“The Wickedness of the Masses”

This chapter explores suffrage strategies from 1870 to 1894—from the Manhattan movement’s foundation to the New York State Constitutional Convention campaign. For suffrage leaders like Lillie Devereux Blake and those in the New York City Woman Suffrage League, the city remained a frustrating, if not dangerous, place. These beliefs informed movement tactics in the 1870s and 1880s, as organizers clung to the safety of supporters’ homes or rented commercial halls for meetings. The opportunity presented by the New York State Constitutional Convention in 1894 interrupted this routine and energized the campaign in unprecedented ways. Optimistic activists hoped they could convince delegates to support an amendment to the state constitution, and etiquette-obsessed socialites opened up a suffrage headquarters at the renowned Sherry’s restaurant. Not to be outdone, affluent opponents challenged their suffrage-seeking sisters. While unsuccessful in amending the constitution, the events of 1894 proved to mainstream activists that under the right circumstances wealthy New Yorkers could become outspoken suffrage advocates.