The Right to Vote for Women

We are quite excited about the approaching Women’s History Month and this year’s 100^th anniversary of the right to vote for women.  In fact, our circulation staff has been busy creating a beautiful display, with images and information about women who fought so hard for that right.  We were inspired by the work of Nancy B. Kennedy in WOMEN WIN THE VOTE!  

As the subtitle, “19 for the 19th Amendment,” suggests, this book offers brief biographical sketches and background on 19 people like Julia Ward Howe, Matilda Joslyn Gage, and Susan B. Anthony.  Clearly, some of the names are very familiar and others less so; each section is accompanied by a photograph, a key quote, and engaging artwork by Katy Dockrill. Kennedy has also chosen an extra 10 names to not forget, plus she offers a Woman Suffrage Timeline, list of places to visit, notes, sources, and index.  This is extremely useful and informative text geared primarily to middle school students, but we are grateful for the opportunity to share it with our students, both as a book and as inspiration for our display.

 A CENTURY OF VOTES FOR WOMEN by Christina Wolbrecht and J. Kevin Corder deals with looking at some attention-grabbing questions: “How have American women voted in the first 100 years since the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment? How have popular understandings of women as voters both persisted and changed over time?”  It is interesting to think about the changes since women were first given the right to vote – changes in working outside the home, in education levels, in number of children, in racial composition, and even in voting itself: since 1964, more women than men have voted in presidential elections.  Wolbrecht and Corder fill this book with those kind of statistics and numerous charts and graphs, plus an extensive set of notes and helpful index (together roughly making up almost a quarter of this text).  The discussion by these two professors of political science (University of Notre Dame and Western Michigan University, respectively) is divided chronologically, with brief overviews followed by more in-depth analysis of individual elections. For example, one section (post 1980) looks at the introduction and then repeated use of the “gender gap” concept – how women’s votes differed from men’s. This chapter, looking at five national elections through the “soccer mom” of 1996-era fame, “trace[s] changes in women’s lives, the debate over women’s rights, and the persistence of partisan differences over these issues.” That alone is fascinating reading and a topic on which our students could gather first hand impressions by talking with their parents and grandparents.

For even more ideas on women’s history and the right to vote, please see these resources recommended by School Library Journal:

Library of Congress, Women’s Suffrage, offers a teaching guide, history, and resources.

2020 Women’s Vote Centennial Initiative, shares programs, projects, and activities for the anniversary and has curated information from various organizations and institutions.
Crusade for the Vote, National Women’s History Museum (NWHM)<, includes history, educational resources, and primary sources. The NWHM also offers two electronic field trips on the subject.
Turning Point Suffragist Memorial,is a nonprofit organization dedicated to getting a memorial for suffragists. The site spotlights African American and Jewish suffragists.

“African American Women and the Nineteenth Amendment” by Sharon Harley, National Park Service. 

“How Black Suffragists Fought for the Right to Vote and a Modicum of ­Respect”by Martha S. Jones, ­National Endowment for the Humanities.

 

If you have other suggestions to add, let us know!