Ladies and gentlemen, the honorable nancy pelosi. The speaker of the house of representatives. Good afternoon. Good afternoon. Yes. Yes, indeed. This afternoon is very much a cause for celebration and cheering for what happened 100 years ago today. In the house of representatives. Well, thank the u. S. Army String Quartet for making it so pleasant for us. [ applause ] im honored to be here with Kevin Mccarthy and the bipartisan members of congress. Mostly our women members of congress. We salute our cochairs of the bipartisan house caucus for womens issues, congresswoman Brenda Lawrence and congresswoman debbie lesko. [ applause ] and let us welcome cokie roberts, a trail blazing force for women in journalism and her daughter rebecca, an outstanding journalist in her own right writing about women. [ applause ] as many of the women members know, the lindy boggs room in this room, the only room named for a woman in the capitol is named for cokies lovely mother and rebeccas grandmother, lindy boggs. Lets thank lindy boggs for her leadership. [ applause ] further acknowledgments, we thank the bipartisan womens Suffrage Centennial commission for their leadership to educate the American Public about the Suffrage Movement. Were honored to have kay colejames, the chair of the committee, senator barbara mikulski, the vice chair, and rebecca rich, the executive director with us today. Let us acknowledge them. And to each and every one of you, i could name you all for the contributions you make for expanding freedom and opportunity in our country, especially today as we acknowledge that for women. How wonderful it is to see so many yellow roses brighten this room, such beautiful symbols of the courage of the women and men who fought for and won the right to vote. Were all inspired by the purple ribbons that we see, a lovely tribute to the unsung women of color who led the march for suffrage for all women. Emancipation hall, as you may know, a few years ago we installed a bronze bust for sojourner truth, commemorating hirsh her contributions to the cause of equality and that of all women of color who fought for suffrage. Were pleased to see sojourner take her rightful place among the capitol. Along with Elizabeth Katie stanton, susan b. Anthony. Here we are 100 years since that eventful day when suffrage succeeded in having that resolution pass the house of representatives, and here we are 100 years after that day with over 100 women serving in the congress of the United States. [ cheers and applause ] thats pretty exciting. [ cheers and applause ] almost almost as rowdy as the suffragists themselves, but we welcome all of the members of congress, present and former, and especially the women members. That resolution, the house passage of the 19th amendment passed the house. Earlier today we passed a resolution observing that historic vote. In two weeks the senate will pass their resolution marking 100 years since the passage in the senate, and then states across the nation will join in celebrations for the ratification through next august, 100 years since the adoption of the 19th amendment. So for about a year and a half, well be hard at work celebrating the passage of the 19th amendment. It was when this amendment first passed, people in the press wrote, women given the right to vote. That couldnt be farther from the truth. Women werent given anything. Women earned, worked for, marched, fought, starved, were starved, sacrificed everything for expanding freedom in our country. Since the birth of our democracy, women have not waited for change but have worked for change. Now we stand on the shoulders of the suffragettes, as we fight to protect the sacred right to be heard at the ballot box for all americans. The promise of suffrage remains unfulfilled until every American Woman can exercise her right to vote, every american really. So thank you all for your leadership, to those who are helping us commemorate it, all of you as well, for a brighter, more equal america, and thank you for the joy that your presence brings to this celebration today. Just think back 100 years when that vote took place in this house of representatives. I do believe that any one of us who has served or is serving now are colleagues to those women whom well, the men who made the vote there for women to have the right to vote. Think of the cheers that went up in the gallery. And now let us welcome the distinguished leader of the republicans in the house of representatives, congressman Kevin Mccarthy of the great state of california. Thank you, all. [ applause ] good afternoon. It is an honor to be here to commemorate a defining moment in the history of representative democracy, and for those of you who are members of this chamber, next time you walk on that floor think of the significance of this day. That is the same floor where they debated and passed 100 years ago the 19th amendment. [ applause ] now, while we celebrate the centennial of the house officially voting on the 19th amendment, like most pieces of legislation, the journey to passage did not begin in the moment that it made it through the chambers of commerce. No, it began more than 40 years before that, and im proud to say madame speaker, it was a california, it was a republican senator, aaron sargent, who in 1878 first introduced the 29 words that became the 19th amendment. His ties to the Womens Suffrage Movement actually started a few years before that. You see, in 1872 then senator elect sargent met susan b. Anthony in a chance encounter on a train. Anthony had recently been arrested for illegally voting and was eager to pass a federal amendment to guarantee womens right to vote. She found a strong ally in sergeant. Anthony and sargent worked together on what became known as the anthony amendment. The text was nearly identical to the words of the 15th amendment, and it said that the right to vote would not be abridged by any state because of a persons sex. The anthony amendment did not receive a vote for nine years. Sargent had already left office, but it helped build the momentum behind this important movement. With a Firm Resolution and a commitment, the amendment was introduced for 40 straight years, but the beginning of the end finally came in our very own chambers, not in the senate. Republican representative james mann proposed a resolution that became the 19th amendment on may 21st, 1919, the day it passed. That is why we are here today. 