When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary Story, 1776-1807

FAIN: GI-269725-20

Museum of the American Revolution (Philadelphia, PA 19106-2818)
Philip Mead (Project Director: August 2019 to present)

Implementation of a temporary exhibition, educational materials, a website, and related public programs exploring women’s citizenship and voting rights in the Early Republic. 

When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary Story 1776 – 1807 examines the little-known history of the nation’s first women voters—the New Jersey women who legally held the vote more than 100 years before the Nineteenth Amendment granted American women the franchise. Based on newly discovered poll lists and using original objects, digital interactives, and physical environments, the exhibition asks what new possibilities the Revolution created for women’s political activism. It explains how hope faltered amid rising partisanship, racism, and class tension as New Jersey closed the vote to all but propertied white men in 1807, yet, also how the Revolutionary promise rose again a generation later as suffragists drew inspiration from these early women voters. Timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the passage of women’s suffrage, the exhibition encourages visitors to consider that progress is not always linear, but that preserving rights and liberties requires constant vigilance.

"The Museum is planning for a partial reopening in August before we reopen to the public in September.
We anticipate limiting onsite visitation for the foreseeable future, including the cancellation of most
school groups visits and large group tours in spring 2021.
When Women Lost the Vote will open to the public on October 3 and will run through April 30, 2021.
Previously planned for the Museum’s special exhibit space, When Women Lost the Vote will be integrated
within the Museum’s core galleries, featuring newly installed historic objects and a new tableau scene,
and connected by an audio tour. It will also be made globally accessible to virtual visitors through a
robust online experience that will go live in September. An exhibition catalogue will also be published in
spring 2021.
The digital experience and many of the enhancements to the Museum’s core galleries will remain
permanently accessible for visitors.
Disseminating exhibition content across multiple formats will provide a flexible model for visitor
engagement. It will ensure broad public access to the exhibition, capitalizing on surging public interest in
the Museum’s virtual content, and accommodate onsite safety protocols in the galleries after reopening."

Media Coverage

Uncovering Lost Black History, Stone by Stone (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Jennifer Schuessler
Publication: New York Times
Date: 12/22/2020
Abstract: The article describes the efforts of Elaine Buck and Beverly Mills, who research the histories of individuals buried in Stoutsburg Cemetery, Hopewell, NJ, one of the oldest African-American burial grounds in the U.S. The article notes the Museum's contributions to their understanding of the lives of African-Americans buried in the cemetery, at least two of whom appeared on 1801 poll lists as New Jersey voters.
URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/22/arts/black-cemetery-new-jersey-history.html

One the Trail of America's First Women to Vote (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Jennifer Schuessler
Publication: New York Times
Date: 2/24/2020
Abstract: Article describing the discovery of poll lists by the Museum's collections team proving that a significant number of women voted in elections in New Jersey from 1776-1807. The article notes the Museum's forthcoming special exhibition "When Women Lost the Vote," which will explore equal voting rights in New Jersey in the Early Republic "when the meaning of the Revolution’s ideas was being worked out on the ground."
URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/24/arts/first-women-voters-new-jersey.html

Revolution Museum has a remarkable story to tell about New Jersey's inclusive voting rights--in the 1700s (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Stephan Salisbury
Publication: Philadelphia Inquirer
Date: 2/24/2020
Abstract: Article describing the discovery of poll lists by the Museum's collections team proving that a significant number of women voted in elections in New Jersey from 1776-1807. The article notes the Museum's forthcoming special exhibition "When Women Lost the Vote," which will explore equal voting rights in New Jersey in the Early Republic.
URL: https://www.inquirer.com/arts/american-revolution-museum-philadelphia-vote-women-people-of-color-nj-20200224.html

More than a century before the 19th Amendment, women were voting in New Jersey (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Gillian Brockell
Publication: Washington Post
Date: 8/4/2020
Abstract: Article describing the discovery of poll lists by the Museum's collections team proving that a significant number of women voted in elections in New Jersey from 1776-1807. The article notes the Museum's forthcoming special exhibition "When Women Lost the Vote," which will explore equal voting rights in New Jersey in the Early Republic.
URL: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/local/history/new-jersey-women-vote-1776-suffrage/

In 1807, N.J. women and free people of color lost the right to vote. The Museum of the American Revolution explores why (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Brandon T. Harden
Publication: Philadelphia Inquirer
Date: 10/8/2020
Abstract: The article describes the Museum's new exhibition "When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary Story, 1776-1807," which opened on October 3, 2020.
URL: https://www.inquirer.com/arts/museum-of-american-revolution-when-women-lost-vote-new-jersey-20201008.html

