collection, Library of Virginia.
Preview Activities
Artistic Exploration: Examine the photograph of Maggie Lena Walker as well as the legend at the bottom of the image. From your perspective, what can you conclude about Walker from her posture, dress, and facial expression? What also does the legend at the bottom of her photograph imply?
Think About it: The year of the photograph was 1898, list 5 things you know about that period in American History. These items may reflect events prior to or after 1898. Think about the role of women and how the African American community in a city like Richmond, might be different from today.
Post Activities
Analyze: Maggie Walker achieved a level of success that was considered to be unusual for an African- American woman of her period. What events stand out to you as being most relevant to who she would become? Why? Write a paragraph explaining your thought process.
Be the Journalist: Imagine you could meet Maggie Walker now and interview her. What would you ask her? Why
The broadside image is that of Equal Suffrage League of Virginia (ESL) which was founded in 1909 in Richmond. The ESL became one of the most influential suffrage organizations in the country. Among the twenty founding women, co-founder, women’s suffrage activist, education reformer, and advocate for improved public-health , Lila Meade Valentine of Richmond was elected the league's first president. The league's members included several prominent suffragists including: Ellen Glasgow, Mary Johnston, Adéle Clark, Nora Houston, and Dr. Katherine Waller Barrett. The recruitment of new members initially proved difficult. Among the obstacles league members faced were the objections of fathers to their daughters and wives participating in the league and women who may have lacked knowledge or who disagreed with the concept of women’s suffrage. However, during the league's first year almost 120 members joined. Many of the women who joined in that first year were residents of Richmond.
From the beginning the ESL faced similar challenges that well-established organizations, such as the National American Woman Suffrage Association had encountered. The need for an education campaign to bring public awareness and understanding of the importance of suffrage became a mission for the ESL. As part of an effort to spread the word for woman suffrage, member and writer Mary Johnston spoke at women's colleges, and Lila Valentine gave more than 100 speeches across Virginia encouraging suffrage support. Other members did their part by visiting schools, fairs, and union meetings. They also distributed informational materials on city streets. Their strategies worked. By 1911, membership had grown to 290, and by 1919 to 30,000 with numerous branches across Virginia.
Citation: Equal Suffrage League of Virginia. Women do want the vote: these women have said so. Richmond, Va.: The League, 1916, Broadside 1916 .W66 BOX, Lab #08_1139_19, Manuscripts & Special Collections, Library of Virginia.
Preview Activity
Analyze: Look at the list of organizations on the broadside. What do these organizations have in common, other than support for the suffrage movement? How are these organizations different? Why would these organizations support woman suffrage?
Post Activities
Take a Stand: Imagine you are an early supporter of voting rights for women. What arguments would you make to convince someone to support the movement?
Current Connection: There are many women’s organizations active in the United States today. Why do you think they are or are not necessary? What contributions might these organizations make in the 21st Century?
Artistic Expression: Recreate the broadside in a different style. Think of how presentation might make a difference in attracting members today.
Circulated in Staunton, Virginia, the broadside dates to sometime between 1900 and 1919. In it, the women of Staunton asked the men in their community to vote in favor of prohibition or the legal elimination of alcohol consumption and sale. The women, who could not vote at that time, pleaded with the male voters appealing to the traditional masculine “duty” to care for the women and their families. In stating their case, the women used their positions as wives, mothers, and protectors of the domestic sphere to give them authority. As the broadside stated, their “boys” were those supporting the liquor business and partaking in alcohol consumption. The women expressed that their sons were “too precious to be sacrificed upon the altar of the saloon.” The broadside demonstrates the common concern at the time about alcoholism and the potential effects that excessive drinking had on society. The women of Staunton argued that men who spent their time and money drinking in the saloons neglected to care for their families, thereby shirking their familial responsibilities as men.For much of the late nineteenth century and the early part of the twentieth century, women reformers dominated the prohibition movement which was considered an appropriate cause for women to champion. Women were bore the responsibility of educating their children in morality and maintaining the homefront.
