Edward B. Burkey's "Is Woman Suffrage Necessary or Conducive to Good Government?"

Date
1908

In his essay "Is Woman Suffrage Necessary or Conducive to Good Government?," Edward B. Burkey argued against women's suffrage. To begin his essay, Burkey wrote that the "question, however, is not whether the intellectual gifts of woman are equal in value to those of man, or whether her character with his is more angelic, but whether her understanding and character are as well fitted as his for the special function of politics and government."  He contended that women's enfranchisement was not desirable as women did not have the physical strength, ability to hold office, and could loose their moral superiority. Moreover, women's suffrage would runin the home and family as it would strip men of their power.

Location of Document in Archives
Essays. General. 1908. B959i