Niney-eight years ago women finally won the right to vote, a triumph of the suffragette movement that went on for sixty years!

2018 Women’s Equality Day graphic from the National Women’s History Project

It still boggles my mind that it took sixty years of courageous activism from several generations of women before they were finally granted the right to vote. The arc of justice certainly does move slowly.

Yeah, they were justifiably angry. (Suffragette With A Sign
@ Therealdarla)

It all started with the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, called by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. (Date corrected 8/27/18.)

The movement struggled for decades, but the tide turned during and after World War I. The Nineteenth Amendment was passed by Congress on May 21, 1919, before being sent to the states. On August 18, 1920, Tennessee voted and the amendment was ratified. Women voted for the first time that November.

In 1971, feminist and Congresswoman Bella Abzug introduced a resolution designating August 26th as Women’s Equality Day, and the resolution passed.

I feel it’s important that women remember the long struggle to win the right to vote. There are still forces in society that would like to stifle our voices. Voting is one way we can make our wishes known to our elected representatives. We learned in the last election, that matters can be decided by a relatively few votes, bringing home the lesson that every vote really does count.

Are you registered for November? I am and I intend to vote.

Linda

PS Since it’s also National Dog Day, here’s a picture of my puppy, Callie. I celebrated by making a donation to the Humane Society on Facebook.

Callie, my rescue pup