The celebration was to include many domestic and foreign dignitaries, including the acting Vice-President Senator Thomas Ferry as a replacement for President Grant. The women were determined to make a point and conquer the opportunity to discuss women’s rights in front of them. They had asked respectfully and were turned down and they were determined to make their presence and the Declaration of Women known. Susan B. Anthony, Matilda Joslyn Gage, Sara Andrews Spencer, Lillie Devereux Blake and Phoebe W. Couzins with their platform passes in hand, made their way through the crowds, past the barriers and into a world that had never been open to them before as women. After the Declaration of Independence was read by Richard Henry Lee, of Virginia,
…show more content…
On March 3, 1913, the National American Woman Suffrage Association used the inauguration of President Woodrow Wilson to draw attention to their cause by planning and marching on Washington D.C. This was the first major national effort of the Association calling for a constitutional amendment. At this time in history, photographs were easily taken and many still survive. One of the most famous is the picture of lawyer Inez Milholland on a white horse leading the parade. Behind her was a long procession of women, of more than 5,000. The parade at first was met with enthusiasm but as the procession went several blocks, the crowds, mostly men began to flood into the street making it almost impossible for the parade to continue. The women were taunted, jeered and at times tripped. People shouted obscenities to them and the police along the route reportedly joined in and participated in the display of demonstration against these women. One police officer was heard to say that the women should stay at home where they belonged. It was obvious, the crowd did not take the parade very seriously. However to the women, the parade was a very serious event, one that would prove to invigorate the movement. The mistreatment of the women during the ceremony would cause public outcry and a large amount of publicity followed. The headline from The Woman’s Journal on …show more content…
House of Representatives. Woodrow Wilson was the current President and he addressed a joint session of Congress asking to a vote to declare war on Germany. Rankin is one of fifty-five members to oppose the war. She later quotes, “I believe that the first vote I had was the most significant vote and a significant act on the part of women.” By 1918, Rankin became a key figure in the universal enfranchisement of women and opened a debate in Congress about granting universal suffrage. The resolution passed in the House but not in the Senate. In 1919, the resolution was brought to the floor again, this time it passed in both chambers. It was sent the states for ratification, on August 18, 1920 by a narrow margin, the state of Tennessee voted yes, giving the amendment the needed votes to become an Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. 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 any State on account of sex.” At long last the struggle was over for universal woman suffrage in
On March 3, 1913, the National American Woman Suffrage Association used the inauguration of President Woodrow Wilson to draw attention to their cause by planning and marching on Washington D.C. This was the first major national effort of the Association calling for a constitutional amendment. At this time in history, photographs were easily taken and many still survive. One of the most famous is the picture of lawyer Inez Milholland on a white horse leading the parade. Behind her was a long procession of women, of more than 5,000. The parade at first was met with enthusiasm but as the procession went several blocks, the crowds, mostly men began to flood into the street making it almost impossible for the parade to continue. The women were taunted, jeered and at times tripped. People shouted obscenities to them and the police along the route reportedly joined in and participated in the display of demonstration against these women. One police officer was heard to say that the women should stay at home where they belonged. It was obvious, the crowd did not take the parade very seriously. However to the women, the parade was a very serious event, one that would prove to invigorate the movement. The mistreatment of the women during the ceremony would cause public outcry and a large amount of publicity followed. The headline from The Woman’s Journal on …show more content…
House of Representatives. Woodrow Wilson was the current President and he addressed a joint session of Congress asking to a vote to declare war on Germany. Rankin is one of fifty-five members to oppose the war. She later quotes, “I believe that the first vote I had was the most significant vote and a significant act on the part of women.” By 1918, Rankin became a key figure in the universal enfranchisement of women and opened a debate in Congress about granting universal suffrage. The resolution passed in the House but not in the Senate. In 1919, the resolution was brought to the floor again, this time it passed in both chambers. It was sent the states for ratification, on August 18, 1920 by a narrow margin, the state of Tennessee voted yes, giving the amendment the needed votes to become an Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. 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 any State on account of sex.” At long last the struggle was over for universal woman suffrage in