I recently received my undergraduate in Political Science
from BYU, and as such I have always been fascinated by the origination of
social change. Couple that with a minor in Women’s Studies and I can’t even
begin to tell you how amazing I find the suffrage movement, particularly in
Utah.
It is a poorly misrepresented fact that the territory of
Utah gave women the right to vote in 1870 (far ahead of the rest of the United
States which would follow 50 years later). This was revoked by congress in 1887
in an attempt to rid the state of polygamy, who believed women were being
manipulated to vote for polygamist rights and ideals. This act was denying
women the power and privilege of political activism, that had been granted them
for 17 years, and it sparked a fire that would ignite Latter-day Saint women
all across the territory.
One such woman to be set aflame was Sarah M. Kimball. You
have heard of her, I promise, she is the woman who bargained with her husband
upon the birth of her son, who was said to be worth $1,000 and she would become
determined donate her half to the Church. After, I am sure, much discussion her
husband Hiram, relinquished $500.00 worth of property to the Church, though
Sarah maintained that the contribution was hers. She was also the woman who
mustered other women to join a charitable ladies’ society in order to provide
new shirts for Nauvoo Temple workers. In an attempt to ensure the organization
was grounded with a sure foundation she asked Eliza R. Snow to create a
constitution and bylaws for the society. It would be the beginnings of our modern
–day Relief Society one of the world’s largest women’s organizations. Starting
to sound familiar?
Sarah’s story begins further back then we often discuss and
continues on much further than we know. She was born in Phelps Ontario County,
New York on December 29, 1818, a very small town about 20 miles between Palmyra
and Seneca Falls (the place where Elizabeth Cady Stanton presented the
Declaration of Rights and Sentiments which was a resolution to promote the
attainment of civil, social, political and religious rights for women). It was
the restored gospel, and in particular, Joseph Smith’s teachings on equality of
the sexes that would drive Sarah’s devotion in the Church throughout her years.
In 1882, she became an active participant in the Utah
Constitutional Convention and less than a decade later (1891) she was named the
leader of the Utah Women’s Suffrage Association. She was by her own definition
a “woman’s rights woman”. This position
as president enabled her to petition the Congress of the United States to stop
the atrocities inflicted by federal deputies on Latter-day Saint women (often
over issues of polygamy). Sarah was not a hot-headed woman, nor were her
compatriots. These women were highly skilled at mobilizing and organizing for support
and were extremely knowledgeable, the Relief Society being their primary means
of meeting and discussing political topics (could you image the PR scandal that
would follow today if we were to follow directly in their footsteps?). In fact,
as soon as she was elect as president, she suggested each woman read over the
United States Constitution at least six times and start studying municipal
governments as it “would lead to [their] advancement and the enlargement of [their]
capacities”. Under her leadership, fifteen hundred members would participate in
mock legislation assemblies to help women understand the process of a bill to
law.
Sarah saw the suffrage movement as fulfilling the “turning of the key” (as proclaimed
by Joseph Smith at the inception of The Relief Society) and she proclaimed that
“the sure foundations of the suffrage cause were deeply and permanently laid on
the 17th of March, 1842.”
Unfortunately, Sarah M. Kimball
passed away without seeing the national franchisement of women in 1920. Jill
Mulvay Derr, a noted LDS historian, concluded, “if she was exceptional it is
not because her options were significantly different [than other Mormon women
of the time], but because of her own strong-mindedness and charity made her
exercise of those options exceptional, and often exemplary. ‘The liberal shall
be blessed,’ she had told her sisters… and that statement seems a fitting
tribute to her ideology and works” (Italics added, Derr 1976: 69).
I glean strength from the political activism and
strong-mindedness of Sarah M. Kimball. She was active, involved and passionate
about her beliefs in the equality of the sexes. Her legacy was of charity, and
her stories are full of true zeal.