The Staunton women may have been inspired by the work of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), which was founded in 1874 in Ohio. The organization was in favor of prohibition and was active in promoting their beliefs to the public. Many of its members were also involved in other reform movements, such as women's voting rights, which may have been the case in Staunton as well. The broadside may indicate that Staunton women may have had suffrage in mind when expressed emphatically “PROTECT OUR OWN HOMES AND OUR OWN BOYS.” Without the vote, women were dependent on male voters to protect home and society.
Citation: Appeal of the women of Staunton, Staunton, Va. s.n., between 1900 and 1919. Broadside 1900 .A7 BOX, Lab #08_0785_10, Manuscripts & Special Collections, Library of Virginia
Preview Activity
Take a Look: Look at the broadside. Notice words and phrases that are in bold typeface or otherwise emphasized. If you had to guess, what is the context for this broadside? What do you think is the appeal of the women of Staunton?
Post Activities
Artistic Exploration: How would you redesign this broadside for a more artistic and bold appeal? Design a poster or sign to replace the broadside. As an extra challenge, research popular artistic styles of the time period and incorporate their distinguishing characteristics into your work.
Analyze: Why do you think this group of women from Staunton supported prohibition? What does their appeal tell you about their concerns?
Another Perspective: Do you think all women in that area would have felt the same way about prohibition? Why or why not? Women in the period could support prohibition and suffrage. Why might this be the case?
The Equal Suffrage League of Virginia (ESL) was founded in 1909 in Richmond when about twenty women met at the home of Anne Clay Crenshaw. The league sought to win women the right to vote. Although the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776 and the first ten amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, were passed in 1791, women were still not considered equal citizens under the law nearly a century and a half later. The ESL believed that denying women the right to vote was equivalent to the pre-Revolution days of taxation without representation. While many women supported the suffrage movement, others opposed the idea of women's voting rights.
The ESL faced organized resistance in the form of the Virginia Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage, founded in 1912. Much of the anti-suffragist rhetoric was based on the arguments that a women’s proper role was within the home and that separate spheres existed for women and men. Anti-suffragists argued that men were to be involved in public sphere activities, such as politics, whereas women belonged in the private sphere of the home. Many people believed that if women stepped outside of their role in the home, the family unit would ultimately suffer.
This broadside highlights the efforts of the Virginia Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage to tie the suffrage movement directly to socialism, a political ideology that was gaining some momentum at the time as labor reform efforts increased. Socialism was highly controversial at the time as many Americans viewed it as a challenge to democracy and free enterprise.
Citation: Virginia Association Opposed to Woman's Suffrage, Anti-suffrage arguments: Danger!: Woman’s suffrage, the vanguard of socialism. Richmond, Va.: The Association, 191-. Broadside 191- .A684 FF, Lab #15_0233_026, Manuscripts & Special Collections, Library of Virginia.
Preview Activity
Scan It: Scan the broadside. List the words which are repeated more than twice or which are purposely in large typeface. Why would the creator of this document choose to use words repeatedly? What impact might the repetition and size of the type have on a reader?
Post Activities
Social Media Spin: Using hashtags and memes, convert the messages of this broadside into short, social media-style messages that may have been used had the technology existed at the time.
Analyze: Why would women be opposed to the idea women having the right to vote? What does their opposition tell you about the prevailing culture and values in the early 1900’s?
Another Perspective: There are countries around the world today in which women do not have the same rights as men or where women do not feel that women are considered equal to men. How and why does culture impact the decisions made to give or not give women rights in the 21st century?
This portrait of Mary Willing Byrd (1740–1814) was painted early in the 1770s by artist Matthew Pratt. Born in Philadelphia, she was the daughter of a wealthy merchant and a god-daughter of Benjamin Franklin. In 1761 she married William Byrd (1728–1777) while he was serving in the French and Indian War (also known as the Seven Years' War). They settled at his Westover plantation on the James River in Charles City County, where his enslaved laborers raised tobacco and grains. William Byrd was heavily in debt before the American Revolution and he took his own life in January 1777.
