Took until 1920, over 72 years later for women to earn the right to vote. During those years, organizations would form creating a national movement, yet it was women in every community who led the effort in their towns and states to demand rights. Through the work of cspans cities tour, we will introduce you to some of these women who dedicated their lives to this cause. From a Newspaper Agency to a woman for protesting on the white house lawn. You will learn how western territories and states were on the leading edge of the movement and you will hear how a letter from a mother to her son would lead to the ratification of the 19th amendment, giving women the right to vote. We begin syracuse, new york, where an author talks about one of the movements lesserknown figures. Lucretia mott is the most important female white abolitionists and one of the most important women in American History, yet she has not received the same amount of historical attention as others. She is not a household name. My biography of Lucretia Mott is titled it refers to her own activist strategy. She always said to other activists, we must agitate, whether they be abolitionists or suffragists. She advised people to confront social injustices, political injustices legal injustices and , not be afraid to be labeled a heretic or an infidel or a nonconformist. Someone who is willing to go against the tides of society for their beliefs. That is what Lucretia Mott it. Lucretia mott was a 19th century american abolitionist, womens rights activist, and quaker minister. She lived from 1793 to 1880, so she lived a very long life. She was born on the island of nantucket, but she lived most of her adult life in philadelphia, and that was the city from which she based her activism, which stretched across the United States and the atlantic as well. Lucretia mott definitely defined herself as a feminist and womens rights activist, and she traced her commitment to womens rights to her childhood really on the island of nantucket. It was a communitybased on the whaling industry, so the men in the community would often go off on 3, 4, 5 year voyages, leaving the women to manage the household, do the household finances, and a lot running businesses. For Lucretia Mott, capability was selfevident. The quakers, the society of friends was one of the first denominations to allow women to preach. She had always seem female ministers in her childhood, and she eventually became one herself in 1821. So i think that sort of capacity for religious authority informed her commitment to womens rights. She got married to her husband, james mott, in 1811. And in the early 1820s, there was nothing necessarily to indicate that she would become a great activist. You know, she eventually had six children, five of whom lived to adulthood. She taught in the Quaker School and became a quaker minister, but none of this was unusual. I think the key moment in Lucretia Motts life that turned her into an activist was in the 1820s. By 1827, the society of friends in the United States had split into two competing groups. Lucretia mott was a Hicksite Quaker named after their leader. They were one of the issues that they focused on was they believed that the leadership of the society of friends had become complacent on the issue of slavery. They had done away with their ownership of slaves long before, and they viewed that is enough to have removed themselves from direct content. But elias hicks and Lucretia Mott believed you had to sever all ties to slavery and for wealthy merchants in philadelphia, that was asking a lot because they all had economic ties to the south. You know, they all dealt in cotton and even james mott, he struggled for a while to find a profession, to find a career that would support his family, and eventually, he succeeds, but as a cotton merchant. So Lucretia Mott puts a lot of pressure on him, actually to , give up that business and eventually, he became a wool merchant by 1830. That was a radicalizing decade for her. On womenspeak issues and antislavery issues when she became a minister. That was an informative period for her. But i think in the early 1830s in philadelphia, philadelphia had the largest population of three blacks in the north. Lucretia mott would have interacted them in free produce societies, for example, and probably tried to speak in africanamerican churches and otherwise connected with them. There were a lot of race riots in philadelphia in the early 1830s. So the intensity of northern racism was very visible to her, and so, when she attended the founding meeting of the American Antislavery Society in 1833, and then, thereafter founded the philadelphia female antislavery society, she believed their goal should not only be fighting slavery but also racial prejudice. It was a twopronged approach. One of the things she did frequently, whenever she met a slaveholder, as she did when she was traveling abroad or around the United States, she would often speak in delaware, virginia and slaveholding states, kentucky, she would engage, she would try to convince that slaveholder that slavery was wrong. You know . Rather than being polite or you know, just tolerating this lady, poking them in the ribs, she seemed to have had some individual, personal success. She set this one slaveholder i send him some pamphlets when i got home and i will send him some pamphlets. I think, again, she was not afraid of confrontation and engagement, and she was going to try to persuade people that slavery was wrong no matter where she was and who they were. Lucretia mott was not interested in politics or the political process, but she did speak on multiple occasions in washington, d. C. , and at one point, she was supposed to