Participating effectively in civic life, staying informed and understanding government processes, and exercising the rights and obligations of citizenship.
An exhibition of the SmithsonianNational Portrait Gallery, Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence featured more than 120 portraits and objects spanning 1832 to 1965 that explore the American suffrage movement. Leading up to the centennial of the 19th Amendment, this exhibition seeks to tell a more complete story of the movement through portraits of women who represent different races, ages, and fields of endeavor.
August 18, 2020, marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted voting rights to women in America. The passage of the 19th Amendment was not brought about by a singular event, individual, or group.
Diverse communities and organizations blazed the trail for equal voting rights across the nation. For many women, especially women of color, the fight didn't end when the 19th Amendment went into effect on August 26, 1920.