Western Reserve Historical Society (WRHS) marks the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage and the 100th anniversary of the League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland with a new exhibit.
Women and Politics | Empowered to Vote, Empowered to Lead traces the story of women’s roles in the political sphere. The exhibit explores Ohio’s contributions to the suffrage movement, the successful fight for the 19th Amendment, the birth and growth of the League of Women Voters as a force for good government and the election of northern Ohio women to positions of power on the local, state and national levels. The new virtual exhibit costs $12 to download and is available to purchase online at wrhs.org/explore/exhibits/women-in-politics. The virtual exhibit is presented by PNC in collaboration with the League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland (LWVGC),
“The experiences and contributions of women, African Americans, and immigrants are a focus of the Western Reserve Historical Society, and are the core message of the guest experience. Women and Politics will shed light on the pivotal, albeit sometimes forgotten role Northeast Ohio played in the fight for the 19th Amendment,” says Kelly Falcone-Hall, WRHS President & CEO. “This exhibit will uphold our mission to inspire people to discover the unique American experience by exploring the rich history of our region.”
Women and Politics started as a conversation between the League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland (LWVGC) and WRHS. The project was initiated to mark the 100th anniversary of the LWVGC and the adoption of the 19th Amendment in 1920, a constitutional amendment that prohibits the government from denying the right to vote on the basis of sex. These talks grew into a much larger conversation about women and the long and complicated struggle for the vote, equality and leadership across all sectors of our society – a lasting and universal story about empowerment and human rights.
The story of woman suffrage begins before the Civil War, when the phrase “all men are created equal” applied only to white men. Women were denied the right to vote, own property, and hold public office. However, many women – white women and free women of color – found their voices in reform movements such as abolition and temperance.
By the 1850s, America was in the midst of a wide and deep ranging social and economic transformation that had a profound impact on attitudes toward gender and the relationship of women to society. Women began to organize, waging battles for their rights that would continue for decades or longer. Ohioans waged three major campaigns to amend the state constitution, and although unsuccessful, from their work leaders emerged. After the 19th Amendment passed, Cleveland women won elections, transformed the system through the League of Women Voters, and paved the way for others to make change.
Today, as the U.S. continues its long and complicated struggle for equality, WRHS presents Women and Politics, a story about women but for all people. The exhibit and accompanying film profiles past and present heroes of Women’s Rights and is designed to be an informative aspirational message to the next generation of Women’s Rights warriors.
