| The 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States: The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
On November 5, 1918, Michigan's (all male) voters approved a state constitutional amendment granting suffrage to Michigan women. On April 4, 1919, The League of Women Voters of Michigan was established. When the 19th amendment was submitted to the states for ratification on June 4, 1919, the Michigan legislature took only 4 days to ratify the amendment on June 10, 1919. After 36 states ratified the amendment, it was officially adopted on August 26, 1920.
All levels of the League are celebrating the dual milestones of the passage of the 19th amendment and the anniversary of the LWVUS (Feb. 14, 2020). Below are some celebration resources.
LWVUS' Centennial Anniversary Toolkit
LWVUS' "February 14, 2020 Day of Action" Toolkit
Sample Resolution that your City or Township may want to use when publicly congratulating your
League on the dual anniversaries.
LWVUS' "She is Me" Toolkit
LWVUS's Flickr Site - includes historical photos available for use (no copyright restrictions)
Smithsonian's "Open Access" link to millions of current and historical photos
Michigan Women's Historical Center and Hall of Fame
Timeline of Women's Suffrage in the US
Timeline of Women's Suffrage in Michigan
Timeline from Teen Vogue: When Did Women Get the Vote? (Great for a younger audience)
Timeline of National Woman's Party and ERA: 1912 to 1997
Suffrage products (including Suffragist cutout featured at LWVMI 5-19 convention) and Suffragist pins sold by LWV Missouri
Power Point of Michigan Women's Suffrage prepared by Judy Karandjeff
LWVMI Logo used at 2019 Convention ("Building on the First 100 Years")
Women's Vote Centennial Commission (Michigan)
Celebrations in Michigan Local Leagues: (Check back often for more additions)
Ann Arbor: The Ann Arbor League's museum exhibit, "Liberty Awakes in Washtenaw County: When Women Won the Vote" is a ommemorative historical exhibit that recognizes the individuals and groups in Washtenaw County who raised their voices and aired their conflicting views about expanding voting rights to women during the crucial decade of 1910 - 1920. The exhibit will be displayed in libraries and museums across the county.
Berrien & Cass Counties: "Conversations with a Suffragist" starring Megan Burnett was held on 9-18-19 at the Vickers Theatre. Attendees were encouraged to wear white in honor of the suffragists. Watch the performance by clicking here.
Copper Country: Held a reception on March 5 at the Carnegie Museum to celebrate the opening of "Petticoat Patriots: How Michigan Women Won the Vote", a travelling exhibit from Michigan Women Forward. Funding and logistics for this 3-week display were provided by the CC LWV. CC President Barry Fink was also interviewed on the radio about this display. Link can be found here.
Flint: A Flint LWV member is representing the League on the Genessee County Women's Vote Centennial Committee. The kickoff event was a Suffrage March on August 31, 2019, featuring participation from many area women's groups. See news article here. Flint LWV also held a Centennial dinner on February 14, 2020. The League joined forces with other local groups to get the historical busts of influential Flint/Gennessee County women out to the public, and they were unveiled at the dinner.
NW Wayne County: A 'travelling' collection of suffragist memorbilia is being displayed in llibraries in their service area. Each library allows a 30-day display; ten libraries have been booked. NW Wayne is also seeking a resolution from each of the 13 citiies and townships in their service area (see Sample Resolution above). |
