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San Antonio's Central Library Auditorium
LWVSA is sponsoring a Forum with Congressman Joaquin Castro and the CEO of Catholic Charities Antonio Fernandez. It will be moderated by KLRN host of "On the Record", Randy Beamer.
6pm Dinner
7pm Annual Meeting
Registration is needed only if you plan to attend dinner.
The annual meeting is when all members can help plan for the upcoming fiscal year. We will also honor its latest 50-year member Nita Thomason.
#OnThisDay in 1954, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) extended constitutional rights to Mexican Americans in the landmark civil rights case Hernandez v. Texas.
Learn more: https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/artifacts/hernandez-v-texas-spotlight-050115
#OnThisDay in 1882 Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The 1882 Act was the first US history to place broad restrictions on immigration.
Timeline:
1882 - Arthur signs Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
Prevents Chinese nationals from eligibility for US citizenship (scheduled to last 10 yrs)
1892 - Harrison signs the Geary Act
Renews Chinese Exclusion act of 1882 (extends for 10 additional years and in 1902 indefinitely extended)
1943 - Roosevelt signs the Magnuson Act
Repeals the Chinese Exclusion Act leaving a yearly limit of 105 Chinese and gives foreign-born Chinese the right to seek naturalization
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Resources:
National Archive Chinese Americans: https://www.archives.gov/research/chinese-americans/guide
Chinese Exclusion History: https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/APA/Historical-Essays/Exclusion-and-Empire/First-Arrivals/
Chinese Exclusion Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1866-1898/chinese-immigration
Congress‘ Apology for Chinese Exclusion: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2012-06-18/html/CREC-2012-06-18-pt1-PgH3715-2.htm
Video: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/chinese-exclusion-act/
#OnThisDay, Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1960, which served to eliminate loopholes left by the CRA of 1957. It established federal inspection of voter-registration polls and addressed discriminatory laws and practices in the segregated South that disenfranchised blacks and Hispanics. #CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
--Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/collections/eisenhowercivilrightsfiles
--Eisenhower Library: https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/sites/default/files/research/subject-guides/pdf/civil-rights-guide-to-studies.pdf
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
#OnThisDay, the Texas Equal Rights Association (TERA), the first statewide female suffrage organization, was founded in the Grand Windsor in Dallas on May 10, 1893. The TERA was committed to securing voting and political rights for women on the same terms as men, including the right to hold political office and serve on juries.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vit02
#EqualRights #CivilRights #VotingRights
#OnThisDay in 1954, the Supreme Court of the US ruled in a unanimous decision that school segregation violated the Equal Protection and Due Process clauses of the 14th Amendment.
Brown v. Board of Education was a consolidation of five cases. The ruling effectively ending racial segregation in public schools. Many schools, however, remained segregated.
Learn more:
-- Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/brown_vs_boe
-- US Courts: https://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/history-brown-v-board-education-re-enactment
-- Library of Congress https://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep347/usrep347483/usrep347483.pdf
-- Video: https://www.loc.gov/item/mbrs01856600/
-- Image: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-brown.html
#OnThisDay in 1896, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled 7-1 that segregation was legal and constitutional as long as "facilities were equal"—the famous "separate but equal" segregation policy.
The Plessy v. Ferguson decision provided legal justification for segregation until it was overruled by Brown v. the Board of Education in 1954.
Resources:
Library of Congress: Plessy v. Ferguson: https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/plessy.html
Library of Congress: Brown v. Board of Education: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-brown.html
#OnThisDay in 1993 Clinton signed the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (also referred to as the Motor Voter Act). The bill advanced voting rights, including (but not limited to) requiring states to offer voter registration opportunities to eligible persons during driver’s license renewal.
Timeline:
1990 - LWV convenes a symposium to examine the role of negative campaigning in the decline in voter participation. The symposium leads to a comprehensive effort to return the voter to the center of the election process. LWV works with a coalition of partners to support legislation reforming voter registration.
1992 - Congress passes the NVRA of 1992
1992 - Bush vetoes the bill
1992 - Congress fails to override the veto
1993 - Congress passes the NVRA of 1993
1993 - Clinton signs the bill into law
Resources:
-- LWV 2018-2020 Impact report: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-04/LWV%202018-20%20Impact%20on%20Issues.pdf#page=15
-- LWV Celebrates NVRA 27 Anniversary: https://www.lwv.org/blog/honoring-27th-anniversary-national-voter-registration-act
-- Bush‘s comments regarding NVRA of 1992: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/message-the-senate-returning-without-approval-the-national-voter-registration-act-1992
-- Clinton‘s comment regarding NVRA of 1993: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-signing-the-national-voter-registration-act-1993
-- US Justice Department: https://www.justice.gov/crt/about-national-voter-registration-act
On May 24, Coolidge signed the Immigration Act of 1924 (also referred to as the Johnson-Reed Act), which implemented a national quota system that limited the number of immigrants allowed into the US, and it excluded immigrants from Asia.