speak in congress, but because she would not agree not to talk about slavery, if that is clear, they would not let her speak. So, she spoke at a Unitarian Church and all sorts of politicians, including congressmen attended. Of course, she spoke about slavery, because that is what she was compelled to speak about. During that trip to washington, d. C. In 1843, she also met president tyler and his line about Lucretia Mott was, you know, i think i will turn mr. , you canver to you negotiate with john c. Calhoun for me. Lucretia mott first met Elizabeth Stanley in when they met, they met in sort of an unlikely place which was at the worlds Antislavery Convention in london, england in 1840. Two americans meeting in london. They had other connections, but Lucretia Mott was there as a delegate from various american antislavery societies. She was there to attend the convention. Elizabeth cady stanton was there on her honeymoon. She had just married an abolitionist named henry stanton. European tours a rather than a political journey. The two women instantly connected. Elizabeth cady stanton later described Lucretia Mott as a revelation of womanhood. She said i did not know it was possible for women to be so outspoken and independent. She really became an admirer of Lucretia Mott. Refer to cady stanton Lucretia Mott as the moving spirit of the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848. It was a label Lucretia Mott rejected. She said elizabeth, you should claim that for yourself. But it was the fact that Lucretia Mott was in the area that the convention was held and her presence was advertised to draw attendees. Her sister lived in auburn, new york, which was not far from seneca falls, so she would come up to this part of the country regularly. When she came up in 1848, she was engaged in a number of activities. She attended an annual quaker meeting. The genesee early meeting. She traveled to ontario, canada, to visit former slaves, american slaves who had fled to canada. She went to the seneca reservation and witnessed them writing their constitution. She is actually engaging very in all of these very interesting activities in the summer of 1848, native american rights, africanamerican rights, and womens rights. Before the Seneca Falls Convention in july, 1848, she meets up with her old friend, Elizabeth Cady stanton and other quakers in the area. They decide to hold this convention devoted to women, and the civil condition, and they advertised that Lucretia Mott will be there and she will be the principal speaker. Once a newspaper called her a caesar of th speaker of the movement. That she had somehow shed her femininity by engaging in activism. But the womens rights movement, the Antislavery Movement held her up as a paragon of womanhood. They said Lucretia Mott is an example that you can do both, be an excellent wife, mother, grandmother, and have a public life, be an activist. For her, the activism and the family life blended seamlessly because her husband was also an abolitionist and active in a lot of the same organizations she was. He attended the first Womens Rights Convention in seneca falls and shared the convention aired the convention. And her children also became involved in the philadelphia antislavery society. And other organizations for womens rights and womens suffrage in philadelphia. In many ways, her activism was a family affair. There was not a lot of conflict. Said uneral, someone silence is appropriate for a quaker funeral, but someone said, who can speak . The preacher is dead. That is how much of a void had been left by Lucretia Motts death, because she always had something to say. I think that made her in some ways too good. She has become almost what Elizabeth Cady stanton made her, almost a saint. And in actuality, she was a deeply radical person for her time and was not afraid to speak her beliefs. In 1869 in new york city, Elizabeth Cady stanton and Susan B Anthony founded the National Womens Suffrage Association for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to vote. However, much of the womens movements early progress came in the west. In oregon, dunaway, who established a prosuffrage newspaper became active in the movement after her husbands business failed. Benjamin dunaway was a good husband and father to the children. He did not have may be the level of business skills that somebody should have in managing a farm. Because of his kindness and generosity, he cosigned a loan for a friend, and the friend defaulted on that loan, and as a lost their dunaways farm. That was in the mid1860s. That, benjamin was involved in a farming accident, and he became disabled. It therefore fell to abigail to become the breadwinner for the family. She did some teaching, again, but eventually decided to move down to albany, oregon, a little town further south in the willamette valley, and she set up a milliner shop, a hat shop. Apparently, she was quite successful in that business. She even traveled to San Francisco to get supplies for her business. But an important thing happened when she interacted with the women who came into her shop. She became aware of difficulties in their lives. The head no life, no standing in the community. They could not own property. They were dependent on their husbands and their husbands goodwill to lead a good life, and she saw a lot of women suffering because of that. At one point she realized, if women could vote, they could enact change themselves and change lives to benefit all women and all people. So, she turned her attention to the Suffrage Movement. She moved her family back to portland in the 1870s. Her first effort was to start her own newspaper. That was called the new northwest. This was the