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BIOGRAPHY WRITTEN BY

Becky Marburger, PBS Wisconsin Education

EDITED BY�Kaitlyn Beguhl, Mukwonago Area School District, Mukwonago, WI

Kerri Lintl, Merrimac Community School, Merrimac, WI

Darcy Maxwell, Summit Environmental School, La Crosse, WI�

First edition ©2013. Revised edition ©2021 Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System

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Introduction

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Early Life

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Education

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Family Law

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Fighting for Her Beliefs

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Conclusion

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Map

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Ballots are tools people use for voting. Bloomers are �loose-fitting pants women used to wear. How are ballots and bloomers related? Belle Case La Follette (la-FALL-et) used them both in the fight for women's rights.��

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This picture is from 1885, when Belle would have been around 26 years old. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society. WHi-3841.

ballot (n): something you put your vote on; can be a piece of paper or on a computer

bloomers (n): loose-fitting pants

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Belle was a political activist who fought for causes she believed in. Belle believed that women should have political and personal power, and should be able to make decisions for themselves. She also spoke out against war and laws that treated others unfairly, and fought for women’s right to vote.

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On April 21, 1859, Belle Case was born in a small cabin in Summit, Wisconsin. When she was three years old, Belle moved with her parents and older brother, Roy, to Baraboo, Wisconsin. Her parents, Anson and Mary, were both farmers. Belle’s grandparents also lived near Baraboo. Belle spent a lot of time with her grandmother, Lucetta Case, who became very important in Belle’s life. Lucetta believed in getting an education and working hard, and she passed that on to Belle.

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In this portrait from around 1865, Belle is wearing a dress that her grandmother made for her. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society. WHi-27041.

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Belle often helped her grandmother by doing jobs such as sewing, cleaning, and cooking. She not only worked hard at home, but at school, too. To get to school and home again she had to walk four miles a day. In 12 years of going to school, she only missed one day, when she had the measles! Her grandmother’s beliefs made a big impression on Belle, which lasted all through her school days and after.

When Belle finished high school, it was time to think about what she would do next. In the 1800s, girls usually stayed home to help on the farm and in the house, but Belle's parents wanted her to keep going with her studies. At 16, she began college at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. She was a top student and studied a lot.

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However, not everyone took school as seriously as Belle did. A man named Bob La Follette was in Belle's classes. He was a class clown and very silly, the opposite of Belle, but he captured her heart. They connected over their shared beliefs about equality and rights. ��Both Belle and Bob graduated in 1879. Belle got a job at a high school in Spring Green, while Bob continued his studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School. He graduated with a law degree in 1880 and began working as a lawyer.

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A portrait taken of Belle when she graduated from the University of Wisconsin. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society. WHi-55398.�

An unusually serious portrait of Robert (Bob) M. La Follette, Sr. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society. WHi-30279.

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Belle married Bob in 1881, and a year later, their daughter Fola was born. While raising young Fola, Belle also often did research for Bob’s court cases. This sparked her own interest in law. In 1883, she began taking law classes.

After two years of hard work, she became the first woman to earn a law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School! Bob was very proud of Belle, and bragged that she was the “brainiest member of the family.”

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While Belle was attending law school, Bob began running for different political offices. He became a United States congressman in 1883, the governor of Wisconsin in 1900, and a United States senator in 1905. During each of his campaigns, Belle helped Bob write his speeches. The speeches were very successful, and Bob went on to become famous for his role in the Progressive Movement.

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Progressive Movement (n): an effort �that took place between the late 1800s through the 1920s that focused on solving social and political problems that came from the industrial revolution

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During this time, the La Follette family continued to grow. Belle and Bob had three more children: Robert Jr., Philip, and Mary. ��

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A family photo of the La Follettes. Belle and Robert Sr. are pictured with their children: Mary, Robert Jr., and Phillip. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society. WHi-27038.

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While raising their family in Madison, Wisconsin, �Belle and Bob also began writing their own magazine, called La Follette’s Weekly Magazine. The first issue was published in 1909. Belle wrote essays about political topics, especially women’s rights. She wrote passionately about how women should have political power, including the right to vote, called suffrage. �

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suffrage (n): the right to vote

During Belle's time, women in Wisconsin were seeking the right to vote. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society. WHi-7679.

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She also wrote about women’s exercise and clothing. Belle believed that women should dress how they want. The fashion of the day required women to wear tight, uncomfortable corsets, but Belle encouraged women to wear bloomers because they could move easily in them. She believed in the benefits of women’s exercise and told her readers about that, too. She encouraged women—in both big and small ways—to make decisions for themselves and not just do what society expected them to.

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corset (n): a tight, restrictive undergarment worn to make the waist and hips look smaller

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The beliefs that filled the lines of Belle’s weekly essays were also part of the speeches she gave to audiences. Both she and her husband worked hard to spread the message that all people are equal. During a speech in 1913, Belle quoted Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and said, “This Nation shall have a new birth of freedom, and government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the Earth.” Belle then added, “Are women not people, too?” This made the crowd applaud loudly.

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Belle giving a speech. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society. WHi-10803.

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Not only did Belle want equal rights for women, she also defended the rights of all African Americans and fought for their civil rights. Belle also sought peace, and opposed war and violence. This led her to help organize a group called the Women’s Peace Party in 1915. The group held meetings, rallies, and parades to teach others about living peacefully and treating others fairly.

Because of brave women like Belle, the 19th Amendment was passed in 1920. The 19th Amendment stated that all women have the right to vote. It was an important milestone, but that was not the end of the fight. Much more work was needed to ensure that all women could exercise that right in all states.

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milestone (n): the marker of a big change or a notable event�

rally (n): an event where people meet to show support for a cause

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After Bob died in 1925, Belle was offered his seat in the United States Senate, but she preferred to stay out of the spotlight. So instead, her son Bob, Jr. took his father’s seat, and Belle served as one of his best advisors. She continued to work for equal rights through the Woman’s Peace Party (now called Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom) and was a member of other organizations that promoted peace, like the National Council for the Prevention of War.

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Belle and Bob worked side by side throughout the years, just like they are standing side by side here. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society. WHi-10739.

advisor (n): a person who helps others by giving them advice about what they should do

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Belle continued to write and started work on a biography of Bob. She wrote it with her daughter, Fola. She also continued to serve as an editor for La Follette’s Magazine, which later changed its name to The Progressive.

Belle died on August 18, 1931. She believed in peace, equal rights, and treating others with respect. Belle’s beliefs led her to work behind the scenes in politics, to help make huge advances for women’s rights, and to play a leading role with peacemaking groups.�

Belle’s story sets an example for us to learn from as we make change in our world today. How will you stand up for what you believe in?

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This photo of Belle was taken in 1924. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society. WHi-55358.

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