2020-01-07 02:20:46
From its early Quaker roots through the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920, Pennsylvania was at the forefront of the women’s suffrage movement as women and men statewide inspired and advanced some of its most significant chapters. The origins of the women’s suffrage movement (as well as the abolition of slavery and other social justice causes) can, in large part, be traced to the Quakers and their belief that all people are equal and worthy of respect. When Quaker William Penn was granted ownership of Pennsylvania from King Charles II in 1681, it was the only colony where religious freedom was promised to all who settled there. Philadelphia Quaker Lucretia Mott was a leading thinker and driving force behind the rise of women’s suffrage as a national movement in the mid-19th century. Together, she and Elizabeth Cady Stanton conceived and directed the first Women’s Rights Convention held in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848. Mott authored Discourse on Woman, became the first president of the American Equal Rights Association in 1866, and was instrumental in establishing Swarthmore College as a coeducational institution. Local and national suffragists united to make a bold move in 1876, seeking attention for their cause at the U.S. Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. After being denied a location at the exhibition, the women insisted on making their presence known during ceremonies before a crowd of 150,000 at Independence Square. Famed abolitionist and suffragette Susan B. Anthony gained access to the platform and read A Declaration of Rights for Women, which was also distributed to onlookers. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, countless Pennsylvanians worked tirelessly to spread the suffrage movement across the state, many putting their lives and liberty on the line. Philadelphia’s Carrie Burnham was arrested for attempting to vote, then unsuccessfully argued her case before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Erie resident Augusta Fleming organized the state’s first suffrage march in 1913. In Pittsburgh, Daisy Lampkin hosted meetings and gave street-corner speeches to promote the cause and organize participation by African American women. Alice Paul, a descendant of William Penn, was a driving force in bringing women’s suffrage to the national stage by pushing Congress for a constitutional amendment. Paul was imprisoned multiple times and is credited as one of the first Americans to access the power of grassroots activism, including her 1914 Congressional Union march organized on Rittenhouse Square. Many Pennsylvania suffragists — primarily those in the western and northern counties — saw a statewide referendum as the best path to women’s suffrage. After successfully lobbying the Pennsylvania legislature, they took their campaign for suffrage statewide with a memorable tactic. Chester County native Katherine Wentworth Ruschenberger commissioned a “Justice Bell,” which was cast as a full-size replica of the Liberty Bell with the promise that it would not ring until women had the vote. Although Pittsburgh’s Jennie Bradley Roessing drove the bell to campaign events in all 67 of the state’s counties, the referendum was defeated. After Congress approved the 19th Amendment granting women the vote, ratification required approval by a minimum of 36 states, two-thirds at that time. Pennsylvania acted quickly, ratifying on June 24, 1919. However, women’s suffrage didn’t become the law of the land until August 1920. The Justice Bell rang for the first time on September 25, 1920, on Independence Square in Philadelphia, and Pennsylvania women voted for the first time later that fall. A century later, Pennsylvania is proud to honor this important legacy. Celebratory centennial events will take place across Pennsylvania through the anniversary of the 19th Amendment’s full ratification this fall. Learn more at womenvote.dced.pa.gov. "LET OUR LIVES BE IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR CONVICTIONS OF RIGHT, EACH STRIVING TO CARRY OUT OUR PRINCIPLES." — LUCRETIA MOTT, SEPT. 30, 1849, PHILADELPHIA
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