[Detail] Suffrage parade, Washington, D.C.

Suffrage

Women have been at the forefront of many social justice movements in America. One successful movement was the campaign to gain suffrage, or the right to vote, for women in the U.S. The first convention ever called to discuss the civil and political rights of women was held on July 19 and 20, 1848, in Seneca Falls, New York.

On August 26, 1920, after a 70 year struggle, the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted suffrage to American women. During this period of time there were several organizations formed to work for suffrage. One prominent group that fought for the vote was the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.

Votes for Women, 1848-1921 consists of pamphlets, books, and other documents from the NAWSA collection at the Library of Congress. Search on suffrage and politics, or search on the names of specific leaders, such as Alice Stone Blackwell, Carrie Chapman Catt, and Lucretia Coffin Mott, to find writings and speeches in support of women's voting rights.

"Votes for Women" Suffrage Pictures, 1850-1920 contains photographs of prominent leaders and organizers of the suffrage movement. These pictures also record suffrage parades and picket lines.

Search on suffragists to find more photographs of public demonstrations in support of votes for women. The Special Presentation Time Line: One Hundred Years toward Suffrage, provides an overview of the suffrage movement and the people who played important roles within it.