Practicing Citizenship: Women’s Rhetoric at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair (Rhetoric and Democratic Deliberation)

By 1893, the Supreme Court had officially declared women to be citizens, but most did not have the legal right to vote. In __Practicing Citizenship__, Kristy Maddux provides a glimpse at an unprecedented alternative act of citizenship by women of the time: their deliberative participation in the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. Hailing from the United States and abroad, the more than eight hundred women speakers at the World’s Fair included professionals, philanthropists, socialites, and reformers addressing issues such as suffrage, abolition, temperance, prison reform, and education. Maddux examines the planning of the event, the full program of women speakers, and dozens of speeches given in the fair’s daily congresses. In particular, she analyzes the ways in which these women shaped the discourse at the fair and modeled to the world practices of democratic citizenship, including deliberative democracy, racial uplift, organizing, and economic participation. In doing so, Maddux shows how these pioneering women claimed sociopolitical ground despite remaining disenfranchised. This carefully researched study makes significant contributions to the studies of rhetoric, American women’s history, political history, and the history of the World’s Fair itself. Most importantly, it sheds new light on women’s activism in the late nineteenth century; even amidst the suffrage movement, women innovated practices of citizenship beyond the ballot box.

By 1893, the Supreme Court had officially declared women to becitizens, but most did not have the legal right to vote. InPracticing Citizenship, Kristy Maddux provides a glimpseat an unprecedented alternative act of citizenship by women of thetime: their deliberative participation in the Chicago World's Fairof 1893.

Hailing from the United States and abroad, the more than eighthundred women speakers at the World's Fair included professionals,philanthropists, socialites, and reformers addressing issues suchas suffrage, abolition, temperance, prison reform, and education.Maddux examines the planning of the event, the full program ofwomen speakers, and dozens of speeches given in the fair's dailycongresses. In particular, she analyzes the ways in which thesewomen shaped the discourse at the fair and modeled to the worldpractices of democratic citizenship, including deliberativedemocracy, racial uplift, organizing, and economic participation.In doing so, Maddux shows how these pioneering women claimedsociopolitical ground despite remaining disenfranchised.

This carefully researched study makes significant contributionsto the studies of rhetoric, American women's history, politicalhistory, and the history of the World's Fair itself. Mostimportantly, it sheds new light on women's activism in the latenineteenth century; even amidst the suffrage movement, womeninnovated practices of citizenship beyond the ballot box.

"Explores women's conceptions of citizenship as articulated in their speeches at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Illustrates how, in addition to working for their own enfranchisement, women also modeled practices of democratic citizenship beyond the ballot"--Provided by publisher