When Women Lost the Vote: Museum of the American Revolution installs new exhibit (Media Coverage)
Publication: WPVI-TV Philadelphia
Date: 1/4/2021
Abstract: Segment on a local news program about the installation of the tableau featuring women voting in New Jersey in 1801 and the "When Women Lost the Vote" exhibition.
URL: https://6abc.com/society/museum-of-the-american-revolution-installs-new-exhibit-/7398224/

Women were voting prior to the 19th Amendment (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Barbara Miller Beem
Publication: Antiques Week
Date: 2/23/2021
Abstract: The special exhibition and the new digital resources were covered in this antique news outlet. Not available online.

New museum exhibit explores how women originally lost right to vote (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Hadas Kuznits
Publication: KYW News Radio
Date: 3/6/2021
Abstract: News story describing the Museum's special exhibition "When Women Lost the Vote," exploring equal voting rights in New Jersey in the Early Republic.
URL: https://www.radio.com/kywnewsradio/news/local/new-museum-exhibit-explores-how-women-lost-right-to-vote

How one local composer is remembering the ladies of past and present (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Molly Given
Publication: Metro Philadelphia Newspaper
Date: 3/24/2021
Abstract: An article about the virtual premiere of composer Dr. Melissa Dunphy's original piece “Remember the Ladies,” inspired by Abigail Adam's well-known 1776 letter to her husband John Adams, which is featured in "When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary Story, 1776-1807." Dunphy’s “Remember the Ladies,” which premieres March 25, sets excerpts from Adam's letter for an a cappella mixed chorus, performed by the 40-voice community choir PhilHarmonia.
URL: https://philly.metro.us/how-one-local-composer-is-remembering-the-ladies-of-past-and-present/?fbclid=IwAR0ENMmW_jjvDgfmvYrlqxznd-IT1Y2KEnrhxUo3YhHtuNzSuDrXtpfrgLA

Diverse voices tell the tale of women's voting rights (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Jamyra Perry
Publication: The Philadelphia Tribune
Date: 3/6/2021
Abstract: Interview with actress Tiffany Bacon, who portrays Elizabeth “Mumbet” Freeman in the one-woman play written for the Museum by Teresa Miller.
URL: https://www.phillytrib.com/lifestyle/diverse-voices-tell-the-tale-of-womens-voting-rights/article_686148eb-5d43-5287-b074-dd993faebd81.html

Abigail Adams' Words Inspire Modern Museum Music (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Sheila Watko
Publication: NBC10 Philadelphia
Date: 3/23/2021
Abstract: Coverage of Melissa Dunphy's choral work and the When Women Lost the Vote exhibition.
URL: https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/entertainment/philly-live/abigail-adams-words-inspire-modern-museum-music/2752800/

Reality Check with Charles Ellison (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Charles Ellison
Publication: WURD 900 AM
Date: 4/2/2021
Abstract: Adrienne Whaley, the Museum's Director of K-12 and Community Engagement, discussed When Women Lost the Vote and Women’s History Month programming in a 20-minute interview with host Charles Ellison.
URL: https://soundcloud.com/onwurd/reality-check-3221-adrienne-whaley

MOAR takes a look at how women made history (Media Coverage)
Publication: Philly Metro
Date: 3/2/2021
Abstract: A Metro article featured the slate of Women’s History Month programming and When Women Lost the Vote-related programs, including the recorded theatrical performances.
URL: http://https://philly.metro.us/moar-takes-a-look-at-how-women-made-history/

Associated Products

When Women Lost the Vote exhibition website (Web Resource)
Title: When Women Lost the Vote exhibition website
Author: Dr. Marcela Miccuci
Author: Dr. Phillip Mead
Abstract: On December 22, 2020, the Museum of the American Revolution introduced a robust online exhibition to complement "When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary Story, 1776-1807," an exhibition supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Year: 2020
Primary URL: https://www.amrevmuseum.org/virtualexhibits/when-women-lost-the-vote-a-revolutionary-story

Poll List Interactive (Web Resource)
Title: Poll List Interactive
Author: Marcella Micucci
Author: Philip Mead
Abstract: Poll lists or original manuscript records of women voting in New Jersey in the Revolutionary era. The poll lists prove that at least 163 women and some people of color voted in the first generation after the Revolutionary War. The first in-depth analysis of nine poll lists by Museum researchers refutes any presumption that women in the Early Republic were only passive witnesses and bystanders of the political processes that shaped the new nation.
Year: 2021
Primary URL: https://www.amrevmuseum.org/virtualexhibits/when-women-lost-the-vote-a-revolutionary-story/pages/discovering-america-s-first-women-voters-1800-1807
Primary URL Description: The online Poll List Interactive features high resolution images of nine poll lists discovered by Museum curators, which became original source documents for the special exhibition When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary History, 1776-1807. The Interactive features voter biographies, maps, a glossary, an interactive tableau, and thoughtful analysis of patterns, themes, and possible trends among women voters.