100 years ago today the decades of advocacy by the suffrage supporters paid off. 100 years ago today the house passed the 19th amendment, but what lessons can we take away today from this historic moment . The suffrage succeeded because of its unwavering appeal to the principle of equality, the foundation of our common bond of americans. Its supporters did not fight for special privileges. They asked for their rights as americans no longer to be denied. The constitution in its preambles sets standards for our politics and our effort to form a more Perfect Union. Nothing demonstrates a more Perfect Union better than the passage of the 19th amendment. Thank you. [ applause ] ladies and gentlemen, ms. Kay colejames, chair of the womens Suffrage Centennial commission. [ applause ] calm it down. Good afternoon, and you know, it goes without saying, but ill say it. As we commemorate today with a woman as speaker of the house [ cheers and applause ] politics aside, youve got to be proud, and i am. Thank you so much. And leader mccarthy, thank you for being here today. You know, as chairman of the centennial commission, i have so enjoyed working with both of you as we have prepared for today and for the year ahead. This commission is made up of women from all walks of life, backgrounds, and ideologies, and weve come together to work in a manner of bipartisanship and unity that unfortunately is all too rare in washington these days, and none of this would have been possible without the expert leadership and partnership of our vice chairman and former senator mikulski. Senator. [ applause ] we started this endeavor as respected colleagues, and now i am so proud to call her my friend. Thank you. The womens Suffrage Centennial commission was formed by congress to coordinate the nationwide celebration in 2020 of the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment to the constitution. Today specifically, we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first major step in adopting the 19th amendment, the passage of the resolution in the u. S. House of representatives. Sometimes we take the precious right to vote for granted, and this centennial celebration ensures that we dont forget the sacrifices, the struggles, and the hardfought victory to secure womens right to vote, and youre absolutely right. Whoever said it earlier, we were not given the right to vote. We took it. Everything that happened in the past frames who we are today, every single woman in congress is here because of the women who decades ago planted the seeds for justice. It is critically important to honor and remember those women like alice call and susan b. Anthony and ida wells barnett and Elizabeth Stanton and also those represented by our purple ribbons here today, those whose names we may not know but hopefully by the end of the year we all will. What happened 100 years ago also set the stage for the Record Number of women serving in and running for Office Making boardroom decisions and raising the next generation of americas leaders. Thank you, all. [ applause ] now, the women who fought for the right to vote did so because they believed the best way to change the laws that treated women as secondclass citizens was to have power over those who made the laws. After the seneca falls womens rights convention, the first organized gathering of suffragists, Frederick Douglass wrote, all that distinguishes man as an intelligent and accountable being is equally true of women, and if that government is only just which governs by the free consent of the governed, there can be no reason in the world for denying to women the exercise of the elective franchise or a hand in making and administering the laws of the land. Leaders of the early Womens Movement would certainly be pleased to know that today womens voting outpaces that of men. [ applause ] they would also be extremely proud of the amazing, powerful, women in this room, a true testament that what we are exercising is our franchise. Thank you. [ applause ] ladies and gentlemen, the honorable barbara mikulski, retired United States senator from maryland and vice chair of the womens sufferagist commission. Hi, everybody. Hi, everybody. Im going to speak from my chair. I hope cspan can get me. So im just delighted to be back in the house of representatives where i served for more than ten wonderful, joyful years, and i want to thank the speaker for organizing this fantastic event and the cooperation certainly of congressman mccarthy and his caucus, and to be here with the Commission Members on the commemoration of the suffrage. Some things dont change. The podium still doesnt fit me. [ laughter ] 40 years later, and the damn podium still doesnt fit me. To the new diverse class, i say power to the podiums that fit everybody. [ laughter ] but in all seriousness, how wonderful to be back in the house where they passed the resolution on the 19th amendment. What a powerful statement the house made, and we were called today that when the guys were up in philadelphia busy writing the constitution, abigail adams, who was running the farm, raising the kids, paying the bills, whats new, girlfriends, that she said dont forget the ladies, but they did. They forgot a lot of things in that first draft of the constitution, and hard fought, sometimes bitterly earned, the constitution was expanded. And finally, in 1919, the 19th amendment was passed to give women the right to vote, 50 of the population was finally empowered. What a wonderful occasion it was and the constitution, the