The death of her husband left Mary Byrd debt-ridden and faced with the difficult task of satisfying creditors while preserving an inheritance for their ten children. Mary Byrd attempted to remain neutral during the American Revolution and thereby retain control of her property and wealth. Loyalist forces under Benedict Arnold raided Westover in 1781. After trying to negotiate with the British for the return of her property, including 49 enslaved laborers, Mary Byrd was accused by the Americans of trading with the enemy. Mary Byrd eloquently defended herself and a trial was never held. When she wrote her will in 1813, she was still in possession of Westover and was able to provide for all of her children and grandchildren.
Today two portraits of Mary Willing Byrd survive, one located at the Library of Virginia and the other located at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, in Richmond.
Citation: Mary Willing Byrd, oil painting. Pratt, Matthew, Mary Willing Byrd (Mrs. William Byrd III) Oil painting on canvas, Original. Virginia State Artwork Collection: acquired 1920, Library of Virginia.
Preview Activity
Take a Look: The portrait of Mary Byrd provides many clues to her status and wealth. Write a few sentences about what you believe to be her social status. Use examples from the portrait as part of your explanation.
Post Activity
Artistic Exploration: Produce a portrait of Mary Willing Byrd that you think represents her story. You may create the portrait using any artistic means you wish. Feel free to use symbols in your portrait to represent her status and struggle.
Another Perspective: If you were Mary Byrd, how might you try to preserve your property? Would you choose a side in the war? Would you stay neutral? What would influence your decision.
By the 1870s, bicycles and tricycles using wire-spoked wheels were common, particularly in England. Albert A. Pope became the first American bicycle manufacturer under the trade name “Columbia” in Connecticut in 1878.
The popularity of bicycles in America increased rapidly in the 1890s with the advent of the safety bicycle with equal-sized wheels that allowed the rider's feet to reach the ground. Automobiles were expensive and not widely available, horses and carriages were expensive to maintain, and public transportation was not efficient. The bicycle met the need for inexpensive individual transportation and, as a result, the new industry expanded rapidly. The bicycle provided people with a means of affordable travel. As more people relied on bicycles, existing roads were improved and new roads were constructed.
Bicycles also contributed to social change in the United States as people were able more freely to move about, especially women. Clothing styles changed from corsets and long skirts to divided skirts and bloomers. Women enjoyed greater opportunities to leave their house without needing a chaperone. They could ride alone or with groups of other women. The independence bicycles offered inspired some women to take up the cause of the growing suffrage movement as more women could attend meetings and events. Susan B. Anthony reportedly claimed in 1896 that "the bicycle has done more for the emancipation of women than anything else in the world."
Virginians embraced cycling and local newspapers included advertisements offering bicycles designed for female riders and women’s fashions for bicycling. National periodicals also published stories, articles, and cartoons about bicycling. Puck was one of the first successful humor magazines in the United States with its colorful, witty cartoons covering politics and social issues late in the 19th century. In this cartoon from an 1897 issue of Puck, the cartoonist shows a novice rider concentrating on her bicycle. Several of the advertisements on the page are for bicycles and accessories.
Citation: Puck Magazine, v. 41, no. 1046, Mar. 24, 1897, Rare Book Collection, Manuscripts & Special Collections, Library of Virginia.
Preview Activity
Look at It: Look at the cartoon and the advertisements on this page. Who might be the target audience? Why?
Post Activities
Analyze: How did the use of the bicycle connect to the broader social or political messages in the 1890s? What other groups of people would have benefited from the inexpensive transportation offered by the bicycle?
Artistic Expression: Imagine that you must market this bicycle on behalf of the company. Create an advertisement or poster that would attract new customers.
Think About It: Write a journal entry as if you were living in a major U.S. city in the 1890s and how a bicycle would have affected your daily routine.
Women served in many capacities during the American Revolution. Thousands of women traveled with their husbands when they served in the Continental Army. Known as "camp followers," they marched with the supply wagons, set up camps nearby, and cooked, did laundry, mended clothing, and assisted with medical treatment when necessary. Some women carried water to troops on the battlefield, both to drink and to cool the cannons.
