Women's Equality Day - August 26
August 26 of each year is designated in the United States as Women's Equality Day. Instituted by Rep. Bella Abzug and first established in 1971, the date commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment, the Woman Suffrage Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which gave U.S. women full voting rights in 1920. Here are some links for more information connected with this commemoration:
A copy of the 2004 Presidential Proclamation declaring August 26 Women's Equality Day in the United States, from the office of the President of the U.S., George W. Bush.
Wome's Equality Day founder Bella Abzug was a US Congressman, lawyer, writer, and news commentator.
A state-by-state listing of the gradual expansion of women's franchise in the United States.
1920 marked the end of a long road, begun in 1848, to win the vote for women. Read this overview of the steps in that long struggle.
Written back in 1999 when the documentary was new, this article reviews the Ken Burns documentary on the relationship of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. For Women's Equality Day, why not rent a copy and watch it -- or buy a copy and donate it to your local school or library?
A copy of the original resolution by Congress designating August 26 as Women's Equality Day.
A few choice quotes from the woman who, as a U.S. Representative in Congress, helped push through the initial proclamation of Women's Equality Day.
The end of the battle to win the vote for women in the United States came when a young Tennessee legislator voted as his mother urged him to vote. Article also includes links to other material on this site about the long battle for woman suffrage, biographies of key suffrage activists, and photos of the suffrage struggle.
It may seem obvious today why women should have been given the vote, but it was controversial before 1920. Here's one of the most well-reasoned anti-suffrage documents to come out of that long struggle. Read it through for an interesting insight into why it took so long to win the vote.
An index to the biographies of some of the key women involved in the long struggle to win women's vote in America.
A Presidential Proclamation on the 150th anniversary of the first women's rights convention.
From Women's enews historian Louise Bernikow, a history of Women's Strike Day on August 26, 1970, and the role of Dorothy Kenyon. Women's Strike Day in 1970 -- in the U.S. and in Paris -- was a forerunner of Women's Equality Day.