founders had it right. It always starts in the peoples house as it makes its way to the senate and passes on to the people to the states for ratification. And along the way, to bring us to the moment of the passage of the 19th amendment resolution through ratification, it was people who fought hard, people of color who fought hard, often marginalized and stigmatized but nevertheless refusing to give up or to give in. So today when we commemorate this resolution, as it moves over to the senate and it moves out to the nation for commemoration, we have to remember what it was about. It was not about gender. It was about an agenda. It was about gender, yes, the empowerment of women, but it was so that we would have an agenda to expand democracy, and thats what were here today to talk about, to remember what happened, remember our history, to reflect on our history, but to recommit to the empowerment of women. I salute the new class, what a wonderful new class. [ cheers and applause ] we salute your large numbers. We salute your diversity, but remember, with diversity comes in Elections Come duty. It is our duty to make democracy work, and to make democracy work, we have to work at democracy. Certainly today this commemoration reaffirms that commitment and working hand in hand with this excellent chair of our commission, we hope to plan a commemoration for the year so that you will be so proud of what we recommend, and at the end of our commemoration, america will remember that the constitution includes everybody and that everybody has an opportunity in our society to be able to feel empowered and to make it. So i say god bless america, god bless our constitution, and may the force be with us. [ applause ] ladies and gentlemen, the honorable Brenda Lawrence, representative from michigan and cochair of the house caucus on womens issues. [ applause ] madam speaker, what a sweet sound that is. Members of the womens Suffrage Centennial commission, honored guests, i thank you so much for gathering here today. The 19th amendment played a significant role in the advancement of womens rights, and its truly a privilege to be here today as we honor the 100th anniversary of the passage of the amendment to the u. S. House to the u. S. Constitution granting women the right to vote. The amendment was guided by shared ideas of freedom, democracy, civil liberties, and individual rights for all. While the 19th amendment opened the doors for many women to vote, it did not resolve the issue of suffrage for many women of color, native american, and immigrant women. We continued to battle for Voting Rights for decades. The native american women four years later, the africanamerican women almost 70 years after this amendment was passed. The opportunity for a greater political voice drew africanamerican women to the Suffrage Movement. I wear a red ribbon. I am a proud member of delta sigma theta. [ applause ] and we marched as black women and the story is told often that we didnt ask permission, but we knew it was the right thing to do. And we were in the back of the parade, but we were there, because Voting Rights is an issue for every woman in america. These women along with many others share a valuable lesson that progress is no accident. It takes the power of persistence and dedication to our goals to turn our visions of equality into reality and its a lesson that we are applying every day in the halls of congress. It is with great appreciation that i honor the sacrifices of the women who never gave up the fight to ensure liberty, justice and equality for all. Today this body as i said represents 106 women members of congress and a significant number who are women of color today. [ applause ] and today an estimated 67 million women participate in our elections. Pay attention. Which would not be possible without the brave and brilliant suffrages who never gave up the fight for equal rights. Im so proud and excited that my resolution, hr354, commemorating this historic anniversary of the 19th amendment passed in the house today by unanimous consent from both sides of the aisle. [ applause ] and im going to close with this comment that i use all the time, i love this country. I love america for all of the journeys and i love a country that one time did not love me back, that didnt love me as a woman and it didnt love me as an africanamerican, but our democracy, the persistent and the dedication to equality that was shown by these amazing women in the Suffrage Movement is one of the reasons why i show up here and walk the halls of congress which was built by slaves. As a little black girl from the east side of detroit, raised by a southern woman who was the grandchild of an emancipated slave, to stand here in congress and say i fight because i believe in one nation under god indivisible with liberty and justice for all, and that includes women. Thank you. [ applause ] ladies and gentlemen, the honorable debbie lesko, representative from arizona and cochair of the house caucus on womens issues. Thank you. Wasnt that something . What a great job, brenda. You do a fantastic job. Very inspirational. Well, hello, ladies, how are you doing today . And men. What a historic day this is and what a Historic Place that we are doing this in. Well, good afternoon. I am congresswoman debbie lesko and i proudly represent arizonas 8th congressional district. This congress i had the distinct honor of serving as the republican chair of the congressional caucus for women issues alongside my colleague, Brenda Lawrence. We are truly a bipartisan caucus, working together to improve the lives of women and families across the country. I am especially honored to join you all here today in statuary hall, the hall of the house, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of house passage of the 19th amendment giving all women the right to vote. This is a special place. In this very room sat eight president s, including John Quincy Adams and abraham lincoln. Over 100 years