Top 10 of 2020

As we put 2020 into the past, we’re taking a look back on the most popular posts published this year. Thank you to the National Archives staff who helped us share our love of history.   10. The fourth installment of a series about unratified constitutional amendments, Unratified Amendments: Regulating Child Labor, explored an amendment proposed … Continue reading Top 10 of 2020

Emmeline Pankhurst Comes to America

August marks the 100th anniversary of the Woman Suffrage Amendment. Today’s post comes from Ben Miller, an intern with the Exhibits team at the National Archives Museum. On September 13, 1913, a New York Times headline asked “What will New York do with Mrs. Pankhurst?” The woman in question was Emmeline Pankhurst, the leader of … Continue reading Emmeline Pankhurst Comes to America

Suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt

Throughout 2020 we're commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Woman Suffrage Amendment. Today’s post comes from Michael J. Hancock, an archives technician at the National Archives in College Park. “To the wrongs that need resistance, To the right that needs assistance, To the future in the distance, Give yourselves.” —Carrie Chapman Catt Few women were … Continue reading Suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt

19th Amendment at 100: The 19th Amendment

The 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, but this landmark event was neither the beginning nor the end of the story for women and their struggle for the right to vote. Join us as we commemorate the centennial year of 2020 with 12 stories from our holdings for you to save, print, or share. August’s … Continue reading 19th Amendment at 100: The 19th Amendment

Facial Hair Friday: Mary Ritter Beard

In celebration of Women’s History Month today’s Facial Hair Friday is in honor of a Beard: Mary Ritter Beard to be exact.  Mary Ritter Beard was a historian, author, woman suffrage activist, social reformer, and archivist! Born Mary Ritter in 1876, in Indianapolis, Indiana, she met future husband Charles Austin Beard while attending college. After … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday: Mary Ritter Beard

19th Amendment at 100: Mary Church Terrell

The 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, but this landmark event was neither the beginning nor the end of the story for women and their struggle for the right to vote. Join us in 2020 as we commemorate this centennial year with 12 stories from our holdings for you to save, print, or share. February’s … Continue reading 19th Amendment at 100: Mary Church Terrell

Susan B. Anthony: Women’s Right to Vote

The National Archives is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment with the exhibit Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote, which runs in the Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery of the National Archives in Washington, DC, through January 3, 2021. Today’s post comes from Michael J. Hancock in the National Archives History Office. Susan B. … Continue reading Susan B. Anthony: Women’s Right to Vote

Putting the “Rat” in Ratification: Tennessee’s role in the 19th amendment

In 1878 Senator Aaron A. Sargent introduced into Congress a resolution proposing a constitutional amendment granting women the right to vote. On June 4, 1919,  after 40 years—and much effort and debate—Congress passed, by a two-thirds vote of both houses, that proposed amendment. It was then up to the states to ratify it.  Many states … Continue reading Putting the “Rat” in Ratification: Tennessee’s role in the 19th amendment

Jeannette Rankin: The woman who voted to give women the right to vote

Today’s post comes from Christine Blackerby, an archives specialist with the Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives in Washington, DC. 2017 marks the centennial of the swearing-in of the first woman to become a member of the U.S. Congress, Jeannette Rankin (R-Montana). A pacifist and suffragist, Rankin was elected to Congress four years … Continue reading Jeannette Rankin: The woman who voted to give women the right to vote

Suffrage and suffering at the 1913 March

Today's blog post comes from Jessie Kratz, archives specialist in the Center for Legislative Archives. As woman suffrage advocates marched along Pennsylvania Avenue on March 3, 1913, they were met with crowds of unruly men blocking their paths and shouting derogatory remarks. While making preparations for the parade, organizers had made repeated attempts to secure … Continue reading Suffrage and suffering at the 1913 March