Women | Page 85 | MNopedia

Swisshelm, Jane Grey (1815–1884)

Jane Grey Swisshelm lived in Minnesota for only six years, but during that time she left a lasting mark on the state. While in St. Cloud, she founded a newspaper that she used to advocate for women's rights, argue for the abolition of slavery, build up the Republican Party, challenge the authority of the Democratic machine there, and promote violence against Dakota people.

Clara Ueland

Clara Ueland, organizer of the 1914 parade and president of the MWSA, c.1921

Women's suffrage meeting at Rice Park in St. Paul

Women's suffrage meeting in Rice Park in St. Paul, 1914.

Minneapolis women waiting in line to vote

Women waiting in line to vote in an election (probably for a school board) in a downtown Minneapolis precinct, c.1908.

Minnesota Woman Suffrage Association

From 1881 to 1920, the Minnesota Woman Suffrage Association (MWSA) struggled to secure women's right to vote. Its members organized marches, wrote petitions and letters, gathered signatures, gave speeches, and published pamphlets and broadsheets to force the Minnesota Legislature to recognize their right to vote. Due in part to its efforts, the legislature ratified the Nineteenth Amendment in 1919.

Irene Paull Testifying Before HUAC

Irene Levine Paull testifying before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), July 2, 1963.

Irene Paull as a child with her siblings

Irene Levine Paull (right) as a child with her siblings Sam and Etta, c.1915.

Paull, Irene Levine (1908–1981)

Writer and activist Irene Levine Paull was born in Duluth to Jewish parents. Faced with discrimination because of her ethnicity, gender, and political views, Paull fought for the rights of people who were oppressed.