I wonder when we lost it. I know I generalize, but I don’t
see fervent activism from the women that surround me (in my peers, or in my
relief society sisters), when did we stop being the vocal organization that
pursued the cause of the just and abhorred the evils of the world? Perhaps we
have forgotten that less than a hundred years ago, our sisters were not able to
propose legislation, run for congress (heck run for president), nor were they
able to cast a simple ballot denying an outrageous school budget in a town
vote. I don’t know when we stopped or why. Maybe it’s the
ease we so easily feel in Zion or maybe the fear of being labeled a feminist
(slippery slope- one vote and next a flaming bra) or maybe time gets away from
us. But I see small glimmers rising, it’s my hope that we can be set aflame
like the women of the Utah territory and that we can honor the memory of Sarah
M. Kimball and so many others who fought with their whole souls to grant us the
privilege of casting a simple ballot. So do your research, pick the best
candidate, become active in your town meetings, because it is not the options
we have available to us that makes us extraordinary but rather how we exercise
our options that do. I truly believe the liberal will be blessed.
-Kyra
*Note: Liberal is defined by dictionary.com as an individual favorable to progress or reform, as in political or religious affairs. An individual favorable to or in accord with concepts of maximum individual freedom possible especially as guaranteed by law and secured by government protection of civil liberties.
In what ways have you become politically involved? Any good
educational websites for us to check out? Please share your thoughts and ideas!
Burgess-Olson, Vicky, ed. 1978. Sister Saints. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 23-40.
Black, Susan Easton and Mary Jane Woodger. 2011. Women of Character: Profiles of 100 Prominent LDS Women. American Fork, Utah: Covenant Communications, Inc.,169- 171.
Derr, Jill Mulvay. 1976. Sarah M Kimball. Salt Lake City, Utah: Utah State Historical Society.
Great article! I've done other reading on LDS women at the time of Sarah Kimball. They were incredible. I didn't know much about her though, so thanks for posting this.
ReplyDeleteThings have changed though. My guess is that it happened in the correlation era. Women of Kimball's day were frequently publishing the feminist leaning magazine, Women's Exponent, which later turned into the Relief Society Magazine (though I'm not sure if it kept its progressive-feminist strengths), but was cancelled out by the correlation of Church magazines through the Ensign, Liahona, and Friend (i.e. 1970). That would be an interestind study though.
Thanks David! They truly were incredible. I think you are probably right- I would assume it became harder when the political forum which they used to perpetuate their ideas was no longer available.
DeleteThanks for the interesting post. Someday when someone in SLC asks my opinion about how we should revise the Young Women's lesson manuals, I am totally pushing for a lesson on political activism and another on our heritage of progressive-minded women. And that would be a start.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be a great idea to incorporate both of those topics in our young women and relief society lessons!
DeleteAmen! SandyKay
DeleteLove every word! Go Mormon Girl Power! I firmly believe in the power of activation. I wonder this exact same thing--what happened to the socially active Mormon Sisterhood so prevalent in the late 1800s early 1900s? Where did the Woman Power go? I asked my mother-in-law and she ironically told me that it fizzled out during the 1960s Women's Rights movement where they were advocating women leaving home/husband/children to BE FREE. I'm not sure that' exactly what was happening, but that's, according to my mother-in-law, how they perceived it and so there was a big shift to woman STAYING home and being MOTHERLY woman. This used to make me crazy, but now when I look at it, it stands true to everything mormondom-ish. Let the rebel side rule--when the women were supposed to stay home and mind their manners, the LDS women were shakers and movers. When there was a cry to shake off the feminine ties, those crazy rebel mormon women, said, No, way, we like our canning and our fantastic bread making and baby making and being super humanly great moms. WE're staying here. And low and behold, what are the latest studies showing? Women want back to the basics--canning and knitting and at home working is the IT thing. Yeah, we need to get a little more fired up and change things, but I'll tell you, being the PTA secretary for my local elementary school, I'm seeing changes. HUGE changes that these power woman, MORMON at home women, are etching out in the community and I have to say, I'm darn proud. Thank you for writing such a well thought out, super illuminating and thoughtful essay, Kyra. You are AMAZING!
ReplyDelete