From nearly the moment the woman's suffrage movement began at Seneca Falls in 1848, anti-suffragists actively campaigned against it, claiming that woman suffrage would only destroy both American politics and the American family. However, despite their best efforts, states in the American West passed equal suffrage laws. Interestingly, once it passed in their states, anti-suffragists in the American West—albeit begrudgingly—exercised their right to vote. As equal suffrage continued to expand, the Western anti-suffragist strategy became the strategy of anti-suffragists everywhere. This essay examines three states that represent pivotal moments in the development of the anti-suffrage movement: Colorado, California, and Oklahoma. Shortly after Colorado passed equal suffrage in 1893 and California passed equal suffrage in 1911, anti-suffragists organized state and national associations. By the time Oklahoma passed its equal suffrage law in 1918, anti-suffragists were not only voting—they were also willing to run for office. Anti-suffragist strategy and rhetoric relied on how suffrage worked in the West, or at least anti-suffrage perceptions of it. In other words, women's suffrage in the West served as a catalyst for the anti-suffragist movement.

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“选举权一直压在我身上”：美国西部不情愿的选举权主义者

几乎从 1848 年塞内卡福尔斯妇女选举权运动开始的那一刻起，反选举权主义者就积极反对它，声称妇女选举权只会摧毁美国政治和美国家庭。然而，尽管他们尽了最大的努力，美国西部的各州还是通过了平等选举法。有趣的是，一旦它在他们的州获得通过，美国西部的反女权主义者——尽管不情愿地——行使了他们的投票权。随着平等选举权的不断扩大，西方的反女权主义战略成为各地反女权主义者的战略。本文考察了三个代表反选举权运动发展的关键时刻的州：科罗拉多州、加利福尼亚州和俄克拉荷马州。在 1893 年科罗拉多州通过平等选举权和 1911 年加利福尼亚州通过平等选举权后不久，反女权主义者组织了州和民族协会。到 1918 年俄克拉荷马州通过平等选举权法时，反选举权主义者不仅在投票，而且还愿意竞选公职。反选举权主义的策略和修辞依赖于选举权在西方是如何运作的，或者至少是对它的反选举权的看法。换言之，西方妇女的选举权是反选举权运动的催化剂。