Happy 90th Anniversary!

On August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment passed, granting women the right to vote.  The fight was a long one.  The Seneca Falls Conference, which was the first conference on women’s rights in the U.S., took place in 1848.  This is where The Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, which spelled out all of the injustices towards women, following the form and style of the Declaration of Independence.   Only one woman who the declaration signed the was alive on election day in 1920.  Her name was Charlotte Woodward Pierce, and when she was asked if she would vote, the 90-year-old responded, “I’m too old and too ill.  I’m afraid I’ll never vote.”

There are too many women to thank.  There’s Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Alice Paul, of course, as well as the Grimke Sisters, Lucretia Mott, Martha Wright, Lucy Stone, Ernestine Rose, Ida B. Wells, Sojourner Truth, Victoria Woodhull, Virginia Minor, Julia Ward Howe to name a few.  Frederick Douglas deserves a special mention, as he was one of the only men to return his energies to women’s suffrage after the abolition of slavery.

Celebrate the work and sacrifices of the suffragists today by reading up on the upcoming elections in your area, and raising a little hell.  Also, Iron Jawed Angels is a fun movie about the passage of the 19th Amendment, and great to watch while drinking with friends.

Special thanks to Beverly Hudson-Wirtz, her awesome U.S. Women’s history class, and easy-to-follow lectures.