Most Americans consider the ability to vote fundamental to the enjoyment of full citizenship. American women, however, were long denied that right. In 1920, American democracy expanded dramatically when the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, prohibiting states from denying the vote on the basis of gender. 

This landmark victory in voting rights was made possible only after decades of suffragists’ persistent political engagement, and yet it is just one critical milestone in women’s battle for the vote. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, the exhibit Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote highlights the relentless struggle of diverse activists throughout U.S. history to secure voting rights for all American women.

This exhibit came to us from the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibit Service (SITES).