According to legends popularized during the 19th century, a woman known as Molly Pitcher was bringing water to the troops during the Battle of Monmouth in June 1778. When her husband was killed in the battle she immediately took his place firing the artillery piece or cannon. In one story, a cannon ball from the opposing side landed between her legs, missing her body by mere inches. Undaunted, she reportedly continued firing the cannon for the rest of the battle. A number of 19th century artists illustrated the dramatic story in paintings and engravings, including this one by English engraver James Charles Armytage that was published in Battles of America by Sea and Land (1861), by Robert Tomes.
Over time, several women have become associated with the story, which was not recounted during the war. One is Mary Hays McCauly, whose husband enlisted in the Continental Army in 1776 and died in 1786, not in battle during the war. After his death Mary applied for a pension from the state of Pennsylvania as the widow of a soldier. In 1822, Mary received an annual pension of $40 for “services rendered,” although the services were not specified and the amount was a standard widow's pension. Another woman is Margaret Corbin, who accompanied her husband to war. He was killed during the battle of Fort Washington in November 1776, whereupon she took up his gun and was wounded under fire. In 1779 the Continental Congress awarded her a lifetime pension and a suit of clothes for her actions on the battlefield.
It is unknown if the story of Molly Pitcher refers to one woman or whether Molly Pitcher is a composite figure of various women who served in a variety of roles during the war. The name “Molly" was a nickname for Mary, a common name during the time, and “Pitcher” described the task of fetching water. Whether or not "Molly Pitcher" herself existed, the legend reflects the bravery of the many women who participated in America's Revolutionary War.
Citation: Portrait, Molly Pitcher, engraving by J.C. Armytage. Harry C. Mann Photograph Collection, Visual Studies Collection, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.
Related entry: Anna Maria Lane, Commendation and Pension
Preview Activity
Artistic Exploration: Look the drawing of Molly Pitcher at the cannon. Notice the posture and facial expressions of the soldiers around her. What can you conclude about her actions and role in the battle?
Post Activities
Artistic Exploration: Draw cartoons or images of Molly Pitcher taking on various roles that women might have during the Revolution.
Another Perspective: Write a diary entry for a day in the life of Molly Pitcher or a camp follower. What did you do? What challenges did you face?
Analyze: Look at the image and using your knowledge of the American Revolution, why were camp followers like Mary Hays important? How might have the actions of the women during the American Revolution be reflected in the many roles women play in the modern American military?
For a significant portion of American history, women were not allowed to vote. Although they were considered citizens with rights equal to men, voting was considered a privilege and not a right and thus not extended to women. In the 1910s, women became extremely vocal about their lack of ability to vote, but not all women supported the fight for suffrage.
The broadside enumerates the concerns of women who opposed legislation allowing women to vote. They believed that in giving women the right to voter that the home and traditional roles of women would change in a negative way which might prove detrimental to society. Women were granted the right to vote when the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution was passed by congress in 1919 and ratified on August 18, 1920. In an interesting twist, Virginia delayed its ratification until 1952. However, women had been voting and taking positions in elected office for over 30 years.
Citation: Anti-Suffrage Arguments Broadside, 1910s. Library of Virginia Manuscripts & Special Collections Broadside Collection 800 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA.
Preview Activity
Scan It: Scan the broadside and list any words or phrases that stand out to you. Why did they stand out? What impact might those words have on a person taking a quick or passing glance at the broadside?
Post Activities
Analyze: What arguments are made in favor of women not having the vote? In your opinion, which, if any, of these are justified by historical fact? Be specific.
Social Media Spin: Imagine you are a member of an anti-suffrage organization, then create a catchy hashtag, motto, or tweet to spread the message.
Current Connections: What arguments were made during past presidential and/ or state elections regarding why a woman should not be elected to the office?
