Petition to 1878-1879 Constitutional Convention for women’s suffrage

Item

Title: Petition to 1878-1879 Constitutional Convention for women’s suffrage
Description: Ahead of the second California Constitutional Convention held in Sacramento from September 28, 1878 to March 3, 1879, petitions were circulated around California in support of amending Article II of the 1849 constitution. The petitions included over 2,500 signatures and asserted that “no citizen of the State shall be disenfranchised on the account of sex.” The petition shown here from October 10, 1878 contains hundreds of signatures and measures over seven feet long.

However, the many signatures indicating support for the amendment were not enough to sway the all-male delegation at the 1878-1879 Constitutional Convention. Several delegates expressed fears about the impact of enfranchising women as well as concerns that the inclusion of women’s suffrage in the new 1879 constitution would threaten its ratification. After several days of debate, the amendment did not move forward.
Contributor: California Secretary of State
Creator: Horace C. Rolfe
Date: October 10, 1878
Format: PDF
Language: English
Rights: Public Domain. No restrictions on use. For access to a higher resolution version of this file, or for permission to reproduce or publish, please contact California State Archives staff via email at reference@sos.ca.gov or call the Reference Desk at (916) 653-2246. Permission for reproduction or publication is given on behalf of the California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, as the owner of the physical items. The researcher assumes all responsibility for possible infringement that may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the California State Archives' collections.
Source: California Constitutional Convention Working Papers, 1878-1879 Constitutional Convention Records, F3956:46, California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California.
Type: Text
Original Format: Petition

Media: Petition to 1878 Constitutional Convention for women’s suffrage