Dianne Bystrom
This presentation will trace the history of the 72-year campaign for women’s right to vote in the United States, focusing on the final winning effort from 1915 to 1920 that led to the ratification of the 19th Amendment.
Description
The 72-year campaign for women’s suffrage in the U.S. culminated in 1920 with the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which declared that voting rights could not be denied or abridged based on sex. The Nebraska Legislature ratified the 19th Amendment on August 2, 1919, but only after 63 years of rallies, petition drives and persistent defeats in campaigns that – had they been successful – would have made Nebraska the first territory and then the first state to grant its women voting rights. Instead, that place in U.S. history went to Wyoming as both a territory and state. This presentation tells the story of the women’s suffrage movement in Nebraska, which began in 1856, within the framework of the 1848-1920 national movement.
Dianne Bystrom
Title: Director Emerita, Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics
Email: [email protected]
City: Plattsmouth
