Original 19th Amendment to be Displayed at Clinton Library & Museum
By: News Release
Updated: October 16, 2012
The William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum will exhibit one of our nation's treasures, the original 19th Amendment to the Constitution, Friday, Oct. 19 - Wednesday, Oct. 24.
The historical document is on loan from the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, DC.
Passed by Congress, June 4, 1919, and ratified on Aug. 18, 1920, the 19th amendment granted women the right to vote.
North Little Rock resident Bernadette Cahill, author of "The Truth about the Nineteenth Amendment: its meaning and its impact" will be a guest lecturer at the Clinton School of Public Service during the week of the exhibit on Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 6:00 p.m.
A special complimentary viewing opportunity will be extended Tuesday, Oct. 23 from 4:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. Oct. 19 - 24, regular admission fees apply - $7.00 for adults, $5.00 for senior citizens 62+ and retired military with ID, as well as groups of 20 or more with advance reservations. Children 6 and older are $3.00, while children under 6 and active military are free.
HISTORY
Beginning in the 1800s, women organized, petitioned, and picketed to win the right to vote, but it took then decades to accomplish their purpose. Between 1878, when the amendment was first introduced in Congress, and August 18, 1920, when it was ratified, champions of voting rights for women worked tirelessly, but strategies for achieving their goal varied. Some pursued a strategy of passing suffrage acts in each state - nine western states adopted woman suffrage legislation by 1912. Others challenged male-only voting laws in the courts. Militant suffragists used tactics such as parades, silent vigils, and hunger strikes. Often supporters met fierce resistance. Opponents heckled, jailed, and sometimes physically abused them.
By 1916, almost all of the major suffrage organizations were united behind the goal of a constitutional amendment.
On May 21, 1919, the House of Representatives passed the amendment, and 2 weeks later, the Senate followed. When Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment on August 18, 1920, the amendment passed its final hurdle of obtaining the agreement of three-fourths of the states. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the ratification on August 26, 1920, changing the face of the American electorate forever.
The historical document is on loan from the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, DC.
Passed by Congress, June 4, 1919, and ratified on Aug. 18, 1920, the 19th amendment granted women the right to vote.
North Little Rock resident Bernadette Cahill, author of "The Truth about the Nineteenth Amendment: its meaning and its impact" will be a guest lecturer at the Clinton School of Public Service during the week of the exhibit on Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 6:00 p.m.
A special complimentary viewing opportunity will be extended Tuesday, Oct. 23 from 4:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. Oct. 19 - 24, regular admission fees apply - $7.00 for adults, $5.00 for senior citizens 62+ and retired military with ID, as well as groups of 20 or more with advance reservations. Children 6 and older are $3.00, while children under 6 and active military are free.
HISTORY
Beginning in the 1800s, women organized, petitioned, and picketed to win the right to vote, but it took then decades to accomplish their purpose. Between 1878, when the amendment was first introduced in Congress, and August 18, 1920, when it was ratified, champions of voting rights for women worked tirelessly, but strategies for achieving their goal varied. Some pursued a strategy of passing suffrage acts in each state - nine western states adopted woman suffrage legislation by 1912. Others challenged male-only voting laws in the courts. Militant suffragists used tactics such as parades, silent vigils, and hunger strikes. Often supporters met fierce resistance. Opponents heckled, jailed, and sometimes physically abused them.
By 1916, almost all of the major suffrage organizations were united behind the goal of a constitutional amendment.
On May 21, 1919, the House of Representatives passed the amendment, and 2 weeks later, the Senate followed. When Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment on August 18, 1920, the amendment passed its final hurdle of obtaining the agreement of three-fourths of the states. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the ratification on August 26, 1920, changing the face of the American electorate forever.
