With the help of Nancy Kennedy and the N.J. Council for the Social Studies we have posted two books focusing on the path to women’s suffrage in New Jersey:
Reclaiming Lost Ground: The Struggle for Woman Suffrage in New Jersey is a 1994 paperback book by Neale McGoldrick and Margaret Crocco that chronicles the frustrating path from the original N.J. constitution (which did not specifically exclude women or blacks), to the 1807 law restricting suffrage to “free white male citizens,” to the 19th amendment ratified in 1920. It’s profusely illustrated with period drawings and cartoons, and includes additional timelines and lists of suffragists.
N.J. Special Election Returns – 1915 Constitutional Amendments lists the recorded votes for the proposed 1915 N. J. woman suffrage referendum, with data for each county, district, and precinct. The totals for Mercer County were 6,996 for and 10,296 against, which reflected the statewide trend of around 40% in favor.
