The Kansas Equal Suffrage Association (KESA) helped win voting rights for women in Kansas municipal elections in 1887 and an equal suffrage amendment to the state constitution in 1912, making Kansas the eighth state to allow full suffrage for women.
Between these two victories, a populist movement rose and fell, a progressive reform movement began, and the U.S. declared war on Spain. Meanwhile, KESA continued to organize. From 1896 to 1900, KESA published the Kansas Suffrage Reveille in an effort to improve communication on suffrage issues between the state organization and local suffrage groups.
The fifty-five issues published attempted to unify the efforts of the local auxiliaries by encouraging them to adopt national standards and practices, report their membership and pay dues. It reported on local, state, and national events and organizations. It improved communication between KESA and other state and national organizations. It also organized petitions and letter-writing campaigns, published suffrage poetry and ran a variety of advertisements.
The State Archives and Library division of the Kansas Historical Society holds fifty-three of the original fifty-five issues published. All fifty-three issues of the Kansas Suffrage Reveille are now available on Kansas Memory. A complete text version of this title is being prepared but is not yet available.
For additional sources on KESA choose the category Community Life - Clubs and organizations - Reform/Advocacy - Kansas Equal Suffrage Association. For additional sources on woman’s suffrage in Kansas choose the category Government and Politics - Reform and Protest - Suffrage – Women.