“We are not the makers of history. We are made by history.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Women Vote in Biddeford, Maine for the First Time in the 1920 Election

Partisan politics played a great part in whether women were allowed to vote or not. In 1917, the Republicans supported giving women the right to vote,mostly because they felt it would help with supporting the liquor banning crusade, but the Democratic Party opposed it for the same reason.They did not support prohibition and felt for the most part that the women would.  President Woodrow Wilson was in favor of giving women the right to vote and several states west of the Mississippi had given full rights to women, those to the east were still fighting against it. 

With Republican control in Maine, there was an increased movement towards supporting the cause of the Womens Suffrage. Democratic Maine politicians tried to instill fear into constituents citing examples of what was going on in those states which allowed women to vote, primarily California, Nevada and Colorado.

After years of lobbying, in 1917, the women of Maine had enough support to get a referendum vote, hoping to amend the state constitution, allowing full suffrage. Then in April of 1917, WWI started  and the efforts were set aside. A 2/3 vote in the Legislature was required to put women’s rights on the ballot, but the Maine Suffrage Amendment was voted down that September, 38,838 to 20,604. Only men were allowed to vote.

The women and supporters in Maine did not back down. 

Two months later, the men of New York voted to support the same amendment Maine men had voted against. This led to a national movement and in the spring of 1919, the federal amendment supporting women right to vote passed in the U.S. House and Senate. This was sent to the states for ratification. Senator Guy Gannett of Augusta supported the movement by introducing the bill to the senate, but the anti suffrage people got enough petitions signed to send it back to referendum, same as in 1917.

There were demonstrations for womens rights held in Portland, including a gathering of over 2,000. There were suffrage booths evident in many of the larger stores in Maine and an annual Suffrage Day was held in Ocean Park, Old Orchard Beach starting in 1900. Suffrage clubs were active in many of Maine’s cities. 

On November 4th 1920,  then Maine Governor Milliken convened a special session of the Legislature prior to the referendum vote to assure it would pass. At this time, Maine became the third state in New England to ratify the federal amendment. The referendum vote was later held as scheduled and the the bill was upheld.
The 19th Amendment, allowing women to vote officially became law in August of 1920.

Photo courtesy of Barbara Corbeil

Rosa Alba Theroux Simard is the second from the left in the second row. She was among several women casting the first women’s votes in the City of Biddeford.

Ku Klux Klan Comes to Biddeford

Many may not know that the Ku Klux Klan was very active in the State of Maine in the 1920’s. Although the group was disbanded in 1872, organizers restarted it in 1915 with the hope of maintaining ” Americanism”. There was a strong hate of immigrants who might somehow take over and contaminate the Anglo-American society. 

The Klan in Maine targeted Catholics, Jews, African Americans throughout the state. There were between 20,000-50,000 members who were part of the Klan’s social club, many of them influential people such as doctors, ministers, politicians and others. They also had a woman’s auxiliary, Klaxima, who helped with social functions.

Many were proud of their affiliation with the Ku Klux Klan, going so far as to have pictures taken while in dress and without their masks. They did not always bother to wear the white hoods.The intent of the Klan was to disperse hate, burn crosses and to intimidate those who were not considered 100% American. 

In Maine, the Klan organized as a political party. They felt the Catholics owed their allegiance to the Pope, not the United States, and were therefore a threat. They promised to clean up city government and support prohibition. By the mid 1920’s, the Klan had enough political clout in Maine to have elected mayors, state representatives and other officials.

In 1924, a parade of Klansmen was organized to start in Saco and which planned to cross into Biddeford.Thousands of Klan supporters were expected to attend, but only about 300 showed up to march, some in costume and some without their robes and hoods. Many people lined their route, some in support and others to vilify them. 

In an early show of unity and community,  stories tell that the Irish of Biddeford banded with the Franco-Americans and blocked the Bradbury Bridge, while the French blocked the Main Street Bridge. They were armed and ready to defend their rights and city against the Ku Klux Klan. Saco constables were guarding the bridges at Elm Street and York Hill. They prevented the marchers from crossing into Biddeford. The Irish and the Franco-Americans were waiting for them on the other side, armed with rocks and bricks, daring them to cross into their city.

According to the reported history, the Klan was targeting the Franco-Americans of Biddeford. The angry Irish and Franco-Americans were enough to prevent the Klan from attempting to cross the bridges and they turned in retreat. 

After this incident, there seemed to be a change in the culture of the City of Biddeford and its citizens, with more understanding and cooperation noted amongst the various ethnic groups and community.