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act
Prevents immigration from Asia and establishes a quotas system
1952 - Truman vetoes McCarran-Walter Act (veto overridden by Congress)
Eliminates Asian exclusion and establishes a preference system for desirable ethnic groups
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Note: See https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline for a description of immigration laws before 1924
Resources:
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965
Coolidge’s Comments regarding Immigration: https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/were-all-in-the-same-boat-now-coolidge-on-immigration
Truman’s Veto Comments: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/public/Immigration_TrumanVeto.pdf
Johnson’s INA Signing Comments:http://www.lbjlibrary.org/lyndon-baines-johnson/timeline/lbj-on-immigration
Images:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gQD4VFtai7I0K47-d3F58Ffp9wn0fNzh
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1bfzS8eAMFA89LTE_gU3VkTZyxH5qV9Y1
#OnThisDay in 1924, Coolidge signed the Indian Citizenship Act (also known as the Snyder Act), which granted all Native Americans citizenship and the right to vote regardless of tribal affiliation. As history has shown, having the right to vote does not always equate to having the ability to vote. Learn about hurdles that suppress the Native American vote: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/voting-rights/how-the-native-american-vote-continues-to-be-suppressed/
Resources:
Native American Voting Rights Act (Introduced 2019)
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1694/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22H.+R.+83%22%5D%7D&r=62&s=1
LWV Endorsement of Native American Voting Rights Act
https://www.lwv.org/expanding-voter-access/league-endorses-native-american-voting-rights-act-2019
Voting Rights for Native Americans: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-native-americans.html
https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/every-native-american-a-citizen/
Timeline https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline
https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-native-americans.html
#OnThisDay in 1919, Congress passed (proposed for ratification) the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. The amendment was ratified by the states on August 18, 1920.
http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
Learn more:
National Women’s History Museum: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Today marks the death of Harriet Forten Purvis (1810-1875). Typically, we ask you to join in the celebration of a birth, but Harriet’s birthday is unknown, but her contributions to the rights we enjoy today are worthy of remembrance. Improving the civil and voting rights of others was a family tradition for Harriet and her relatives:
** Daughter of Charlotte Valdine Forten (1st generation suffragist)
** Sister of Sarah Forten Purvis and Margaret Forten (2nd generation suffragists)
** Mother to Hattie Purvis (3rd generation suffragist)
** Aunt of Charlotte Forten Grimke (3rd generation suffragist)
** Wife of Robert Purvis Sr ** (instrumental in development of the Underground Railroad)
Learn more:
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/more-to-the-movement/harriet-forten-purvis/
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- Turning Point: https://suffragistmemorial.org/harriet-forten-purvis-1810-1875/
-- Women History: https://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2016/08/harriet-forten-purvis.html
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Jeannette Pickering Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress.
Learn more:
-- PBS - @unladylike2020: https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jeannette-rankin/
-- House History: https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/R/RANKIN,-Jeannette-(R000055)
Faslane Peace Camp is a permanent peace camp situated next to the Faslane Naval Base in Scotland. Set up on this date in 1982, the camp is the world‘s longest-running active demonstration site and was originally set up as part of the anti-nuclear weapons movements of the 1980s.
Join us in celebrating the birthday. Miriam was the 1st woman elected as Governor of Texas.
Learn more:
-- https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffe06
#OnThisDay in 1866, Congress passed (proposed) the 14th Amendment, which granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former and recently freed slaves. In addition, it forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) 0n June 13, 1866 and ratified July 9, 1868.