vehicle she used to communicate about her suffrage efforts. And the whole family, many members of her family were involved in producing this newspaper. One of her sons was a printer. It was kind of like a family enterprise. She communicated through the new northwest. That was important part of for developing skill in becoming a suffrage leader in the northwest. She also communicated with National Suffrage leaders. In 1871, she coordinated a visit by Susan B Anthony out to the west and traveled with her on a speaking tour in california. In very short order, i think it is very remarkable, in very short order, she all of a sudden had significant standing and presence in the Suffrage Movement. Harvey scott was her brother. He traveled with the family on the oregon trail. Apparently, he had been abusive to his siblings, and there are accounts of him beating up the sisters. He kind of continued that tradition. When the family came to oregon, eventually he became an editor oregonian, thend largest newspaper in oregon and one of the largest in the pacific northwest. And he was an antisuffragist. So, he wrote editorials against suffrage. So, in a way, he continued to as theyon abigail, even were adults. In the 1900 campaign, i believe suffrage wouldve passed had it not been for harvey scotts editorials in the portland oregonian. Ofyou tabulate the number votes cast, primarily in multnomah county, it was really what blocked the passage of suffrage that year. Here is a letter abigail is writing to her son clyde this is the 1900 campaign and they are waiting for the returns to come in, and she says my dear clyde, last night, after anxious waiting for returns, during which the oregonian and your mad uncle have subjected the women of oregon to every form of with the four counties we depend on. She says, i was quite sick until i got the returns. Despite the abuse of the oregonian, now i will set the coward up she was referring to her brother, harvey. Change came about in a way that measures could be presented to the citizenry for voting. Initially, when dunaway started out on her campaign work, she used what she called the still quietly getwas to in good with the men who had been elected to the oregon legislature. She would curry their favor and she did it quietly because she did not want to stir the opposition. That resulted in the measure for womens suffrage to be presented on the ballot. Time, it was defeated. In oregon, suffrage was presented six times, more than any other state. During thelly, progressive movement, a particular person wanted to change that process. He advocated for a referendum system that all the states now use. Its called the oregon system. That way, people could gain support for measures by getting enough signatures, and then it would be presented to the voters. By the time suffrage was passed in oregon, dunaways technique was not effective because it was not necessary. Eventually, there were many other women who came forward to carry on the campaign, one woman in particular spearheaded the effort. It was largely through their effort and the use of more modern campaign techniques, like mass mailings, storefront campaign shops, marching in parades, more radical techniques like that really pushed it over and managed to pass suffrage in 1912 in oregon. When suffrage was passed in 1912, duniway you know, she was often bedridden during the 1912 campaign when suffrage passed. She wasnt effective, but she had been working for suffrage for 42 years by that time. She had devoted her life to this cause. And people feted her. She was celebrated when suffrage finally passed. Which was really great. A lot of people sent congratulatory telegrams to her. Here are some examples. Ms. Abigail scott dunaway, congratulations on the triumph of justice. This one from medford. The medford equal Justice Association offers you congratulations. Your many days of effort for the cause of women may be crowned with success. This was sent before the vote. This was in october and the vote was in november. We sincerely congratulate the women of oregon upon their new citizenship. This wonderful victory must help us to success in the future, from the cleveland womens suffrage party. And congratulations to our dearest trailblazer who has made its dawning possible. The congratulations poured in. Its just so wonderful that she lived long enough to see suffrage passed in oregon, and she voted. She was able to vote in multnomah county, which was pretty special. We have in the collection a keptbook that duniway during her years as a suffrage leader. It has some photographs in it. It includes some lectures. It also includes things like some correspondence and newspaper clippings that she kept. This is also a really great resource for any researcher who wants to study the topic of the history of suffrage in oregon or about duniways life. In her pursuit for suffrage in oregon, Abigail Scott duniway would travel throughout the northwest to meet with fellow suffragists. One of her stops was in the home of daniel and Elizabeth Bigelow in washington. They would work to bring suffrage to washington in 1910. We are at the bigelow house on the east side of olympia, one of the citys oldest homes. In 1860. Ilt it was built by daniel and Elizabeth White bigelow. Both came over the oregon trail in the early 1850s. When Daniel Bigelow arrived in olympia, he set up his law practice and was evidently a great orator as well. In july ofed upon 1852. He is credited with spurring the development of a separate territory of washington from oregon. Washington became a separate territory from oregon in 1853, and Daniel Bigelow was elected to the first legislative session held here in olympia. We know that daniel and elizabeth