Halftone portrait of an older Catharine Waugh McCulloch, a suffragist, activist, and legal trailblazer, in maroon.
'Shall Men Vote?' logo in yellowish gold for the documentary film about Catharine Waugh McCulloch.
A logo for the Shall Men Vote? brand featuring a cream-colored circle with the word 'SUFFRAGIST' in maroon, arching across the top. Inside the circle are three gold stars arranged in a triangle.
Circular badge with a light blue background, featuring seven white stars and the word "ATTORNEY" in bold maroon letters in the center.
Blue oval with the word "Advocate" in bold purple letters

A documentary about
Catharine Waugh McCulloch,
the most important woman
you’ve never heard of.

Watch Trailer
Support the Film
Download Movie Poster

Meet Catharine

Attorney | Suffragist | Legal Trailblazer

1862 - 1945

Halftone portrait of a young Catharine Waugh McCulloch, a suffragist, activist, and legal trailblazer, in light blue.
A circular badge with a light blue background and white stars around the top and bottom. The words "EQUAL SUFFRAGE" are written in bold, dark purple letters in the center.
Round badge with a dark purple background and white text that says "Votes for Women." There are two gold stars, one on each side of the text.
Historical black-and-white photograph of Catharine Waugh McCulloch, surrounded by a group of women at a suffragist rally in 1910.
Circular yellow badge with burgundy text that reads "League of Women Voters" around the center. Two white stars are on either side of the word "of". 
Catharine speaking at a 1910 suffrage rally.

Catharine Waugh McCulloch spearheaded legislative campaigns for women's suffrage, property rights, age of consent, guardianship of children, a women’s eligibility for jury duty and public office and other civil protections. Her efforts to elevate women’s voices in law were pivotal to the women's rights movement. The film’s interviews with legal scholars explore both her strategic mix of wit and wisdom, her failures and triumphs, her battles against gender discrimination, and her remarkable balancing act as activist, wife, and mother of four. 

Won Illinois women the right to vote in 1913

First female Justice of the Peace in Illinois

Raised the age of consent for girls

Won equal guardianship for women

Read her full biography
Read her full biography

Really gentlemen, I have my doubts whether your sex as a whole has the intellectual strength necessary for voting.”

“

Catharine Waugh McCulloch

Read the full speech
Read the full speech
1886

Admitted to the Bar,
opens practice

1893

Presents Illinois Statutory Suffrage Bill

1906

Elected first female Justice of the Peace in Illinois

1912

"Shall Men Vote?" speech published and used widely

1913

Won Illinois women the
right to vote

1919

Illinois is the first state to ratify the 19th Amendment

1920

19th Amendment
ratified nationwide

1886

Admitted to the Bar, opens practice

1893

Presents Illinois Statutory Suffrage Bill

1906

Elected first female Justice of the Peace in Illinois

1912

"Shall Men Vote?" speech published and used widely

1913

Won Illinois women the right to vote

1919

Illinois is the first state to ratify the 19th Amendment

1920

19th Amendment ratified nationwide

Her fight, in short

Help bring Catharine’s story to the world

Poster for a debate between Catharine Waugh McCulloch (Lady Lawyer) and Fred Smith in the 1880s.
Black and white portrait photograph of Catharine Waugh McCulloch, the first female elected Justice of the Peace of Illinois, in her robes in 1906. 
Left: Poster for a debate between Catharine (Lady Lawyer) and Fred Smith in the 1880s. 
Right: Catharine in her Justice of the Peace robes, 1906.

Shall Men Vote?  is much more than a women’s history film, and we are confident that the documentary will be broadly accessible, emotionally resonant, and a catalyst for change.

We received a generous contribution of $100,000 from the Mammel Foundation. This brings our fundraising target to $400,000:

  • $200,000 to complete the Shall Men Vote feature film documentary 

  • $200,000 to create a public history website and develop educational materials

Tax-exempt donations are made to our fiscal sponsor, From the Heart Productions, a nonprofit providing services to film producers. 

Donate

Expanding the historical lens strengthens the film’s relevance

Audiences declared, “We need her now.”

Black laurel wreath depicting the film as a WINNER for Best Shorts Competition in 2025.
Black laurel wreath depicting the film as a WINNER for Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival in 2025.
Black laurel wreath depicting the film as a WINNER for Accolade Global Film Competition in 2025.
Black laurel wreath depicting the film as an OFFICIAL SELECTION for Phoenix Film Festival in 2025.
Black laurel wreath depicting the film as an OFFICIAL SELECTION for Nevada Women's Film Festival in 2025.
Black laurel wreath depicting the film as an OFFICIAL SELECTION for Social Justice Film Festival in 2025.
Black laurel wreath depicting the film as an HONORABLE MENTION for The Macoproject Film Festival in 2025.
Black laurel wreath depicting the film as an OFFICIAL SELECTION for Los Angeles Lift-Off Film Festival in 2025.

In 2025 we entered film festivals with Discovering Catharine, a short documentary that we are now expanding to feature length for distribution on streaming platforms. Audience feedback exceeded our expectations, asking for more about this important story. As the project evolved, new research and scholarly collaboration deepened our understanding of McCulloch’s abolitionist roots and her advocacy for racial equality.