Resources:
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/lkj01
JUNETEENTH. On June 19 ("Juneteenth"), 1865, Union general Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and issued General Order Number 3, which read, "The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juneteenth
Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, is an American holiday that commemorates the June 19, 1865, announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. state of Texas, and more generally the emancipation of enslaved African Americans throughout the former Confederate States of America. Its name is a portmanteau of "June" and "nineteenth", the date of its celebration.[1][2] Juneteenth is recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in forty-five states.[3]
Today it is observed primarily in local celebrations. Traditions include public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, singing traditional songs such as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing", and reading of works by noted African-American writers such as Ralph Ellison and Maya Angelou.[4] Celebrations may include rodeos, street fairs, cookouts, family reunions, park parties, historical reenactments, or Miss Juneteenth contests.[5] The Mascogos, descendants of Black Seminoles, of Coahuila, Mexico also celebrate Juneteenth.[6]
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal of VRA
Nixon signs 5-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on June 22, 1970. The VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1919, the TX Leg meets in a special session to consider ratification of the 19th Amendment.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919. #100YearsStrong
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
-- Leg Reference Libary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/govdocs/William%20P%20Hobby/1919/36-2proc.pdf 01
#OnThisDay in 1919, the Texas House adopts a resolution to ratify the 19th Amendment.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay in 2013, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled 5-4 that Section 4(b) of the Voters Right Act (VRA) was unconstitutional because the coverage formula was outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable until Congress agrees on a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
Timeline:
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples under the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution. The product of a three-year court battle challenging state-level bans on same-sex marriage, the landmark decision by the Supreme Court in Obergefell v. Hodges requires all US states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, while recognising same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, officially making marriage equality the law of the land across the United States and its territories.
#OnThisDay in 1918, Hortense Sparks Ward became the first woman in Harris County history to register to vote. Born in Matagorda County in 1872, she married Houston lawyer William Henry Ward in 1908. In 1910 she became one of the first women admitted to the Texas state bar (after Edith Locke in 1902 and Alice Tiernan in 1909).
Ward worked tirelessly in support of women’s rights and penned moving newspaper essays and pamphlets for that cause. She was instrumental in the passage of the Married Woman’s Property Law of 1913 by the Texas Legislature, and she campaigned with suffragist Minnie Fisher Cunningham for enfranchisement.
Texas women won an important victory in 1918 when the legislature permitted them to vote in primary elections. In a short span of less than three weeks, 386,000 women across the state registered to vote, and Hortense Ward led the way.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwa83
#OnThisDay in 1952, Congress passed into law (overriding a veto by Truman) the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1952, which abolished racial restrictions for immigration and naturalization but kept the national origins quota system established in the Immigration act of 1924
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act: Prevented immigration from Asia, set quotas on the number of immigrants from the Eastern Hemisphere)
1952 - Truman vetoes (veto overridden by Congress) McCarran-Walter Act: Eliminated Asian exclusion and established a preference system that determined which ethnic groups were desirable immigrants
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act: Eliminated policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Learn more: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965/
#OnThisDay in 1919, the Texas Senate approved ratification of the 19th Amendment. Texas became the 9th state in the US and the 1st state in the South to approve ratification.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919. #100YearsStrong
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
Join us in commemorating the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, which became a watershed moment for gay rights. After Stonewall, gay-right groups formed in cities across American, Canada, Australia, and Europe. In June 1970, the first public gay-pride marches took place commemorating the one-year anniversary of the uprising. #PRIDE #CivilRights #Intersectional
Learn more:
--Time: https://buff.ly/35HzdQl
-- PBS: https://buff.ly/2PrCqeP
-- LOC: https://buff.ly/3heGM6w
-- Video of 1st Pride March: https://www.loc.gov/item/mbrs01991430/
Go here to see the LWVTX’s position on Equal Opportunity: https://buff.ly/2NlG5wL
In addition, see the position update report from the 2020 LWVTX convening to see how the League’s positions are evolving. https://buff.ly/2YFYb14
#OnThisDay, Reagan signs a 25-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on June 29, 1982. The renewal extended for 25 years the Section 5 preclearance provision and extended the requirement for bilingual elections for 10 years. The VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1971, the 26th Amendment was ratified, giving adults aged 18 through 21 the right to vote. The 26th Amendment was enacted in response to Vietnam War protestors who argued that soldiers who were old enough to fight/die for their country should be old enough to vote.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on March 23, 1971, and ratified on July 1, 1971.
Learn more:
-- National Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xxvi
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
#OnThis Day, Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It prohibits unequal application of voter registration requirements, and racial segregation in schools, employment, and public accommodations.
#CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
-- Johnson Library: http://www.lbjlibrary.org/exhibits/civil-rights
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/summer/civil-rights-act-1.html
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Join us celebrating the birthday of Gertrude Bustill Mosell. Gertrude wrote a weekly advice column, "Our Women‘s Department," which was the 1st women‘s column in the history of the African-American press. She fought for equal rights and encouraged women to join the suffragist movement.
