On
August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment Guaranteed Women Right to Vote
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Alice Paul
unfurls the Ratification Banner at NWP headquarters.
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On August 18,
1920, one man, Harry Burn, changed his vote in the Tennessee state
legislature from a "Nay" vote to an "Aye" vote
and Tennessee became the 36th and final state needed to ratify the
19th Amendment enfranchising women. While it was one man's vote at
the urging of his mother: "don't forget to be a good boy and
help Mrs. Catt put the "rat" in ratification,"
that officially secured the 19th amendment, it took years of hard
work, dedication and sacrifice from a cadre of women to make the
right to vote a reality. As we celebrate the 90th Anniversary of
woman suffrage, we thank the men who ratified the amendment, but more
importantly we pay a special tribute to the thousands of women who
gave everything they had for the right to vote.
The fight for
suffrage became an organized and public struggle in the U.S.
following the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848. Prominent leaders such
as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, Sojourner Truth, Lucretia
Mott, and Susan B. Anthony began campaigning for the right to
vote at state and federal levels. Years of hard work led to woman
suffrage in only a few states, and new leaders such as Carrie Chapman
Catt, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, and Harriet Stanton Blatch arose as
the original leaders began to pass away.
In 1912 a 27
year old woman named Alice Paul journeyed to Washington to take over
the Congressional campaign of the National American Women's Suffrage
Association. She was supposedly to perform the symbolic duty of
requesting that Congress introduce the 19th amendment each year, and
operated on a budget of $10. By March of 1913, an elaborate march on
Washington, DC, was held and suffrage started to become a national
issue. Months more of campaigning led to enfranchisement in a few
more states, but after several deputations to the President, regular
lobbying pressure on Congress, and efforts to defeat the Democrats -
the party in power - in the 1914 and 1916 elections, Alice Paul, Lucy
Burns, and other leaders of the National Woman's Party (NWP) were
disappointed with the lack of progress made on suffrage. In 1917, the
NWP took the bold step of picketing the White House for the first
time in the history of the nation. When the U.S. entered World War I,
the pickets held banners demanding to know why the president would
fight for democracy abroad while denying it at home. The pickets were
ignored at first, then arrested and released, then arrested and
sentenced. Sentencing of the pickets led to outrage and charges of
political imprisonment. Dissatisfied with their government, the
prisoners went on hunger strikes and were force fed, to the growing
shock of a nation fighting a war abroad and looking for peace and
democracy at home.
Agitation of
Congress and the White House by more than 100 women prisoners and
even more pickets along with the national press focus on the issue of
suffrage finally worked in favor of women, and the 19th Amendment was
sent to the states to ratify. Tennessee did become the 36th state to
ratify the Amendment which was officially added to the Constitution
of the United States on August 26, 1920, but the state legislature is
not the hero in this story, nor is Harry Burn. The heroes of suffrage
are the generations of women and girls who gave their lives, their
fortunes, their time, and their hearts to the cause. On this 90th
Anniversary, remember the many women who made woman suffrage a
reality for American women today.
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Just in time
for Women's Equality Day! Suffrage Supplies at CafePress!
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I Heart Alice Paul Tote,
CafePress
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Votes for Women Apron,
CafePress
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Nina Allender Mug,
CafePress
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The Sewall-Belmont House &
Museum is excited to announce three new apparel and gift lines
available at our CafePress website starting today. Visit our website
or click on the images above to start shopping! Proceeds will benefit
the preservation and education efforts at the Museum.
Show your love for suffrage
today!
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See our press mention on
page 14 in Real Simple Magazine
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90 years ago, women in
America finally won the right to vote...
Celebrate the 90th anniversary
of suffrage with us by honoring an influential woman in your life!
We are collecting donations and photos to show the trajectory of
inspiring women through history. The online exhibit goes live
today, but we are collecting photos through December!
Click here
for details.
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Special
Gift for Friends of the Museum
Cirque du Soleil's latest touring production OVO is hitting
Washington D.C. starting Thursday, September 9th, 2010, and friends
of the Sewall-Belmont House & Museum can receive 15% off
select performances!
OVO will perform for a limited engagement under the trademark
blue-and-yellow Grand Chapiteau (Big Top) at The Plateau at National
Harbor.
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Jeannette
Rankin, First Woman in Congress
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In honor of the 90th Anniversary of women's suffrage,
the Sewall-Belmont House & Museum is proud to announce the
opening of our new online exhibit honoring inspiring women in the
lives of many.
View the exhibit
today!
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Save the Date! September 22nd: Alice Award
Luncheon
We are proud to announce that the 2010 Alice Award will
be presented to the Honorable
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, recognizing her
as the first female Speaker of the House and the highest ranking
female politician.
September 22, 2010
101 Constitution Ave NW
For more information about the 2010 Alice Award
luncheon, please click here.
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Members receive free or reduced admission for programs
throughout the year and other benefits.
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Want to join the
conversation and stay up-to-date on all the programs, events,
exhibits, and news about the Sewall-Belmont House & Museum?
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