A WOMAN FOR PRESIDENT: THE STORY OF VICTORIA WOODHULL

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Krull, Kathleen. 2004. A WOMAN FOR PRESIDENT: THE STORY OF VICTORIA WOODHULL. Ill by Jane Dyer. New York: Walker And Company. ISBN 0802789080

2. PLOT SUMMARY
“The truth is I am too many years ahead of this age.” This statement sums up Victoria Woodhull as she lived life in the 1800's and early 1900’s, a time when “personal ambition in a woman was thought to be evil.” At eight, she was traveling around as child preacher, delving into Spiritualism, “the belief that spirits of the dead can communicate", and by fourteen she was married to an alcoholic doctor who fathered her two children.

As a travelling “fortune teller and healer” she and her sister advised Cornelius Vanderbilt who was “the richest man in America”. After splitting half the profits from a stock tip deemed beneficial to Vanderbilt, Victoria and her sister formed the first female owned stock company.

In “the wildest, most outrageous act she could dream up to prove women’s equality” Victoria announced in 1870 that she was running for President, even though women couldn’t vote. For the next two years, she campaigned for office and for voting rights for women. Although she was chosen as the Presidential nominee for the newly formed Equal Rights Party, and was the first woman to run for the presidency, Victoria Woodhull was defeated by Ulysses S. Grant. Even though she didn’t get to vote for herself, Victoria ensured that “times would never be the same for women”.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This is the first biography about Victoria Woodhull written for young readers. The watercolor illustrations compliment the text, which glosses over some of the more controversial activities of Mrs. Woodhull including “communicating with the dead at a dollar per séance “as a child, marrying her doctor at fourteen, “travelling from town to town as a fortune-teller and healer”, her first husband living with her while she was married to her second husband, and allegations of her being a “witch” and acting “satanic”.

This book follows her life from its meager beginnings to her nomination as the first female candidate for the office of President of the United States. In author’s notes at the end of the book, the reader discovers that Ulysses S. Grant wins the presidency. The notes also conclude that Woodhull was alive for eight years after women won the right to vote.

There is an introduction to the book setting the reader up for the climate of the time from “heavy dresses dragging her down” to the opinion that “the quieter and sicker she was , the more attractive” showing how womanhood was represented at the time. Jane Dyer’s watercolor illustrations accurately portray Mrs. Woodhull, even including “her trademark white rose worn at her collar”. The bibliography at the end of the book cites the books, video, and websites used to maintain the authenticity of this biography.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal: “Despite her impressive number of achievements-first woman to sit on the Stock Exchange, first woman to own a newspaper or speak before Congress, first woman to run for the presidency of the United States-Woodhull is little known by elementary-grade students. This book, though soft-pedaling the more scandalous aspects of her life, rectifies that omission. Born into an impoverished family, Woodhull was supporting her clan by the time she was eight as a gospel preacher. Married at 14 to her alcoholic doctor, she and her sister became well known as fortune-tellers. By the time they became spiritual and financial advisers to Cornelius Vanderbilt, Woodhull had divorced, remarried, and moved her entire family, including her ailing ex-husband, into a large house in New York City where she took an active role in the women’s suffrage movement. It was this involvement that led her to declare herself a candidate for president in 1872. Although the campaign was a failure, it did serve to raise the issue of women’s rights in an obvious and unforgettable manner. Krull’s writing style is lively and engaging and Dyer’s large, photo-realist watercolors capture the sense of the age and involve both eye and imagination.”

Booklist:”Victoria Woodhull’s life reads like a novel. A Dickensian childhood led to a teenage career as a spiritualist. Later, her perceived ability to talk to mediums influenced Cornelius Vanderbilt to take her stock-market advice—and give her millions of dollars. Rich enough to advance her political ideas about equality for women, she started her own newspaper and investment business and eventually ran for president against Grant. Woodhull is a fascinating figure, and Krull’s lively and astute writing does her justice (though she leaves out that messy business of Woodhull’s promotion of free love). Krull also gives kids a clear picture of the fettered life of most women of the time, clearly contrasting it with the stances taken by Woodhull and other suffragettes. Dyer tends toward portraiture here, and at times, Woodhull seems surprisingly placid in the art, but the watercolors, cast with a golden glow, are handsome and add a dignified note to the occasionally raucous events.”

5. CONNECTIONS
Students may wish to learn more about the woman’s suffrage movement:
Fritz, Jean. YOU WANT WOMEN TO VOTE, LIZZIE STANTON? ISBN 0698117646
Kops, Deborah. PEOPLE AT THE CENTER OF WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE. ISBN 1567117724
Landau, Elaine. WOMEN’S RIGHT TO VOTE. ISBN 0531188337

With a presidential election coming up, students may wish learn more about the election process or the presidency with the following books:
Chriselow, Eileen. VOTE. ISBN 0618247548
Granfield, Linda. AMERICA VOTES: HOW OUR PRESIDENT IS ELECTED. ISBN 1553379896
Sobel, Syl. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS AND OTHER COOL FACTS. ISBN 0764118943
St, George, Judith and David Small. SO YOU WANT TO BE PRESIDENT? ISBN 0399257529

Students may then conduct their own election from registering for voter registration cards to simulating a true election complete with ballots, ballot boxes, and the voting process being followed.

Students could also study the platform of each candidate and then vote on the issues, rather than an actual candidate. It could then be revealed which candidate won and a discussion could occur about the realities of party affiliation and media coverage affecting voters.