Learn more:
-- Article: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
-- Book: https://books.google.com/books?id=CHx5tY6wQSMC&pg=PA37&lpg=PA37&dq=Gertrude+Bustill+Mossell&source=bl&ots=W1sLIooEOO&sig=ACfU3U1M6Q9DfnX2OJmLRn4pJBdGJaT7yQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi1hL-J18zpAhURC6wKHbR1CXc4FBDoATAFegQICRAB#v=onepage&q=Gertrude%20Bustill%20Mossell&f=false
-- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Bustill_Mossell
-- Penn University Archive: https://archives.upenn.edu/collections/finding-aid/upt50m913
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/african-american-women-and-the-nineteenth-amendment.htm
The 4th of July marks the birth of the United States of America as a nation, recalling the Declaration of Independence made in 1776. The Continental Congress of the thirteen American colonies had actually passed a resolution of independence from the British Empire on July 2nd, but subsequently debated the additional declaration which explained its decision. The American Revolution had already been underway since 1775, and continued to 1783 in victory for the new United States.
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Jenny Bland Beauchamp. She wrote one of the first articles on woman suffrage published in Texas.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbeaj
#OnThisDay in 1868, Titus H. Mundine was the 1st Texas legislator to propose the enfranchisement of women and African Americans.
"Every person, without distinction of sex, who shall have arrived at the age of twenty-one years...shall be deemed a qualified elector." -- Titus H. Mundine
Learn More:
Titus – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmuvf
1868-69 Constitutional Convention – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/mjc04
Woman Suffrage – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay in 1868, the 14th Amendment was ratified. It granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former and recently freed slaves. In addition, it forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on June 13, 1866 and ratified on July 9, 1868.
Resources:
National Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xiv
National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Mary McLeod Bethune (Birthday)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary MCLeod Bethune who contributed to the women’s suffrage movement through her activism and writing.
Learn more:
NPS: https://www.nps.gov/mamc/learn/historyculture/mary-mcleod-bethune.htm
Women‘s Vote: https://www.womensvote100.org/the-suff-buffs-blog/2020/5/4/mary-mcleod-bethune-true-democracy-and-the-fight-for-universal-suffrage?fbclid=IwAR2sHG_Gb3ue4UpAFdSYiWe95TNmK0HJE-_pnIiWUwYVp88PNlRd9Hu9SHg
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Ida Wells Barnett. Ida was a civil rights activist and founded the Alpha Suffrage Club in 1913. She criticized mainstream (white) suffrage organizations for their exclusion of women of color. During the 1913 Women‘s March on Washington, Wells and other African-American women were told to march at the back of the procession. Wells refused, waiting until the procession started and then joining the block of women that represented her state.
Learn more:
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fySmIinC0MU&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR3orBtlRs5Vhx0pCTMSgBTd6jU4wZ-xCXOv_9WVKweq8RGPZ8rWDuNR6kE
-- Hidden Figures: https://buff.ly/2TPhL88
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Time Mag: https://time.com/5792441/the-suffragists-100-women-of-the-year/
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://buff.ly/2Xd2mjQ
-- PBS: https://buff.ly/2Ag4b7c (1 hr 9 minutes in)
-- Ida‘s Writing; https://buff.ly/2Uv75vG
#OnThisDay in 1848, the 1st women‘s rights convention was held in the US. It took place in Seneca Falls, New York. The meeting launched the women’s suffrage movement.
Learn more:
-- Constitutional Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/on-this-day-the-seneca-falls-convention-begins
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/july-19/
-- White House Archive: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/find-the-sentiments
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Alice Dunbar Nelson. Alice was active in the emerging civil rights and woman suffrage movements. In 1915, she was the field organizer for the Middle Atlantic States in the campaign for women‘s suffrage. During World War I, Dunbar-Nelson served as a field representative of the Woman‘s Committee of the Council of National Defense.
Learn more:
-- University of Delaware Library: http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/findaids/dunbarne.html
-- Smithsonian: https://blog.library.si.edu/blog/2020/03/12/an-unsung-legacy-the-work-and-activism-of-alice-dunbar-nelson/#.XsnsXmhKhPY
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- Black History: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/dunbar-nelson-alice-ruth-moore-1875-1935/
#OnThisDay, Bush signs the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1964, which made discrimination based on race, religion, sex, national origin, and other characteristics illegal. In addition, unlike the CRA, the ADA also requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities and imposes accessibility requirements on public accommodations.
Celebration of signing of ADA
#OnThisDay, Bush signs a 25-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on Juyly 22, 2006.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lucy Burns. Lucy was an American suffragist and women‘s rights activist. She spent more time in prison because of her activism than any other American woman suffragist. She and Alice Paul were co-founders of the National Woman‘s Party.
Learn more:
National Parks Service: https://www.nps.gov/people/lucy-burns.htm
Watch Iron Jawed Angels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzoXTo4-hws
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mariana Thompson Folsom. Mariana was a leader in the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWS) and asked Lucy Stone in 1885 for assistance in establishing a state (Texas) suffrage society.
