New Time Women's Suffrage in Western States Interest Group SATURDAY 7 12

 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