Underpinnings and equal terms

How the Suffrage Movement Changed American Women and American Women Changed the Nation

"And here let me say that we do not merely ask a change of legislation in our favor, knowing well that were all laws that oppress women struck from the statute books today, that a tyrant tenfold stronger exists in the Customs that find men and women too willing victims in their fetters of adamant, and like an iron shroud cramps and crushes every effort, every struggle of those who would be truly free."
                      
                    — Celestia R. Colby, from Some Things We Want

On August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was certified, clearing the final hurdle to guaranteeing through federal law that women now had the right to vote. This culmination marked a victory in the long and difficult journey of generations of suffragists who had organized and fought for decades for this right.

History, however, is more complex. With the 19th Amendment many—though not all—women gained the right to vote. Struggles for voting rights persisted long after the amendment passed, and the right to vote did not always lead to other rights for women.

It’s important to view the suffrage movement on a continuum of activism that began well before 1920 and continues to examine women’s and voter’s rights initiatives today.

From National to Local:

The women’s suffrage movement was built over the course of decades and included different ideologies, approaches, and tactics. As it gained momentum over the years, the movement relied on central organizing, protests, and media, but also on the actions of women all over the country who worked to further the cause. The movement depended on the changing visibility and manner in which women appeared in a larger social context, with a focus on their careers, teaching, and social reform activities. Women increasingly demanded to be recognized as autonomous individuals whose rights and responsibilities in society necessarily meant that they should vote.

This exhibit examines two significant aspects of the suffrage movement—the active organization and support of the cause and the ways that women were exemplifying the ideals championed by the movement through their own work and scholarship. And since the fight for fair elections goes on, selections also highlight the important work that continued through groups such as the League of Women Voters.

The works appearing in this part of the exhibit highlight a legacy of local voices, focusing on a selection of materials held in the collections at Illinois State University.