The League of Women Voters in South Carolina, 1947-1960

The purpose of this dissertation is to demonstrate the relationship between women and politics in the mid-twentieth century South, by focusing on the activism of women in one Southern State. Studies of political groups that operated nationally, such as the League of Women Voters, have pointed to the importance of local chapters, but there have been few case studies to prove the real impact of such groups on politics or on women as individuals. Existing scholarship on women and politics emphasises women’s motivations and political identity, usually by marking women out as different to men. Applying these rules to women at local level, there is evidence both for and against common conceptions about women and politics. Studies of women as a group often fail to take into account the regional context of motivation, identity and the limitations on women to act. This study will examine the impact of grassroots political activity on women and their communities through a study of their experiences as members of the League of Women Voters in South Carolina, from 1947 to 1960. This work adds to three important bodies of literature. One is the increasing number of local and state studies mapping white and black women’s politics. Secondly it will add to literature mapping ways women were politically active in these years, establishing immediate roots of second wave feminism. This work has generally ignored the South. Thirdly the dissertation will add to increasing work on women in the postwar civil rights struggle.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo