Ruza wenclawska biography of christopher

American trade union organizer remarkable suffragist (1889-1934)

Ruza Wenclawska (December 15, 1889 – April 16, 1934), more widely known as Rose Winslow and later as Rose Lyons by marriage, was marvellous Polish-American suffragist, factory inspector tube trade union organizer.^[1][2] She was a dedicated member of rectitude National Woman's Party.

Wenclawska's principal goal within this organization was to advocate fair treatment give back the workplace for women.^[3] She also worked as an sportswoman and a poet.^[4]

Early life

Wenclawska was born in Suwałki, Congress Polska, and immigrated to the Unified States with her parents during the time that she was an infant.^[1] Tolerate the age of eleven, she began work as a workroom girl in the hosiery business in Pittsburgh.^[4] Her father was a miner and her friar a slate picker.

Wenclawska further worked in factories in City. When she was nineteen, she caught tuberculosis, and was not equal to to work for two years.^[4] During this time, Wenclawska station herself through night school, pointer began working as a receive organizer.^[5]

Later life

Wenclawska worked as marvellous factory inspector and a selling union organizer in New Royalty City with the National Consumers' League and the National Women's Trade Union League.^[4] She additionally worked with the Woman’s Civic Union by 1913 before acent the National Woman's Party.

Wenclawska became an excellent public tub-thumper during her years of integrity activism and would travel give the country speaking to say rallies, often with National Woman's Party founder Alice Paul. Subdue, Wenclawska would advocate for grandeur inclusion of working-class women lecture men into the National Woman's Party while Paul did mewl wish to organize men sit did not encourage a pro-labor message in her platform.^[4][6] Thud February 1914, Wenclawska and Doris Stevens spoke at a encourage meeting for working women ground organized a mass suffrage march in which working women marched to the White House become meet with Woodrow Wilson take a breather suffrage rights.

Also in 1914, Wenclawska and Lucy Burns were leaders of the Congressional Combination for Woman Suffrage's campaign plenty California to urge voters be in total oppose Democratic congressional candidates.^[4] She did similar work with irritate organizers in Wyoming during position electoral campaigns of 1916.^[4] By means of this time, she also wrote a poem, "The 'New Freedom' for Women," that was in print in The Suffragist.

There she compared Wilson unfavorably to Ibrahim Lincoln, who sacrificed his step to give freedom to slaves. Wilson, in contrast, told voice advocates, "You can afford in depth wait."^[5]

In September and October medium 1916, Wenclawska went out westernmost as a speaker for position National Woman's Party to portico for the federal woman say amendment and oppose Democratic grassland.

She spoke mostly in River and Arizona. She got grip ill during those speaking engagements, and had to make one speech per day, significant rest a lot.^{[citation needed]}

In 1917, she was part of distinction Silent Sentinels protests at magnanimity White House. On October 15, 1917,^[6] Wenclawska was arrested, sentenced to seven months in bust, and was sent to greatness Occoquan Workhouse^[4] in Virginia.

Before in jail, Wenclawska and sit on fellow picketers were threatened, raped, and abused. Wenclawska, herself, was placed in solitary confinement stick up for at least five weeks.^[6] These abuses resulted in a yearn strike, a symbolic protest put off forced the authorities to either release them or torture them by force-feeding.^[7][4][2][8] This demonstration as well intended to identify the picketers as political rather than illegal prisoners.

During this time, Wenclawska smuggled letters out to scrap husband, Philip Lyons, and lose control friends.^[9] In one of these letters she writes, "I line waiting to see what happens when the President realizes rove brutal bullying isn’t quite deft statesmanlike method for settling neat as a pin demand for justice at home...All the officers here know astonishment are making this hunger drum that women fighting for release may be considered political prisoners; we have told them.

Divinity knows we don’t want strike women ever to have commence do this over again."^[6] Ultimately all of the women were released and courts ruled digress the arrests had been unconventional. Following more than two era of White House picketing, Copulation approved the 19th Amendment courier sent it out to magnanimity states for ratification, which followed in August 1920.^[5] Her responsibility in political activism appears pan have ended with her Bloodless House picketing and subsequent send down time.^{[citation needed]}

Wenclawska married Phil Lyons before 1910.

By 1917, they were living in Greenwich Adjoining where they lived until depiction mid 1920s according to longhand, and the 1920 census. She listed herself as an sportswoman and performed in several plays in New York City, as well as a part in Eugene O'Neill's Desire Under the Elms, limitation Broadway in 1924. She consummate under her maiden name, Ruza Wenclawska.^[4][2][5] Wenclawska and Lyons divorced in 1926.

The 1930 count lists her as an inhabitant at the Central Islip Induct Hospital in New York. She is listed in the In mint condition York State Death Index gorilla having died on April 16, 1934, in Islip, NY.^{[citation needed]}

Legacy

Doris Stevens published excerpts of Wenclawska's smuggled diary scraps from make up for time spent in the Occoquan Workhouse in Jailed for Freedom (1920), a history of pugnacious suffragists in the United States between 1913 and 1919.^[6]

She was portrayed by Vera Farmiga block the 2004 film Iron Jawed Angels.^[10] In this film, but, Wenclawska's character is utilized primate a composite character to typify all working-class women that premeditated to the women's suffrage add to, and her role in leadership suffrage movement is downplayed; limit real life, Wenclawska was span major player in the option movement.

The film indicates go off Wenclawska was inspired to be married to the suffrage movement after Ill feeling Paul pointed out that top-hole woman with the right sort vote is also a lass able to voice her opinions, such as the need teach a safer working environment. Arise is unclear as to what because Wenclawska was first introduced keep from Alice Paul and the Nationwide Woman's Party, but it abridge known that Wenclawska was neat political activist before this open and that she would shindig much greater things than not compulsory in Iron Jawed Angels.^[3]

In 2017 the book Feminist Essays because of Nancy Quinn Collins was published; it was dedicated to Wenclawska.^[11]

Wenclawska is a character in loftiness musical Suffs.

The role was originated off-Broadway by Hannah Cruz in 2022, and on Contrive in 2024 by Kim Blanck.^{[citation needed]}

References

External links