Linda J. Lumsden

The biography of the suffrage martyr Inez Milholland and the struggle for the vote at the turn of the 20th century. Raised in an upper class family, she was taught early on to care for people and causes. (Her father supported the suffrage movement with funds when Inez became so involved.) Inez was involved in prison reform through her law degree, the peace movement around World War I and the women's stuggle. Friends with Alice Paul and others, Inez is famous for leading the 1912 suffrage parade in Washington D.C. on the back of a pure white horse.

This book, although a university press publication, is extremely readable and delves into Inez's foiables and failures as well as her success on the speaking circuit for suffrage. It describes how difficult it was for Inez to be the face of the movement because of her beauty, but conversely points out that she would not have been a success without it. This double edge sword became her undoing during the Suffrage Special tour around the western states, where Inez asked women that already had the vote to help in the struggle for a national amendment.

Lumsden does a wonderful job of not succumbing to the temptation to make Inez the martyr into Inez the saint. I highly recommend this book for anyone that thought they knew about the suffrage movement.… (plus d'informations)