ago Jeannette Rankin of montana walked through these hallways as the first woman ever elected to congress, even before the ratification of the 19th amendment. At her swearing in she remarked, i may be the first woman member of congress, but i wont be the last. [ applause ] we are proof that she was right. Since then a total of 365 women have served in the United States congress. This year as we celebrate the centennial of womens suffrage, we also celebrate the most women to ever serve in congress. We make History Today because these women forged the path for us right here in these hallowed halls. The 131 of us women serving today stand on the shoulders of all who came before us. This centennial is one of the most important in our nations history. We honor the courage, determination and persistence of those who successfully fought for womens Voting Rights. As we commemorate this incredible accomplishment of women in American History, i believe the most lasting tribute we can pay is to continue our efforts to improve this nation for the next generation of women and men that will come after us. So today let us celebrate the many women and men who never gave up. Who fought hard to ensure the right to vote for every woman in america. We honor the suffrage sisters and the suffragists who fought for generations of women they would never meet but still changed the trajectory of their lives. We would not be here today if it werent for them. Over the north door of this room toward the rotunda is a depiction of cleo, the muse of history. Riding a clockwheeled chariot and writing in the book of time, may she fill her pages even more incredible women for generations to come. Thank you, and god bless you. [ applause ] ladies and gentlemen, ms. Cokie roberts and ms. Rebecca boggs roberts. I forgot to tell her to wear white. But what a true honor it is for us to be here in this hallowed hall, as you just heard from congresswoman lesko some of its history. In front of the room named for my mother and rebeccas grandmother and with the speaker of the house and all of you fabulous, powerful women and leader mccarthy. It really is an occasion worth celebrating and celebrating well into next year until august. Let me read you the New York Times headline from may 22nd, 1919. Suffrage wins easily in house. Vote 30489. 19 republicans and 70 democrats largely from the south comprise opposition. The surprise vote was Nicholas Longworth who had voted the year before the amendment had come to the house and passed by one vote and it had been terrifying for the supporters, and he had voted against it then, but he said things had changed in his state since then. He didnt mention his wife, alice, who probably wouldnt let him come home. But after that heartbreaking vote in the house or heartstopping vote in the house, there was a heartbreaking one in the senate, where it lost by one vote. The women fighting for their rights persisted and champ clark, the House Speaker in 1918, the democratic leader in 1919, the 2 of you can relate by this switching around. He said, when i first came to congress the voice of the suffrages is that of like john the baptist crying in the wilderness, it was more a joke than anything else. What he didnt say is what happened to change that. His own wife had carted him down to a workhouse to see what horrible conditions prevailed there when the sufferagists were imprisoned for the crime of the crime of blocking the sidewalk because they had the e temerity to picket the white house. So they were locked up, some for days, some for weeks, some for months, locked up and they were essentially tortured and then force fed when they went on hunger strikes to protest. It had the effect of making the men in congress at least somewhat uncomfortable. That plus active organization at the grassroots, mass meetings, relentless lobbying, shrewd Public Relations that all combined to bring the voices of the suffrages out of the wilderness and into full citizenship. None of thats in the newspaper stories. The cheering of the women in the galleries is and the statements of satisfaction by the women running the rifle suffrage organizations. This time after may 21st, 1919 passage in the senate seemed secure, after the loss of the year before. The Philadelphia Inquirer quoted the argument of mr. Little of kansas that women working in the war effort and, of course, that made a big difference. He said they were forced to earn their own livelihoods due to complex demands of a complex civilization. And he said women already had the vote in his state of kansas and no homes had been disrupted as a result of political disagreements. Thats probably not true today. The amendment was passed, of course, with the votes of men only. The year before Jeannette Rankin had been on the floor to vote and someone had put flowers at her place. She opened the debate for the amendment, but she lost in her bid for the senate in the next election. So as i look around today and see these powerful women and i think how things would have been different if they had been here. Speaker pelosi would have rounded up the votes, no problem. Senator mikulski probably would have even found a way to slip some federal money into the suffrage organizations, and congresswoman lawrence and lesko continue in the tradition of the women who wanted the vote. They didnt just want the vote for themselves, they wanted the vote as senator mikulski said for an agenda. They wanted the vote because they wanted to stop child labor, they wanted to Institute Maternity clinics, they wanted to do a whole host of social welfare things that they had been working on, women had been working on, since the beginning of the republic, but they needed the vote to have the clout to be able to do those things and thats what the congressional caucus on womens issues continues to do in a bipartisan way. We just need more of you, so, please, keep convincing women to run and win. So its important to be celebrating these stories