Women’s Voting History

It was a long time coming, the right for women to vote. The 100th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act went into affect in August of 2020. While the 19th amendment to the Constitution was passed in 1919, it was enacted in 1920.

Travel to see suffrage sites.

There are several places you can travel to see women’s voting history. One of my favorite towns, Charles City, Iowa is home to the Carrie Chapman Catt home and museum. She was one of the suffragists that helped women win the right to vote. Although I’ve yet to make it to this stop, it is on my list.

History of the women’s voting rights act.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton kicked off the first gathering devoted to Women’s Right to vote in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York. It is amazing to think before this, half of the US population had no say in what happened on the voting front.

Belle Babb Mansfield in Mt. Pleasant, IA

Recently while visiting Mount Pleasant, Iowa, my husband Keith and I came across the statue of Belle Babb Mansfield. She was the first U.S. woman attorney in 1869. She was elected President of the Iowa Woman Suffrage Convention in 1870. The statue is located on the Iowa Wesleyan University campus. It was placed here in 2008. The location makes sense because she graduated here in 1866 before attending law school. This statue is part of the National Votes for Women Trail.

Mount Pleasant’s Iowa Wesleyan campus is also the site of the Harlan Lincoln Home. This is the home that Robert Todd Lincoln and his wife was owned. It is open to tour.

Trail to see women’s voting history

This trail is the project of the National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites. The trail is collecting sites from all over the US telling the story of women of all ethnicities. The trail site extends beyond the date of the 19th amendment. There are over 1,100 site so there are several places to see and much to learn!

It is hard to imagine it was only 100 years ago that women gained the right to vote. I appreciate the opportunity to find sites honoring these brave women that gave us so much!