Skip to content
  • Blog
    • Learn
    • Sip
    • Connect
    • Travel
  • Beginner’s Guide to Tea
  • Matcha
  • Puerh
  • Tea in NYC
  • Book
  • About Me
    • Contact
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Press
    • Review Policy
    • Services
  • Blog
    • Learn
    • Sip
    • Connect
    • Travel
  • Beginner’s Guide to Tea
  • Matcha
  • custom-logo
  • Puerh
  • Tea in NYC
  • Book
  • About Me
    • Contact
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Press
    • Review Policy
    • Services
Learn

How Tea Helped Women Win the Right to Vote

March 6, 2023July 5, 2023 1 comment
How Tea Helped Women Win the Right to Vote

Did you know that tea helped women in the United States win the right to vote? March is Women’s History Month so I thought it was the perfect time to dig into this fascinating bit of history. In this post, I’ll be sharing the tea party that formally kicked off the suffrage movement and the parts that socialites and teacups played.

Table of Contents
  • A Tea Party to Start a Movement
  • Teaware, Socialites, and Suffrage
  • When Equality Isn’t Equal
  • Additional Reading

A Tea Party to Start a Movement

On July 9th of 1848, Lucretia Mott, Martha Wright, Mary Ann McClintock, and Elizabeth Cady Staton attended a tea party hosted by Jane Hunt. It was not just a casual social occasion. During the tea party, these women laid the groundwork for the Seneca Falls Convention, composing an advertisement to appear in the local newspaper. It took place just ten days later and was one of the first conventions of its kind. The Seneca Falls Convention was the formal start of the women’s suffrage movement in America, although it would take until 1920 for the 19th amendment to finally be ratified.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton later recalled in her autobiography:

“I poured out, that day, the torrent of my long-accumulating discontent, with such vehemence and indignation that I stirred myself, as well as the rest of the party, to do and dare anything . . . we decided, then and there, to call a ‘Woman’s Rights Convention.”

Elizabeth Cady Stanton – Eighty Years and More: Reminiscences, 1815-1897

As the movement for women’s right to vote grew, tearooms across the country served as meeting places. Tea parties were held to help raise funds. The Woman’s Suffrage Party of California distributed Equality Tea; boxes of green, black, and oolong teas that could be ordered by mail order and delivered to grocers or tea dealers.

Teaware, Socialites, and Suffrage

Socialities often held teas and luncheons as fundraisers to support women’s suffrage. One of the most well-known was Alva Vanderbilt Belmont. She hosted conferences at her mansion in Newport, Rhode Island in 1909 and again in 1914. Mrs. Belmont had a Chinese tea house constructed on her back lawn that could seat over 100 guests. She commissioned sets of porcelain tableware from J. Maddock & Sons emblazoned with the slogan “Votes for Women”. It is unclear if the pieces were sold to help raise funds or if they were used as party favors for convention attendees. Elmwood Inn Fine Teas sells a replica teapot based on this design.

Teaware was a popular form of suffrage memorabilia. The National American Woman Suffrage Association sold gold-rimmed “Votes for Women” demitasse cups made by Hutschenreuther Selb Bavaria for $0.50 each. I’m sure that inspiration was drawn from the teacups that were distributed by suffragettes in England during their own fight for the right to vote.

How Tea Helped Women Win the Right to Vote
Woman Suffrage Gathering at Newport Marble House – Library of Congress

Interested in tea history? You might also like:

The Surprising Tea History of America and Japan

What Kind of Tea was Thrown Overboard at the Boston Tea Party?

When Equality Isn’t Equal

I am grateful for the work these women did so that I have the right to vote today. However, it is important to acknowledge that the women’s suffrage movement was not without its issues. Women of color were not invited to the Seneca Falls Convention and many other meetings. Founders like Susan B. Anthony did not support the passing of the 15th amendment.

Although they were legally allowed to vote, black men and women were denied their voting rights in several Southern states until 1965. Tea already had a long history of exploitation and colonialism when the 19th amendment was passed. This short film by Jaime Sunwoo has some callouts that just begin to scratch the surface.

https://youtu.be/r8CncHCfu5I

I hope that you enjoyed learning about how tea helped women win the right to vote. Let me know in the comments what part of tea history you would like me to write about next!

Additional Reading

  • The Women’s Right to Vote Movement Started with a Tea Party
  • China – Women’s Suffrage Memorabilia
  • Suffrage on the Menu, Part II: The Marble House Conferences of 1909 and 1914
  • How Tea Helped Women Sell Suffrage
  • A Social History of Tea by Jane Pettigrew and Bruce Richardson

Help Support This Site

Access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, my private Discord server, surprise quarterly packages, and more!

Join My Patreon Community
HistoryTea
About Nicole Wilson

About Nicole Wilson

Nicole Wilson is an award-winning tea writer and educator who has been sharing her love of the leaf online for more than a decade. Her website, TeaforMePlease.com, is the longest continuously running tea blog written by a female author. The mission behind everything she does is to help everyone discover the wide world of tea in a fun and approachable way.

Related Posts

What Makes Tea Bitter?
What Makes Tea Bitter?
Your Ultimate Guide to Tai Ping Hou Kui Green Tea
Your Ultimate Guide to Tai Ping Hou Kui Green Tea
Nepal Tea Collective White Prakash
Nepal Tea Collective White Prakash
Tea Around Town – An Afternoon Tea Bus in NYC
Tea Around Town – An Afternoon Tea Bus in NYC

Post navigation

Legends of the Leaf: Margaret’s Hope
What Do Tea Certifications Mean

One comment

  1. Jason Bird says:
    March 10, 2023 at 6:35 pm

    I’m continually surprised by the sometimes subtle ways that the suffrage movement used to achieve their goals. What an incredible story. Great post.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hey, there!

Hey, there!

Nicole Wilson, Tea Writer and Educator

Do you love to drink tea, but wish you knew more about it? I'm here to help! The world of specialty tea is massive so it can be a lot to take in. On this blog, you'll find over 1,000 articles and tea reviews to start your journey. I'm always happy to answer any questions you might have!

Subscribe

Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for the latest blog posts, tea news, and more!

The Tea Recipe Book

Discover how easy it is to prepare specialty tea drinks at home with The Tea Recipe Book.

About the Book
The Tea Recipe Book

Categories

  • Connect
  • Learn
  • Sip
  • Sponsored
  • Travel

Follow @teaformeplease

Amazon Recommendations
  • Blog
    • Learn
    • Sip
    • Connect
    • Travel
  • Beginner’s Guide to Tea
  • Matcha
  • Puerh
  • Tea in NYC
  • Book
  • About Me
    • Contact
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Press
    • Review Policy
    • Services
Tea for Me Please © 2023 | All Rights Reserved | Designed by Little Theme Shop