were both active in the campaign for Voting Rights for women. This is the chair where Susan B Anthony sat when she came to the house in 1871. She and Abigail Scott duniway, the oregon suffragist, were on a swing through the pacific northwest. She had dinner here at the bigelow house. We know that from her diary where she called misses bigelow splendid. At the time, there was a lot of advocacy for womens right to vote. He gave a landmark speech about womens suffrage. He said if i understand the principles of self government. Man has no more right to say a woman shall or shall not vote than a woman has to say of man. As a matter of natural right, i know of no valid argument to deny franchise to women anymore than man. In our form of government, the more universal the right of franchise, the greater the security to individual rights. In 1871, Susan B Anthony addressed the Territorial Legislature. She and the bigelows, along with the other suffragists, worked together to form the very First Washington territory womens Suffrage Association, and they held their convention here in olympia in november of 1871. This really set a wonderful framework for advocacy for women to gain the right to vote. And the territory enacted womens right to vote in washington in 1873. It was only women in wyoming and utah who had the right to vote before womenil war in washington. It was quite challenging, as you might imagine. There was concern that women would vote for prohibition. If they had the right to vote, they could also serve on juries. And there was a series of cases that came before the Territorial Supreme Court, first upholding in right to vote, and then 1887, womens right to vote was invalidated on a technicality. Finally in 1910, women in washington permanently received the right to vote. It was just the fifth state in the union where women had the right to vote. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment, giving women the right to vote. Wyoming was the 27th state to pass that amendment. However, decades earlier, wyoming as a territory past the suffrage laws in the u. S. First we explain why this territory was a prime spot for this historic legislation. We are in the womens hallway of the Laramie Plains museum in wyoming. This tells the story of why wyoming was so unique, granting women this right to vote, hold property, and elected office. December 10 of 1869, the wyoming Territorial Legislature dictated this and it was signed by governor campbell, granting women this act. It is so remarkable that we have a copy of this. They have it at the capitol, but we have this copy that is so extraordinary. The writing said what was happening in the west. Because of this act, december 10, 1869 giving women full , rights, we had the first woman governor, first woman bailiff, first woman on a jury. All of wyomings women were able to be in the legislature. We had esther morris, the first woman justice of the peace. We had nelly taylor ross, the first woman governor in the world. All of these were fallout from the beautiful suffrage act of december 10, 1869. Here we have mentions of a few more women that were important. Here we have a great thing, her friends were so worried. She writes and says yes, some of my friends are eastern girls who judge womens suffrage by the english suffrage reports and think that any woman who votes must be dreadful while a woman who holds office is beyond hope. I told them about a friend of mine who had recently been elected to county office and i assured them she was as nice, modest, and womanly as anyone. They had to take my word for it but they assured me you could not possibly say so. You would undoubtedly become bold and unmanaged in a short time. We are going to go out through the foyer and into the salon which has been set up as a defense of suffrage. Come with me. We are going to go into the drawing room of the victorian age. We are here showcasing a defense of the suffrage act. Here are the ivansons. This home is the largest artifact we have and this is from when they first came to laramie. They arrived on that first train with nothing here. They built this house 24 years later. In here, we tell laramie history like this. December 10, 1869, the wyoming Territorial Legislature passes this law. Why is that happening in the west . Why is it happening in wyoming . At the time, it was separating the wyoming territory from the dakota territory. And the legislature did it, we believe, because they needed to attract women to the west. This was a place of cowboys and railroad workers. We had the Union Pacific coming in from california. And the legislature wanted to attract women to come and be part of this adventure. So they gave them full rights. Full Voting Rights. Full Holding Property rights. Full Political Office rights. There was no other state that could claim that, no other territory. North dakota and utah like to claim the first woman voter, and they may have, but they voted in restrictions. Wyoming women never had to do that. They voted on the same terms as men. So, in here, we have Elizabeth Cady stanton coming to the salon to listen to the defense of suffrage. It was passed in 1869. In 1871, wyoming was getting so much grief, the legislature was saying maybe we should rescind this act. This is an exhibit of stephen speaking about this, possibly in this salon, speaking about a defense of the act, because in 1871, people were giving the wyoming territory such grief about having an act where women had the same rights as men. So he gave a remarkable speech and spoke to the wyoming public about how important it was that we keep it, retain it, and it was retained in 1871 by one vote in the legislature. Fastforward. Wyoming wants to become