Documents Projects

In the selections below, authors consider newspaper accounts and other primary source documents that address some major themes, people, groups and events in the movement for woman suffrage in Oregon. The entry for the 1912 Oregon Voters’ Pamphlet provides an introduction and a full transcription of the pages comprising the argument for woman suffrage presented by the members of the Oregon State Equal Suffrage Association, and the argument against woman suffrage presented by the members of the Oregon State Association Opposed to the Extension of the Suffrage to Women. The introduction provides some suggested themes to consider and ideas about how to interpret primary sources. Additional sections combine a close reading of newspaper articles with secondary source materials to interpret the significance of specific topics and groups in the 1912 suffrage campaign in Oregon. An introductory essay on “Using Newspapers as Primary Sources” discusses the importance of newspaper articles in researching the history of woman suffrage in Oregon and suggests important ways to use these primary sources for analyzing the past. The thematic essays that follow are also linked to news articles posted to this website. Click on the links in the essay to read the full newspaper articles with complete citations. Additional primary sources and secondary sources are listed at the close of the selection.