Because of the visibility and credibility generated by the first version, we now have that access. Including this material does not change the story — it completes it. It positions McCulloch as a leader who stood out at a time when many others remained silent.

Audience Testimonials:

Prominent Lawyers: Lisa Madigan, Latasha R. Thomas, Jill Wine-Banks
Poet & Scholar: Natalia Molebatsi

Support the film

She won the right. Use it.

The voting rights, equal rights, and legal protections that women fought for decades to secure are under pressure today. Understanding our history, the struggles and hard-won victories—has never been more important. This documentary offers inspiration to safeguard the pillars of our democracy for future generations. 

Yellow oval background with a large maroon question mark and a star below it.
A circular badge with a white background and five yellow stars at the top and bottom. In the center, the words 'EQUAL SUFFRAGE' are written in bold, dark red capital letters.
A circular vote button with a light blue background and the text "VOTES FOR WOMEN" in dark red, with two white stars on either side.
Support the film

The Filmmakers

A portrait of Susan Hope Engel, Director and Editor of 'Shall Men Vote?' film. She has blonde hair, wearing a navy blazer and a white top, and standing outdoors with a blurred natural background.

Susan Hope Engel

Director / Editor

Susan Hope Engel is an award-winning filmmaker whose work brings overlooked histories and social justice narratives to life through compelling, character-driven storytelling. With a foundation in theatre, she brings immediacy to her films. Her work includes films featured in The New York Times, a documentary aired on Voice of America, and international work that includes filming with refugee children in Serbia. Through deeply personal portraits of historical figures such as Catharine Waugh McCulloch, she connects historical struggles for women’s rights with the urgency of today. Engel is a founding board member of Women in Film Chicago.

A portrait of Ann McCulloch, Executive Producer of 'Shall Men Vote?' film and great-granddaughter of Catharine Waugh McCulloch. She is wearing clear glasses, gold earrings, a white top, and a black blazer, smiling against a dark gray background.

Ann McCulloch

Executive Producer

Ann McCulloch, McCulloch’s great-granddaughter, discovered a set of McCulloch’s memoirs and, later, an extensive collection of her writings at the Schlesinger Library at Harvard.  Inspired by her legacy, Ann initiated a project that led to the creation of this documentary together with filmmaker Susan Hope Engel and Dean Bushala. The team gathered insights from historians and legal scholars, dramatizing McCulloch’s groundbreaking career and the legal strategies she employed.

A portrait of Dean Bushala, Producer of 'Shall Men Vote?' film. He is wearing glasses, has dark hair and a beard, wearing a brown leather jacket and a navy shirt, standing outdoors with a background of fall foliage.

Dean Bushala

Producer / Post Production

Dean Bushala, Red Branch Productions, is an Emmy-winning Producer, Director, and Cinematographer whose compelling visual storytelling has resonated with audiences through his distinguished work with Disney+, National Geographic, Discovery, and PBS. His latest achievement, "KHSARA" (2024), which offers an intimate portrayal of humanitarian aid workers in Gaza, earned an Emmy nomination, adding to his portfolio of accolades, including multiple Emmy nominations, Telly Awards, and the prestigious Michael Moore Award for documentary excellence.  Khsara is currently being expanded into a feature-length documentary in partnership with Kartemquin Films.

A portrait of Amy Murphy, Producer of 'Shall Men Vote?' film. She has long, wavy blonde hair wearing tortoiseshell glasses and a black blazer, smiling softly at the camera.

Amy Murphy

Producer

Amy Murphy is an accomplished producer and filmmaker with over 20 years of experience in film, television, and commercial production for major networks and global brands. Drawing on her academic background in Anthropology and Archaeology, she brings a unique cultural lens and human-centered approach to documentary and narrative storytelling. Passionate about preserving heritage, fostering community, and championing meaningful storytelling, Amy produces films that inspire connection, illuminate history, and celebrate the power of story to create impact.

  • Dr. Gwen Jordan

    Attorney, Historian, Educator, Author


    Lori Osborne

    Director of the Evanston Woman's History Project


    Dr. Virginia G. Drachman

    Arthur Stern, Jr., Chair in American History, Tufts University


    Professor Jill Norgren

    The City University of New York


    Julia R. Wilson

    Senior Advisor, Strategic Initiatives,  The John Paul Stevens Foundation


    Ellen Rosenblum

    Oregon Attorney General


    Jan Schakowsky

    U.S. Congressman


    Robyn Gabel

    Illinois State Representative

  • Executive Producers

    Ann McCulloch

    Susan Hope Engel


    Producers

    Dean Bushala P.G.A.

    Amy Murphy P.G.A.


    Composer

    Craig J. Snider


    Editors

    Dean Bushala

    Susan Hope Engel


    Specialty Director of Photography

    Chris Lane


    Archivist and Photo Research

    Janet Olson


    SPECIAL THANKS

    Our families and friends for their love and support

    Joann Avery M.S.

    Bay Path University

    Chicago Womxn's Suffrage Tribute Committee

    Evanston History Center

    Women's History Project of the EHC

    Family Focus Evanston

    Linda Hansen

    The Kellogg Global Hub Team

    Northwestern University Law School

    Northwestern University Women's Center

    Rana Segal 

    Rockford University

    Tufts University

    W.C.T.U. Archives, Evanston

    Woman's Club of Evanston

Back to the top