a state. Washington, d. C. , says nowhere else in the world or the United States is giving women these rights. You need to rescind the act to become a state. Wyoming said we dont care then. We wont become a state. So, when you talk about the first woman voter in 1869, first women on a jury, first woman bailiff, first woman justice of the peace, all of this could happen because wyoming had given women that right. Its a fact that nobody ever knows about. And how great is it that we can tell this story . This was a gift given to women and men by the men of the wyoming territory. The National American womens Suffrage Association would continue to focus on gaining womens suffrage at the state level. The National Womens party wanted a constitutional amendment. Their strategy included a twoyear protest in front of the white house from 1917 to 1919. One of the protesters was hazel hunkens halinan from billings, montana. A tiny, grayhaired woman with a feminist vocabulary, a notorious arrest record, and a surprisingly sharp tongue. Hazel hunkens halinan grew up in colorado and came to billings in 1903, and becomes one of the better students of billings senior high. She was voted most popular, second smartest, third most conceited. She makes her way to college, gets a chemistry degree, and works in chemistry labs until 1916. She comes back home to care for her ailing mother, and when her mother starts feeling better, she starts applying for more jobs for chemistry labs. She is told several times, you are qualified, but we dont really want a Woman Working in our labs, and she decides, that is what i am going to do. I am going to get involved with the womens fight. So one of the first things she and her comrades did was protest in front of the white house for several years. They protested, carrying signs, demanding equal rights and suffrage for women. At one point, they had 2000 antisuffragist protesters against less than two dozen women protesting for their rights, and the antisuffragist protesters tore their signs away. The next day, they would come back again with more signs saying we want the right to vote, and they would be arrested. So these two or three dozen women kept this vigilant activity up in front of the white house. They hoped president wilson would create National Suffrage. We did not hear of her in billings, montana. Once we started looking at the National Press and San Francisco examiner, hazel was reported to light watch fires under president wilsons window. The Washington Post wrote that she climbed a picket and had her sign torn away from her and was then arrested. The same story covered in the Billings Gazette said billings woman, innocent victim. So the coverage she was getting in billings was completely different than what the National Press was doing. Initially the press welcomed them. And they said oh, isnt this sweet . Here is a cute little girl from montana, 23, smart. But once world war i kicked in in april of 1917, these protesters were looked at completely differently. And what she said to defend herself was we see all these soldiers being sent overseas to fight for democracy. Were just doing the same thing here in our own country. The women with the National Womens party are fighting for democracy on our own soil. With the passage of the 19th amendment in 1920, Hazel Lumpkin then completely transforms herself and becomes a different type of feminist. She marries a chicago reporter and they moved to england. They moved to england and she lives in london for the next 50 years and becomes the leader of the six point eight, a feminist organization out of england. Shes the only american born leader in that group in 50 years. In 1977, she comes back to the u. S. To fight for the equal rights amendment. She ends up marching in the protests, she is called a hell raiser at age 87. She ends up at a rose garden ceremony with president carter to sign for National Womens day. He supports their activities and causes. So this is a lifelong process for her. Its fun, when i tell this story, i could stop at the equal rights amendment and say this is a life worth looking at. But then you add 50 years of feminist leadership in england and i can stop then and say this is a life worth looking at. But then i can take people into the 1970s and talk about her work with the equal rights amendment and that fight there. She was not afraid to speak her mind. In the end, she chose to be buried with her husband at Mountain View cemetery here in billings. In the early years of the Suffrage Movement, an eightyearold emma smith devote would attend a speech given by susan b. Anthony encouraging her to carry the fight into the 20th century. She would play an Important Role in suffrage legislation in several states, including washington in 1910. Washingtons important in the National Suffrage effort comes by the fact that we were the first state in the 20th century and followed almost a 20 year lag between states adopting their own suffrage amendment and it takes a certain number of states to pass a National Amendment to the constitution. We were the fifth state. In all of the first about six were located here in the west. Washington became a pivotal state making that leap into the 20th century, and after we passed it in 1910, there was a domino effect across the country. Immediately, oregon passes it in 1911 followed by california, and then moved to the dakotas, nebraska, montana and progressed across to new york in 1919 and then the National Amendment passes in 1920. So you could call us a big turning point in the effort to gain suffrage for women in the United States. In 1848, the big event that began the Suffrage Movement did happen in new york. That was the Womens Convention in