Oral History Interview with Mabel Pollitzer, September 19, 1973. Interview G-0047-1. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007).
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Abstract
Mabel Pollitzer was born in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1885. After graduating from Memminger, an all-girls school in Charleston, Pollitzer went to Columbia University, where she majored in science and education. After graduating in 1906, she returned to South Carolina to become a biology teacher at Memminger. Pollitzer taught for over forty years and also became involved in various civic activities during the first half of the twentieth century. In this interview, she describes her family background and the personal influence of her father's community involvement while she was growing up. In addition, she describes her participation in the women's suffrage movement in South Carolina. In particular, Pollitzer recalls her belief that pursuing national suffrage was more important than winning suffrage state by state, and as a result, she involved herself in the National Woman's Party. Pollitzer describes how politicians, notably Woodrow Wilson, responded to women's demands for suffrage, and she discusses her perception of women's rights leaders like Susan Frost, Ruth McInness, and Alice Paul. Aside from her advocacy of women's rights, Pollitzer also engaged in various community-centered projects. Here, she focuses on the ways in which she found ways to get her female students interested in science, and she describes her role in such community initiatives as banning the sale of fireworks and helping pass legislation for a free library in Charleston.
Excerpts
Suffragist strategies and Woodrow Wilson's reaction
Historical memory and physical space in the home of Susan B. Anthony
Self-described woman pioneer in various causes
Teaching at an all-girls' school
Joining the movement for women's suffrage by way of the National Woman's Party
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Finding aid to the Southern Oral History Program Collection
Database of all Southern Oral History Program Collection interviews
Subjects
Women--Suffrage--South Carolina
Women's rights
Jewish women--South Carolina
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Documenting the American South undergo an editorial process to remove
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