Presentation Type

Presentation

Faculty Mentor’s Full Name

Anya Jabour

Faculty Mentor’s Department

History

Abstract / Artist's Statement

Margaret Van Fleet: Clubwoman, Educator, Suffragist

Margaret Van Fleet, a resident of Larimore, North Dakota from 1910 to 1920, was a well-known district organizer for the suffrage cause. I am exploring Van Fleet’s educational background as well as her reform activity in Progressive-era North Dakota through my research in federal census records, local newspapers such as the Ward County Independent, and period publications such as Public Documents of the State of North Dakota, The Register of Women's Clubs, and the Debris Yearbooks from Purdue University, her alma mater. Like other women of her generation, Van Fleet was involved in many activities and clubs. While enrolled at Purdue University between 1899 and 1902, Van Fleet was involved in multiple clubs such as the Philathean Literary Club, a Wood Carvers Club, and the Young Women’s Christian Association, which possibly introduced her to the suffrage movement. After graduating from Purdue with a Bachelor’s in Science, Van Fleet was employed as a teacher at the Normal School in Minot, North Dakota, which, along with her work as secretary for the North Dakota Anti-Tuberculosis Association, gave her a reputation throughout the state that she was able to use to promote the suffrage cause. Her youthful activities and subsequent career as a district suffrage organizer will expand our knowledge of what progressive-era women were passionate about and how they went about initiating systemic change in North Dakota. The research will allow us to understand Mrs. Van Fleet’s life as a lesser-known suffragist, which will give us a better understanding of western women’s reform activities.

Category

Humanities

Share

COinS
 

Margaret Van Fleet: Clubwoman, Educator, Suffragist

Margaret Van Fleet: Clubwoman, Educator, Suffragist

Margaret Van Fleet, a resident of Larimore, North Dakota from 1910 to 1920, was a well-known district organizer for the suffrage cause. I am exploring Van Fleet’s educational background as well as her reform activity in Progressive-era North Dakota through my research in federal census records, local newspapers such as the Ward County Independent, and period publications such as Public Documents of the State of North Dakota, The Register of Women's Clubs, and the Debris Yearbooks from Purdue University, her alma mater. Like other women of her generation, Van Fleet was involved in many activities and clubs. While enrolled at Purdue University between 1899 and 1902, Van Fleet was involved in multiple clubs such as the Philathean Literary Club, a Wood Carvers Club, and the Young Women’s Christian Association, which possibly introduced her to the suffrage movement. After graduating from Purdue with a Bachelor’s in Science, Van Fleet was employed as a teacher at the Normal School in Minot, North Dakota, which, along with her work as secretary for the North Dakota Anti-Tuberculosis Association, gave her a reputation throughout the state that she was able to use to promote the suffrage cause. Her youthful activities and subsequent career as a district suffrage organizer will expand our knowledge of what progressive-era women were passionate about and how they went about initiating systemic change in North Dakota. The research will allow us to understand Mrs. Van Fleet’s life as a lesser-known suffragist, which will give us a better understanding of western women’s reform activities.