seneca falls led by Susan B Anthony among other leaders. Interestingly enough, right after that, she began, Susan B Anthony began a whirlwind trip to territorial areas of the United States and states to advocate for womens rights and to vote. One of the early leaders in the 20th century in Washington State saw her in 1848 as an eightyearold barnstorming through illinois. That is Emma Smith Devoe who ends up becoming a leader of the Washington State Suffrage Movement and lived and worked here in tacoma near our history museum. She saw Susan B Anthony in Central Illinois when she was eight years old and Susan B Anthony asked who in the audience believes women should have the right to vote. As an eightyearold, she stood up, and that was a memorable experience that definitely has a connection to our state from 1848 right through to 1910. Right about the same time as the Womens Convention in seneca falls, women and men, families were traveling west. These were hearty people and at that time, about 1850, Congress Passed the oregon donation land claim laws. Anybody who came to the oregon territory before 1849 got out right 640 acres of land. After 1850, they cut it in half to 320 acres. But the interesting thing is that amount of land, half of it was in the womens name. 320 acres were given to a couple. If you were a single man, you got half that. If you are a single woman, you got half of that. Half the acreage was always in the womans name. Right away, women have land claim ownership. That was an important part of the oregon trail era. By 1853, washington becomes a separate territory from oregon, and in the first territorial legislation meeting in olympia which becomes our capital city eventually, the early delegates wanted to pass womens suffrage in washington, that was part of the platform for the first legislative session in that Territorial Congress for washington, and it got voted down. But it was brought up right away, and there were early men in the legislature who advocated for womens suffrage. Fast forward to the 1880s, and washington is working very hard at the effort to become a state, which is achieved in 1889. In the 1880s, women in the territories win the right to vote in 1883. Immediately, they start to vote for a more Progressive Agenda in the Territorial Legislature, and they unseat some of the more corrupt leaders in communities like the seattle mayor who is known to have influence with the saloons, prostitution and gambling. They vote him out of office. You can imagine suffrage is not proving that popular with a lot of people. While the legislature in those days before we were a state could vote yea or nay and pass suffrage, it did not take an amendment to the constitution. Women argue the first territorial constitution said he or male in a lot of places, but it should have said women and men. They passed it, but who got it rescinded in 1888 . The Territorial Supreme Court who was opposed to women voting and one particular justice really, really opposed it and opposition came because men did not want women serving on juries. That is where the division came up in the Territorial Supreme Court short version is they voted they passed a decision that removed the womens right to vote. So that little girl who stood up for Susan B Anthony in 1848 has relocated here with her husband. She has, in the interim years, been a paid staffer working on behalf of suffrage and temperance throughout the midwest. By paid, she was paid i think a hundred dollars a month by the National American womens Suffrage Association. So she comes out here to become the leader of the Washington State Suffrage Movement. By 1906, her husband works for the Great Northern railroad, so she has a salary and he gets her railroad passes so she can travel all over on a Free Railroad ticket, which was a great advantage. They moved to tacoma, and she along with others establishes the washington equal Suffrage Association, which she is president of. I thought it was interesting that her message becomes the most powerful, to counteract this view that washington women dont want suffrage. They really work hard organizing through 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908 and we know we want to get this suffrage bill passed, so we have to get an amendment out there to the voters, and it has to be passed by two thirds of a majority of voters, male voters in the state of washington to pass. So we have a combination of important women coming together. Emma smith davoe, our tacoma based leader of the group joins up with this very colorful woman named May Arkwright hutton. She was a camp cook in the silver mines in northern idaho. In the court elaine district. She married a railroad engineer by the name of hutton and they buy an interest in the Hercules Mine. The Hercules Mine becomes the most profitable silver mine of that era. They become millionaires almost overnight. She is a very colorful figure, so you have emma, who is kind of coming out of the temperance, abolitionist, Suffrage Movement and you have may who comes out to this from a colorful past and together, they descend on olympia and the legislature. That is all men, of course. They Work Together in different ways to get the legislature to approve an amendment for the ballot. In january of 1909, the house votes for the amendment and it passes i think by 10 to 20 votes. In february, the senate votes, the Washington State Senate Passes by a bigger majority and on february 25, 1909, the governor signs a bill to create the opportunity for washingtonians to vote for suffrage for women in Washington State. That vote is going to come up before Washington Men in november of 1910. The suffrage amendment passes on november 8, 1910, and