Carrie Chapman Catt

National American Woman Suffrage Association president Carrie Chapman Catt became frustrated when the suffrage movement began to fragment. Some suffragists, like Alice Paul, advocated a confrontational approach with politicians and electorates. Others believed that direct confrontation with the people who would be ultimately responsible for passing and ratifying the longed-for constitutional amendment seemed counterproductive. Furthermore, the various statelevel organizations had not done a good job of coordinating their efforts with each other or with the national organization.

At the 1916 annual convention, Carrie Chapman Catt presented to the Executive Council (which included the national officers and the president of each state branch) what eventually became known as her "Winning Plan." This plan, which remained officially secret, required the state suffrage associations to pledge themselves to her six-year strategy, which systematically described what pressure would be needed to get two-thirds of Congress...