It took women more than 70 years of organizing, lobbying and fighting to secure the right to vote. We think we know the story of suffrage — Susan B. Anthony, Seneca Falls.

But in Georgia, the battle was waged under the guise of polite society. Women were tasked to uphold ideals like modesty, beauty, grace, charm and submission, so political organizing often happened at afternoon teas and in polite, yet pointed newspaper editorials.

"Let us remember that in Georgia, everyone can vote except aliens, criminals, children, insane, illiterate negroes, your mother and your wife," wrote suffragist Helen Shaw Harrold.

"[Women's suffrage] is by far the greatest danger that has threatened the South since the days of scalawag and carpetbag rule in reconstruction times," countered anti-suffragist and white supremacist Mildred Lewis Rutherford. "When the evil comes, it will be too late to regret it.

The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote in 1920. But it took two more years for all Georgia women to get that right and many decades for the state to officially recognize it. Why?

Shame is The Woman tells the true story of Georgia suffragists and their opponents. And we look at how that fight more than a century ago still echoes today. Shame is The Woman, from Mercer University's Center for Collaborative Journalism and The Macon Newsroom, launches December 1st.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote in 1920, but Georgia was the first state to reject it. It wasn't until 1922 until all Georgia women to get that right and the state didn't officially ratify the 19th Amendment until 1970. Why?

Shame is the Woman tells the story of Georgia's suffragists and anti-suffragists, in their own words. The women may have been on opposite sides of this highly contentious issue, but they had significantly more in common than you might expect. This episode examines that fight for suffrage more than a century ago and how it still echoes today. Shame is The Woman, from Mercer University's Center for Collaborative Journalism and The Macon Newsroom.

In this episode we hear from:

Dr. Doug Thompson, professor of history at Mercer University and director of the Spencer B. King, Jr Center for Southern Studies

Dr. Sheree Keith, professor of communication studies at Middle Georgia State University and author of several publications on women's suffrage and suffragists

Mercer law student Addison Mecredy

The episode features archival audio from Georgia Public Broadcasting, WMAZ-TV, The (Macon) Telegraph, WFAE, PBS News Hour, CBS News and NBC News.

The hosts of this episode were Phoebe Monsour and Henry Keating. It was written by Henry Keating and Lars Lonnroth, with research assistance from Ashley Pemberton and Cole Brockman. Ryan Palmer composed the original music. Tanya Ott edited and mixed the sound. Thanks to GPB Macon’s Grant Blankenship for production assistance.

“Shame is the Woman” is an original podcast production of the Center for Collaborative Journalism at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.