Part I – Chapter 5
We share a 100 year history
The League of Women Voters is a citizens’ organization that has fought since 1920 to improve our government and engage all citizens in the decisions that impact their lives. The League of Women Voters operates at national, state and local levels through more than 700 state and local Leagues, in all 50 states as well as in DC, the Virgin Islands and Hong Kong. The League of Women Voters was founded by Carrie Chapman Catt in 1920, just six months before the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, giving all American women the right to vote after a 72-year fight for women’s suffrage. From the beginning, the League has been an activist, grassroots organization whose leaders believed that citizens should play a critical role in advocacy.
On June 4, 1919, the U.S. Congress finally approved the Woman Suffrage Amendment as the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and sent it to the states for ratification. Minnesota became the 15th state to vote YES to ratify on September 8, 1919, during a special session of the State Legislature.
While some saw this moment as the end of a long 72-year fight, Minnesota Suffragist Clara Ueland noted that it was actually just the beginning, as she said, "Today is the commencement rather than the end of our work." Indeed, the 19th Amendment did not provide access to the ballot for all women. Most notably, Native Americans were not enfranchised until 1924, and most people of color couldn't exercise their right to vote until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The work to expand and defend voting rights continues today, inspired by the activists, advocates and suffragists who paved the way forward.
A CENTURY OF CIVIC ENGAGEMENT: LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS MINNESOTA
To celebrate the 19th Amendment’s centennial year, LWV Minnesota created a traveling exhibit to recognize the organization’s mission and history over the past century. Exhibit visitors will discover that:
“Growing from the deep roots of the suffrage movement in the 19th century, Minnesota’s non-partisan League of Women Voters uses a statewide network of local chapters to encourage informed and active participation in government, register and empower voters, work to increase understanding of public policy issues, cultivate women leaders, and influence public policy through education and advocacy."
Specifically, the goals of the 12-panel exhibit are:
To recognize and celebrate a century of activism by LWV Minnesota
To recall our history through a lens of diversity, equity and inclusion
To activate visitors to educate themselves and to vote
To remind visitors that democracy depends on their participation
To empower visitors to act in defense of democracy
More info on LWV United States history: https://www.lwv.org/about-us/history
More info on LWV Minnesota history: https://www.lwvmn.org/our-history