Meet Rebecca VanDike Performance (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Meet Rebecca VanDike Performance
Writer: Valerie Dunn
Producer: Veracity Studios
Abstract: The Museum commissioned writer Valerie Dunn to create "Meet Rebecca VanDike" an original first-person theatrical performance staring D’Arcy Dersham as VanDike. Four women of the VanDike family — Rebecca, Catherine, Ann, and Sarah — voted alongside each other in Montgomery Township in 1801. Rebecca VanDike's story and those of other voting women is part of the special exhibition "When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary Story, 1776-1807." A discussion between Dr. Marcella Micucci and D’Arcy Dersham is also available about making, scripting, and performing "Meet Rebecca VanDike."
Year: 2020
Primary URL: https://www.amrevmuseum.org/meet-rebecca-vandike-performance
Primary URL Description: The recording of "Meet Rebecca VanDike" and the behind the scenes video
Access Model: Open access
Format: Web

When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary Story, 1776-1807 (Exhibition)
Title: When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary Story, 1776-1807
Curator: Marcella Micucci
Curator: Philip Mead
Abstract: When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary Story, 1776-1807 examines the little-known history of the nation’s first women voters – the New Jersey women who legally held the vote more than 100 years before the Nineteenth Amendment granted American women the franchise. Based on newly discovered voter records, the exhibition explores the experiences of a generation of women voters and asks how the American Revolution shaped women’s political opportunities and activism. Through original objects, interactives, and immersive physical environments, it unpacks the influence of these women on the later suffrage movement and the significance of their stories for the ongoing women’s rights movement. Timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the passage of women’s suffrage, When Women Lost the Vote is an inspiring story that will encourage visitors to consider that progress is not linear, but that rights and liberties require constant vigilance to preserve and protect. Although New Jersey ultimately restricted the vote to propertied white men in 1807, women’s fight for equality did not end there. Rather, that earlier Revolutionary fight became a rallying cry as another generation of women took up the mantle of the suffrage movement decades later.
Year: 2020
Primary URL: https://www.amrevmuseum.org/exhibits/when-women-lost-the-vote-a-revolutionary-story
Primary URL Description: Website of the Museum of the American Revolution. The Museum uncovers and shares compelling stories about the diverse people and complex events that sparked America’s ongoing experiment in liberty, equality, and self-government.

Remember the Ladies (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Remember the Ladies
Writer: Melissa Dunphy
Abstract: The Museum hosted a live broadcast of new choral work, "Remember the Ladies" by Dr. Melissa Dunphy. In her commissioned work, Dr. Dunphy set excerpts of Abigail Adam's 1776 letter to her husband John imploring him to "Remember the Ladies" for a cappella mixed choir performed by PhilHarmonia. Adams’ “Remember the Ladies” letter is on loan for When Women Lost the Vote.
Year: 2021
Primary URL: https://www.amrevmuseum.org/remember-the-ladies-a-new-choral-work-by-melissa-dunphy
Primary URL Description: Website of the Museum of the American Revolution. The Museum uncovers and shares compelling stories about the diverse people and complex events that sparked America’s ongoing experiment in liberty, equality, and self-government.
Access Model: Open access
Format: Web

Meet Elizabeth Freeman (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Meet Elizabeth Freeman
Writer: Theresa Miller
Abstract: The Museum commissioned writer Theresa Miller to create "Meet Elizabeth Freeman" an original first-person theatrical performance staring Tiffany Bacon as Freeman. Elizabeth Freeman or “Mumbet” was an enslaved woman in Massachusetts who sued for her own freedom in 1781 and won. She later told novelist Catherine Sedgwick that the Declaration of Independence had inspired her to do so. A discussion between the Museum’s Visitor Engagement Supervisor Meg Bowersox, actress Tiffany Bacon, and writer Teresa Miller is also available about making, scripting, and performing "Meet Rebecca VanDike."
Year: 2021
Primary URL: http://https://www.amrevmuseum.org/meet-elizabeth-freeman-performance
Primary URL Description: Website of the Museum of the American Revolution.
Access Model: open access
Format: Web

---