Alice Belcher Tweedy (1850–1934) was an American journalist who wrote about feminism and science. “Her work paved the way for future women in journalism.” (Source: Wikipedia)
- "The Monthly has lately given place to two articles on the subject of the demand which is now being made by some women on behalf of their sex to be allowed to participate in political life on a footing of perfect equality with men. One of our contributors [George F. Talbot, 'The Political Rights and Duties of Women'] has tried to show cause why the demand should not be granted, taking the ground that the change would be injurious to society as a whole and particularly injurious to the female sex. The other [Tweedy, below] treats the arguments of the first with scorn, and, if we are not mistaken, betrays not a little of that 'antagonism of the sexes' which nevertheless she declares to be 'unnatural and vicious.' The question is one which ought to be discussed with complete dispassionateness; and we think that on this score there was no fault to find with the earlier of the two contributions, that by Mr. George F. Talbot, in our May number."
The editors go on to dismiss Tweedy's argument because "As long as men alone do the voting, they are supposed to represent the non-voting sex. Every man has or has had a mother, most have one or more sisters, and a very large proportion have wives. Every man's vote, therefore, … ought to express his consciousness of and respect for the family tie." They continue, "What is mainly needed, in our opinion, is the deepening of the sense of trusteeship in men." Nevertheless, the "women agitators," described below by Tweedy, fought on until women won the right to vote with the 1920 passage of the 19th Amendment.
✲ It should be noted that the public debate at the time often considered the voting rights of only white women. While women gained the vote in 1920 with the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, it was not until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that the right to vote for Black women, Indigenous women, and women of color was guaranteed.
- “Alice Belcher Tweedy (1850–1934) was an American journalist and writer. She was the first woman to be accepted at the College of Arts and Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, and the first woman to work for the St. Louis Democrat. She also wrote for the New York Evening Post and contributed to Popular Science Monthly, or PopSci, from 1889 to 1896. Her work paved the way for future women in journalism.”
- “Tweedy wrote articles on the bacteriological research of milk, education and motherhood, the importance of outdoor exercise for women, and women’s suffrage. Tweedy’s articles are often focused on science and feminism. She believed in the right to vote and the importance of access to education for women. Tweedy was quoted by the editor in the October 1896 volume of Popular Science Monthly for disclaiming the idea that ‘women’s suffrage is proposed as a panacea for social evils, or that it will usher in a millennial condition. Man would be disenfranchised if such requirement was made of his vote.’”
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