When the Declaration of Independence was signed by a group of wealthy white men in 1776, poor white men, African Americans, and women quickly discovered that the unalienable rights it promised were not truly for all. The Nineteenth Amendment eventually gave women the right to vote in 1920, but the change was not welcomed by people of all genders in politically and religiously conservative Kentucky. As a result, the suffrage movement in the Commonwealth involved a tangled web of stakeholders, entrenched interest groups, unyielding constitutional barriers, and activists with competing strategies.
In A Simple Justice, Melanie Beals Goan offers a new and deeper understanding of the women's suffrage movement in Kentucky by following the people who labored long and hard to see the battle won. Women's suffrage was not simply a question of whether women could and should vote; it carried more serious implications for white supremacy and for the balance of federal and state powers - especially in a border state. Shocking racial hostility surfaced even as activists attempted to make America more equitable.
Goan looks beyond iconic women such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton to reveal figures whose names have been lost to history. Laura Clay and Madeline McDowell Breckinridge led the Kentucky movement, but they did not do it alone. This timely study introduces readers to individuals across the Bluegrass State who did their part to move the nation closer to achieving its founding ideals.
"Finally, the little-known true story of how Kentucky women won the vote is written! Not only is it extremely entertaining it also inspires readers to continue to fight for equality for women today."
Marsha Weinstein, former executive director for the Kentucky Commission on Women
"Melanie Beals Goan has produced a very fine history of the women's suffrage movement in Kentucky from the state's school suffrage campaign in the 1830s through the achievement of the federal amendment in 1920. Insightful and accessible, A Simple Justice includes both intriguing descriptions of key figures and incisive analysis of racial tensions."
Anya Jabour, author of Sophonisba Breckinridge: Championing Women's Activism in Modern Ame
"Melanie Goan's pioneering, accessible, and engaging account of Kentucky suffrage is meticulously researched. She unearthed a mix of traditional and progressive women whose relentless pursuit of the vote overcame personal and societal obstacles including those exacerbated by racism and discrimination, controversy and ridicule. Though the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, Goan's final sentence
Genie Potter, former director of Kentucky Commission on Women and author/editor of Kentuck