Richmond native Lila Meade Valentine was born in 1865 and devoted much of her life to advocating education, health-care reform, and woman suffrage. She played an important role in creating organizations which focused on health care and public schools in Richmond. In 1909, Valentine co-founded the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia (ESL) and was elected the organization's first (and only) president. Shortly after its founding, the ESL joined forces with the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), which succeeded two suffrage groups that had been formed late in the nineteenth century, the National Woman Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association. The NAWSA was the most mainstream and nationally prominent pro-suffrage group. In an effort to educate Virginia's citizens and legislators about woman suffrage, ESL members went door-to-door passing out leaflets and giving speeches on the subject. Common techniques used to attract women to their cause included giving speeches across the state, often from decorated automobiles, renting booths at fairs, and distributing “Votes for Women” buttons. By 1919, the league had attracted 30,000 members.
In spite of the ESL's tireless efforts, the Virginia General Assembly failed to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment which had previously been ratified by Congress in1920. The Nineteenth Amendment granted all women in the United States, including women in Virginia, the right to vote. It was not until 1952 that the Virginia General Assembly officially adopted the amendment. Women had been voting and participating in politics for 30 years at that point. After the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified and women gained the franchise, the league was reorganized as the League of Women Voters of Virginia.
Citation: Card Advertising a Lila Meade Valentine Suffrage Lecture in Norfolk, April 24, 1914.Equal Suffrage League of Virginia. Records, 1909–1935. Accession 22002, Organization Records, Library of Virginia.
For more information about the campaign for women's voting rights, see We Demand: Women's Suffrage in Virginia.
Preview Activity
Scan It: Look at the card; what immediately jumps out to you? Why do you think the creator of the card wanted those phrases and words to stand out?
Post Activities
Artistic Expression: Design a more graphic-based card for this event that you think might be more likely to encourage participation. Be sure to use era-appropriate words and symbolism.
Analyze: Notice how Lila Meade Valentine’s name is printed on the card. Why do you think her married name, Mrs. B.B. Valentine, was used on the card? What might this have signaled to the public. Keep in mind the time period and the traditional roles of women.
Current Connection: What are some examples of women today who have struggled with the notion of balancing the appearance of playing a traditional role while being an agent for change? For example, there was a controversy over the correct way to introduce First Lady Jill Biden as she holds a PhD (and thus could be addressed as Dr.) and is married (and would traditionally be addressed as Mrs.).
As women participated in the movement to abolish slavery during the first half of the 19th century, some of them also began to advocate for women's rights. In July 1848, a group of women and men held a convention in Seneca Falls, New York. They signed a "Declaration of Sentiments," drafted by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, which called for women's equality and the right to vote, also known as suffrage. As the woman suffrage movement gained more support throughout the country, it also raised a great deal of public scrutiny. Many people, including women, questioned how women would be able to meet the demands of their domestic duties at home while participating in public activities, such as attending political rallies or making speeches. Since the colonial era, women in America had been considered a dependent class, under the responsibility of their fathers, husbands, or brothers. The growing women's rights movement challenged the prevailing social norms.
Political cartoons have often been used to express opinions and concerns. They are often satirical, using humor, exaggeration, irony, and ridicule to persuade a reader to think about current events from a particular point of view. In this Currier and Ives cartoon published in 1869, "Age of Brass: Or the Triumphs of Woman's Rights," the cartoonist depicted a scene of what might happen if women were given the right to vote. It shows a group of extravagantly dressed women lined up at the ballot box to vote for "The Celebrated Man Tamer: Susan Sharp-Tongue" and for "Miss Hangman" as sheriff. At the end of the line is a woman holding up her fist to a man carrying a baby, highlighting the potential effects of gender role reversal as women took on different roles in society. The women are wearing very elaborate and somewhat masculine-looking clothing and some are smoking cigars, none of which was considered respectable, feminine behavior at that time.
Citation: “The Age of Brass: Or the Triumphs of Woman's Rights.” lithograph. [New York]: Currier & Ives, 1869. Visual Studies Collection, Library of Virginia.
Preview Activity
Take a Look: Look at the policitcal cartoon. What do you notice about it? What do you think is the purpose? Pay attention to the appearances of the characters and the writing included in the image.
Post Activities
Current Connections: How would this lithograph be different if it were produced today for a women's-rights-related issue? How would the imagery and message change to suit modern times?
Think About It: Identify and list specific imagery in this lithograph that seeks to place women on a more equal playing field with men. To what extent are the images successful?