Suffrage Envoy Sara Bard Field

Duration:

2 minutes, 37 seconds

In 1915, suffragist Sara Bard Field drove thousands of miles across the United States gathering signatures on a petition in support of women's right to vote. On December 6, 1915, she presented the petition to President Woodrow Wilson. Ranger Lorne has the story of her adventure.

Suffrage envoy Sara Bard Field (left) and her driver, Maria Kindberg (center), and machinist Ingeborg Kindstedt (right) during their cross-country journey to present suffrage petitions to Congress, September-December 1915

Library of Congress. Location: National Woman's Party Records, Group I, Container I:159, Folder: Envoys from San Francisco

The "Suffrage Envoy" Cross Country Road Trip

On December 6, 1915, Maria Kindberg pulled a battle tested Overland touring car into Washington D.C. It bore a banner stating, “WE DEMAND AN AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION ENFRANCHISING WOMEN." Her passengers were poet Sara Bard Field, drama critic Frances Jolliffe, and fellow Swedish immigrant Ingeborg Kindstedt. Three of the four had driven across the United states to promote women’s suffrage.

Nearly three months earlier, Maria and Ingeborg purchased the brand new Overland while attending the 1915 World’s Fair, also known as the Panama-Pacific International Exhibition. The pair was from Providence, RI and planned to drive their vehicle back to the east coast. They knew that Alice Paul was interested in planning a transcontinental delegation. The Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage published an editorial in “The Suffragist” proposing the idea. When the Maria and Ingeborg agreed to donate their vehicle and assist with the journey, everything seemed to come together, just as Alice envisioned.

The Suffrage Envoys faced rough terrain, a grueling schedule, and numerous unexpected delays. In fact, the stress was too much for Frances. She was with the group as they pulled out from San Francisco but quit when they reached Sacramento. Frances then rejoined as the other three neared the nation's capital. The journey took quite an emotional toll on Sara as well; she nearly dropped out by Chicago. The length of trip meant she wouldn’t see her children for several months, and despite the Maria and Ingeborg's generous offer to donate their brand new car to the cause, they were still complete strangers.

As the exhausted crew approached the White House, how would President Wilson react to their journey? Find out from Ranger Lorne in the video.

Want to know more about the evolving tactics of the woman suffrage movement? Read Susan Goodier's article "Flexing Feminine Muscles: Strategies and Conflicts in the Suffrage Movement."