Bad Friend Version of Interest Group Description for NPYM Annual Session
In-person only.
Are you peeved, annoyed, terrified...by the 2025 timeline. May I recommend HISTORY?
Come One. Come all. for a romp through many western states' path to full women's suffrage, statehood, full recognition of native rights...
Thank you, Professor Google and the AI that kept trying to poke in. No thank you ChatGPT
Content Warning.
There will be racism.
There will be sexism.
There will be peculiar homage to Rep. Lauren Boebert, R CO and to settler colonialism.
There will be slavery / enslavement. There will be pressure to move away from slavery.
There will be civil war. and testy relationships between the federal government and territories / states
There will be times of great progress, times of backlash or backsliding. There will be relentless campaigns.
There will be multiple state and federal constitutional amendments.
There will be polygamy and holy, expedient revelation..
Probably there are transgender people but for this period in history, don't try to find them via Google.
Toward the end there may be reflections on modern voting rights and voter suppression, voter registration, how much difference even a few votes can make.
Never Give up!
With that, THE OUTLINE
Women’s
Suffrage in Western States
Thank you,
partly, to Lauren Boebert for the original nudge to look into this topic.
My
family’s history as homesteaders
Jeanette
Rankin
"The
right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged
by the United States or by any state on account of sex."
After decades of arguments for and against women's suffrage, Congress finally
passed the 19th Amendment in June 1919. At least 36 states still needed to vote
in favor of it for it to be added to the Constitution and become law. This
process is called ratification. In August of 1920, 36 states ratified the 19th
Amendment, ensuring that the right to vote could not be denied based on sex.
Below is
an alphabetical list state by state of when a number of Western States became
states, when women attained full suffrage and a lot of bumps along the way.
Research
credit to Professor Google and two search strings
[name of
state] statehood
[name of
state] womens suffrage
This
approach yielded bundles of fascinating information, and this talk is barely
going to skim the stories.
Alaska
|
Year of Statehood
|
Key Women’s Suffrage dates
|
Narrative
|
|
|
1959
|
March 13, 1913
First session of AK legislature
For non-native women!
|
Until 1924, Federal law held that natives were not
citizens.
|
|
Arizona
|
Year of Statehood
|
Key Women’s Suffrage dates
|
Narrative
|
|
|
February 14, 1912
|
1891
Voted down in first drafting of the State Constition
1912
Vote secured by initiative
|
Part of Arizona and New Mexico claimed by the
Confederacy but the Confederacy never controlled
Original state constitution has a
provision about recalling judges that was removed to
speed approval of statehood
Arizona's Five C's are: Copper, Cattle, Cotton,
Citrus and Climate. In the early years of the state, the five C's served an
important role in the economy,
|
|
California
|
Year of Statehood
|
Key Women’s Suffrage dates
|
Narrative
|
|
|
September 9. 1850
|
Loss 1896
Women’s suffrage act 1911 State legilslaure
|
Compromise of 1850
Gold Rush
|
|
Colorado
|
Year of Statehood
|
Key Women’s Suffrage dates
|
Narrative
|
|
|
August 1, 1876
|
1876 failed effort
1893 by popular referendum which did not exclude
women of color
|
|
|
Hawaii
|
Year of Statehood
|
Key Women’s Suffrage dates
|
Narrative
|
|
|
Augst 1, 1959
|
19th Amendment in 1919
|
|
|
Idaho
|
Year of Statehood
|
Key Women’s Suffrage dates
|
Narrative
|
|
|
July 3, 1890
|
1896 by constitutional amendment
|
|
|
Montana
|
Year of Statehood
|
Key Women’s Suffrage dates
|
Narrative
|
|
|
November 8, 1889
|
November 3, 1914
By Constituional amendment with 53% of men voting in
favor.
|
|
|
Nevada
|
Year of Statehood
|
Key Women’s Suffrage dates
|
Narrative
|
|
|
October 31, 1864
|
State Constituional amendment 1914,
Ratified 19th Amendment in 1920.
|
With Virginia, second state admitted during the
civil war
|
|
New
Mexico
|
Year of Statehood
|
Key Women’s Suffrage dates
|
Narrative
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
New
Mexico
|
Year of Statehood
|
Key Women’s Suffrage dates
|
Narrative
|
|
|
January 6, 1912
|
Had right to vote when a terrirtry
Ratified 19th Amendment in 1919
|
(Genizero)
|
|
Oregon
|
Year of Statehood
|
Key Women’s Suffrage dates
|
Narrative
|
|
|
February 1859
|
Campaigns from 1870 to 1912
|
|
|
Utah
|
Year of Statehood
|
Key Women’s Suffrage dates
|
Narrative
|
|
|
US territory 1850 only white men could vote
|
Equal suffrage law 1870
1871-1887 disenfranchisement
18871896
|
Lost vote when federal anti polygamy act took away
rights of all women to vote.
After 1890 LDS church ended recognition of polygame
and UT as invited to join the Union.
|
|
Mormon
church and polygamy
Gaining, Losing, and Winning Back the
Vote: The Story of Utah Women’s Suffrage - Utah Women's History - Better Days
Washington
|
Year of Statehood
|
Key Women’s Suffrage dates
|
Narrative
|
|
|
November 11. 1889
|
1870-1912 campaigns
|
|
|
The History of Voting and Elections
in Washington State
Wyoming
|
Year of Statehood
|
Key Women’s Suffrage dates
|
Narrative
|
|
|
July 10, 1890
|
WY territory legislature granted women the right to
vote 1869
|
|
|
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