Curriculum Development

Library of Congress (American Memory) Penn[sylvania] on the picket line– 1917. Photographer: Harris & Ewing, Washington, D.C. Created/Published: 1917 {Library of Congress (American Memory) Penn[sylvania] on the picket line– 1917. Photographer: Harris & Ewing, Washington, D.C. Created/Published: 1917}

Summary: Photograph of fourteen suffragists in overcoats on picket line, holding suffrage banners in front of the White House. One banner reads: “Mr. President How Long Must Women Wait For Liberty”. White House visible in background. Library of Congress

Below is the introduction from the Official Election Site of San Mateo County, CA. It is an excellent resource of the history of the suffrage movement, providing biographical profiles of the women who dedicated and risked their lives in the struggle for gender equality.

Reduced to its simplest definition and elevated to its highest ideal, democracy is the power of the people. The ability to vote, however, has not always been a reality for everyone in our country. It was not until 1920 (a mere 85 years ago) that the passage of the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote. This breakthrough for social equality was the result of more than 50 years of activism by the early suffragettes. Vigils, protests, speeches, essays, civil disobedience, hunger strikes, lobbying, organizing, andevery other form of activism imaginable was used by these remarkable women; their unconventional, avant-garde, and sometimes shocking actions successfully convinced the United States Congress that our Constitution should be amended to allow women to vote. The women who made it their life’s ambition to ensure both genders the right to vote changed our country forever. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude. Every time we exercise our right to vote, we honor their lives, their sacrifices, and their mission to strengthen our democracy. – The Shape of the Future.org – Women’s Suffrage – San Mateo County

Lucretia Mott (1793-1880)

Sojourner Truth (1797-1883)

Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902)

Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906)

Carrie Chapman Catt (1859-1947)

Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862-1931)

Maud Younger (1870-1936)

Jeannette Rankin (1880-1973)

Mabel Vernon (1883-1975)

Alice Paul (1885-1977)