In 1895, Massachusetts established the first anti-suffrage association in the United States. This building served as the headquarters for the Massachusetts Association Opposed to Further Extension of Suffrage to Women, one of the largest anti-suffrage organizations in the country, sharing space with the Men’s Anti-Suffrage Committee. By 1915, the group had 37,000 members. Anti-suffragists believed that granting women the vote would diminish their traditional roles as homemakers. They argued that women had already led successful reforms without voting rights, that women’s work for the public good should remain nonpartisan, and that women, busy with home and children, would not have time to vote.