washington becomes the fifth state in the union to pass suffrage. The people coming west were people who were probably risktakers, were working to break out of some conventional life they might have experienced in the east, and a lot of suffragettes came out here and worked from the east and worked hard because they saw the opportunity. Since the Seneca Fall Convention in 1848, 71 years would pass before Congress Proposed a 19th amendment to the u. S. Constitution prohibiting the denial of Voting Rights based on gender. The amendment would require ratification by 36 states. By august 1920, 35 states had ratified the amendment with the Tennessee Legislature set to vote on the matter. On the eve of the vote, one young legislator received a persuasive letter from his mother. A letter that was written by phoebe burns to her son, harry t burns, a brandnew legislator in 1920. He was 24 years old and had just been elected to the legislature. The push to ratify the suffrage amendment was coming to a close. Suffrage leaders had eight states to choose from, and they thought tennessee was the best bet, and they had a lot of supporters and a lot of people who were extremely hostile. It is not dated but it has a postmark of august 17, 1920. The vote was august 20, just a short time later. The state senate had approved the ratification, it was like 25 to four. The governor was for ratification. In the house, it was a seesaw, about 49 to 49 votes. A couple of people changing positions could really tip the balance. Harry was 24, he was studying law, he was just getting his start in life. His mother was a widow. He had a mother, brother, and sister back in niota, tennessee. He was a newbie in the state legislature and had to deal with this complicated question. He was reading law with a man who was coming out as extremely antisuffrage and he was unwilling to take a stand. They thought he was maybe going to vote no. He got this six page letter from his mother right before the vote in 1920, and it was a letter handwritten on a tablet with six pages handwritten in pencil. In the course of the letter, it wasnt just about politics, it wasnt just to ask him to vote for suffrage, but in the course of the letter, she twice asked him to vote for suffrage. I like this passage where she says, hooray and vote for suffrage and dont leave them in doubt. I noticed chandlers speech. It was very bitter. Ive been watching to see how you stood but have not seen anything yet. Chandler was also in the legislature, so he was kind of in a pickle of a situation. When he came into the vote, there was a lot of parliamentary maneuvering the day the final vote took place. He voted in a way that looked like he was going to be a no vote until the final vote was taken, and it was going to be a close loss or tie. They really didnt know until he voted aye. When he voted yes, they got really hopeful, and there was one other vote at the end of the alphabet they had to get and when he voted yes, it was pandemonium in the legislature. I like this part in the letter here. Towards the end of the letter, she said dont forget to be a good boy and help misses thomas cat with her rats stop is she the one that put the rat in ratification. This was a cartoon going around at the time. Catherine cat was the leader of the people pushing for suffrage. The cartoon they were putting around the country, she had a broom chasing the rat that was separated from the rest of the word ratification. This was a sweet letter. It was rumored that it had been destroyed because it was so folksy that they thought people said they destroyed it because it wasnt really a formal letter written in ink. Harry burns son wanted this letter to be put here. A lot of people said it was never written. When the 75th anniversary of suffrage came around and people focused on tennessee, we were able to bring it out and show people yes, it did exist. We have it. He was right in the center of the storm. Cspans cities tour travels across the country exploring the american story with the support of local cable providers, we bring you the history and literary life of a different city on book tv and American History tv. To watch videos of any of the places we have been, go to cspan. Org citiestour and follow us on twitter at cspan cities. Q a, journalist and author elaine white on her book the womens hour about the ratification of the 19th amendment in 1920 which granted women the right to vote. It passes the house by a margin very small. It passes the senate by only to two vote margin. If there were senators sitting on it after the house passes it in 1918 and it takes until june of 1919 until it passes both houses, and the senate knew they were sending it out for ratification in the states in what is called an off year. Most state legislatures were not going to be in session. That was sort of purposeful, to make it more difficult. The suffragists had to convince 30 governors to call their legislators back into special session. Elaine weiss tonight at 8 00 p. M. Eastern on cspans q a. Book tv on cspan2 has top nonfiction books and authors every weekend. Tonight at 9 00 p. M. Eastern on , law Professor John you with his book defender and chief, looks at president ial powers and the u. S. Constitution. He is interviewed by mark rose well, author and dean. Watch book tv this weekend on cspan2. Donald trump, jr. And kimberly guilfoyle, both advisors to president trumps reelection campaign, posted an event to launch the sportsman for Triumph Group thursday in c opley, pennsylvania. Issues ofd about interest to gunowners and hunters, including the opening of more than 4 million acres of publicly managed lands for sports uses
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