The Ainsworth Public Library currently has two different displays on the centennial of the 19th Amendment that secured women’s voting rights in the United States. American democracy dramatically expanded in 1920, when the newly ratified 19th Amendment extended the right to vote to millions of women. Though a landmark voting rights victory, this document did not open the polls to all women. Millions remained unable to vote for reasons other than sex as racism played a part all the way to the 1960’s and illustrates the involvement of minority American women to secure their essential citizenship rights.
“Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote” from the National Archives is a 3,000 square foot “pop-up” exhibit which showcases more than 90 items including records, artifacts, and photographs. Highlights include original World War I –Red Cross Uniforms, a National Woman’s Party banner, and a collection of political campaign buttons.
The “Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence” from the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service includes ten engaging, full-color posters as well as a handbook. It explores the complexity of the women’s suffrage movement and the relevance of this history to American’s lives today.
Both of the displays are in the meeting room for you view. Coming soon will be several sets of books on this same subject from the American Library Association for different age groups.
