Happenings at Harvard, 1912: suffrage, socialism and a strike

Kneissl, Rebecca (2024). Happenings at Harvard, 1912: suffrage, socialism and a strike. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

In the years of 1910 to 1913 there was a surge in the popularity of woman suffrage, revolutionary rhetoric related to both the presidential election and a textile strike and a burgeoning of cultural production among a newly gathered bohemian group in Greenwich Village. While these events and movements have been explored by scholars, this thesis will shed new light on the role of the Harvard Socialist Club and demonstrate that these Harvard men and their activities connect these seemingly disparate critical historical events. This thesis focuses on two main social issues, the woman suffrage cause and the Lawrence Textile Strike of 1912. While at Harvard these men spent their weekends at a daring experimental utopian farm that helped shape their radical views. While the importance of the Harvard Socialist Club has been frequently commented on, this thesis explores their contributions in greater details and uncovers a largely unknown Hiram Kelly Moderwell who will be shown to have been the radicalizing factor in the club. Their work helped shift the image of woman suffrage, contributed to the milieu of 1912 that the country was heading into a social and economic revolution, and the advancement of the New Stagecraft and theatre which provided the framework to usher in the era of modern American theatre.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):