Woman Suffrage and the History of Rhetoric at the Seven Sisters Colleges, 1865–1919

The woman suffrage movement was the first public campaign for women’s rights in the United States launched and sustained by women who had received formal rhetorical training. These women pioneered both in higher education and in public speaking; they were among the first women to attend college in the United States, and many put their education to work as pro- and antisuffrage speakers. In particular, alumnae of the Seven Sisters colleges gained prominence in this public debate.¹ Their rhetorical preparation included classes in argumentation, elocution, composition, and criticism. These subjects were offered with both oral and written components by the