today because its important to know them and for the next generation to know them. My own next generation has taken on the task of telling them in a book that shes written about suffragists in washington so i proudly present Rebecca Boggs roberts. [ applause ] so as both mom and Speaker Pelosi mentioned were standing here by the lindy boggs room, the only room in the capitol named after a woman. My grandmother, lindy boggs, was born in 1916 before women won the right to vote, yet became a member of congress, an ambassador, a Formidable Force in american politics. This history is really recent and its important to know people keep saying learn womens history for role models for girls. Okay. Thats fine. But the main reason to know it is because if you dont learn about womens history, youre getting history wrong. [ applause ] and the reason to know about this movement in womens history is that they won. They were incredibly successful activists. They changed the world and they did it entirely by women and for women. So if you all want to change the world, and i really hope you all do, then there are worse role models than the suffragists. They were incredibly successful. So learn the history, vote, and then go out and change the world. Thank you. Thank you. [ applause ] ladies and gentlemen, the honorable nancy pelosi, the speaker of the house of representatives. I want to thank our participants for their valuable contribution to the enthusiasm and the wisdom of today. I was motivated to tell you a story when i heard some of the stories told here, one was that when Jeannette Rankin who was the first woman to serve in congress, as has been acknowledged, when she was here, it was a very hostile leader, it was a very hostile steny a very hostile Judiciary Committee to womens suffrage. So she suggested that they start a committee for Womens Committee on a womans suffrage and that was a committee that she spoke for and the rest and they went around the Judiciary Committee and they took it to the rules committee which the rules committee passed. The leadership made her the ranking republican on the committee on womens suffrage which then later passed the rose loose. But even in those days, they had to go around a committee in order to get to the floor. The other story i want to tell you is a personal one. When i was first elected leader and went to my first meeting at the white house, some of you have heard this story again and again, when i went to my first meeting at the white house i wasnt intimidated by going to the meeting because i had been to the white house many times as an appropriator, senator mikulski will identify with that, steny and all, or as a member of the intelligence committee. But when i went into the meeting that i was going into and the door closed behind me i realized that this was a meeting that i had like none i had ever been to before. In fact, it was like a meeting that no woman had been to before because it was just the congressional leadership with the president of the United States. Women had had a seat at the table in the white house as cabinet officers, appointed by the president , thats wonderful, but their power at the table derived from his, my power derived from the Democratic Caucus in the house of representatives. [ applause ] as was as was the republic republicans leadership derived from his leadership. So, anyway, the president of the United States is president george w. Bush, ever gracious, welcoming, lovely, gracious, and hes making some nice remarks welcoming me, the first woman to be at such a meeting. And all of a sudden i really wasnt i couldnt hear what he was saying because i was really squeezed in in my chair, i was squeezed in in my chair. I couldnt realize what it was. And then i realized that susan b. Anthony, Elizabeth Katie, ellis paul, sojourner truth, all of them, they were all in the chair with me. They were all right there. They were all right there and i could hear them say, at last we have a seat at the table. And they were gone. My first thought was we want more. We want more. Again, this is a wonderful day for all of us and made more special because our democratic leader, steny hoyer, has brought a special guest. She is the first woman and the first africanAmerican Woman to be the speaker of the house of the state of maryland. Speaker adrianna jones. Please let us welcome her. [ applause ] adrian jones, remember that name. History. History. I would like as we conclude for all the women past and present who have served in the house or are serving in the house to stand. That includes you, senator mikulski, served in the house. Okay. All of you stand so that we can salute the women. [ applause ] and so with those who are gathered up here, we would like to propose a toast to women to women in congress, academic world and corporate world, the military, in society, athome moms. To women. Ready . More power to you. Heres to women. Thank you, all. Thank you, all, very much. Please enjoy the refreshments. Some of our members are back there enjoying refreshments early, though. Theyre leaders. Thank you, all. Thank you. Weeknights this month were featuring American History tv programs as a preview of whats available every weekend on cspan 3. Tonight, we examine foreign affairs. First up, university of maryland professor richard bell talks about the declaration of independence, its origins, purpose, and Global Impact during and since the american revolution. Watch tonight beginning at 8 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan3. Enjoy American History tv this week and every weekend on cspan3. Next, journalist march ja s johnson on burton wheeler. A senator in the 1920s Teapot Dome Oil scandal and initially supporting the new deal policies then opposing president roosevelts attempt to add more justices to the supreme court. From the Montana Historical society in helena, this is about an hour and a half. It is my pleasure to introduce our speaker, marc c. Johnson, the author