Women’s Equality Day commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, which gave women the right to vote. The amendment states:
“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by and State on account of sex.”
The Women’s Suffragist movement formally began in 1848 at the Seneca Falls convention in Seneca Falls, NY. Organizers drafted a “Declaration of Sentiments, Grievances, and Resolutions” echoing the Declaration of Independence that all men and women are created equal. The battle for equality and the right to vote continued for over 70 years with women like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Alice Paul, and Carrie Chapman Catt on the frontlines, lobbying Congress and the White House on behalf of American women.
As we celebrate the Centennial Anniversary of the 19th Amendment right to vote, which is the foundation of democracy, please join me in honoring those who fought for women’s right to vote and exercise that right to effect change.
“I believe that the influence of woman will save the
country before every other power.”
~ Lucy Stone