Learn more:
-- TSHA History: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffo43
-- TSHA Image: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/folsom-lecture.html
-- Unitarian Oral History: http://www.liveoakuu.org/services/rev-mariana-thompson-folsom-1845-1909/
-- Bullock Museum: https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/artifacts/what-is-feminine
-- TSL - Personal Diary Entry: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/mariana-diary.html
-- TSL - Letter from Lucy Stone: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/stone-folsom-1.html
#OnThisDay in 1965, Johnson signed the Voter Rights Act (VRA). In addition on this same day in 1975, Ford signs a 7-yr renewal. The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
** UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” Consequently, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula. **
Timeline:
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1965, Johnson signed the Voter Rights Act (VRA). The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
** UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” Consequently, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula. **
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
History: https://www.justice.gov/crt/history-federal-voting-rights-laws Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA87JWa0bEw
Video: https://storycorps.org/stories/ellie-dahmer-and-bettie-dahmer-170113/
Aug 6, 1965: Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights movement on August 6, 1965, and
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lucy Stone. Lucy was a leading suffragist who dedicated her life to fighting inequality. She was the first Massachusetts woman to earn a college degree. Lucy organized the first National Women’s Rights Convention in Worcester, Massachusetts, and she was a founding member of the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), which would later merge with the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucy-stone
-- Video: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d
-- History: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Charlotte Forten Grimké. Charlotte was a 3rd-generation suffragist and equal rights advocate. She is a reminder that we make progress by standing on the shoulders of others, and that it can take multiple generations to right wrongs.
** Granddaughter of Charlotte Vandine Forten **
** Daughter of Robert Bridges Forten **
** Niece of Margaret, Harriet, and Sarah Forten **
Learn more:
-- National History Center: http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai/identity/text3/charlottefortenjournal.pdf
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- NPS (19th Amendment): https://www.nps.gov/articles/african-american-women-and-the-nineteenth-amendment.htm
-- NPS (Voting Rights): https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Journals of Charlotte Forten Grimke: https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/3uHylBU24jMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PP1
-- Muse: https://muse.jhu.edu/chapter/1945821
-- Beltway Poetry: http://www.beltwaypoetry.com/poetry/poets/names/grimke-charlotte-forten/
#OnThisDay, 1920 the 19th Amendment was ratified, granting women the right to vote. This amendment prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex. The ratification was the culmination of the women‘s suffrage movement in the United States, which fought at both state and national levels to achieve the vote.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920.
Learn more:
-- National Women’s History Museum: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Annie Webb Blanton, teacher, suffragist, and the first woman in Texas elected to statewide office, was born Aug 19, 1870, in Houston.
In the July 1918 primary, when Texas women exercised their voting rights for the first time, Blanton defeated incumbent Walter F. Doughty and Brandon Trussell by a large margin. In November, her victory in the general election made her the first woman in Texas elected to statewide office. She served as state superintendent through 1922.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbl16
-- Humanities Texas https://www.humanitiestexas.org/programs/tx-originals/list/annie-webb-blanton
"The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote nationally on August 18, 1920, so why is Women’s Equality Day on August 26th each year?
The simple answer is that even when a constitutional amendment has been ratified it’s not official until it has been certified by the correct government official. In 1920, that official was U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby. On August 26, 1920, Colby signed a proclamation behind closed doors at 8 a.m. at his own house in Washington, D.C, ending a struggle for the vote that started a century earlier." -- Constitution Center
The first executive secretary of the League of Women Voters, Minnie Fisher Cunningham, was a Texan who, among many other notable achievements, worked for the passage of the 19th Amendment in Texas and nationally.
Learn more:
-- Alice Paul Org: https://www.alicepaul.org/2020-exhibition/
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/why-august-26-is-known-as-womans-equality-day
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/collections/women-of-protest/articles-and-essays/tactics-and-techniques-of-the-national-womans-party-suffrage-campaign/
-- NCSL: https://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/amending-the-u-s-constitution.aspx
Image: https://www.alicepaul.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/5_Suffragist_Cover_1920.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1962, the 24th Amendment, which prohibited the use or a poll tax as a condition for voting in federal elections, was passed by Congress. #SystemicRacism
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) to the states on August 27, 1962, and ratified on January 23, 1964.
“After nearly disappearing in the states, a repurposed poll tax returned as part of a successful effort to undermine the Fifteenth Amendment and reestablish limits on the franchise. Beginning in Florida in 1889, all the former Confederate States, and a few others, instituted a suite of changes to voting laws as a part of this effort. They introduced literacy tests and disqualified convicted felons from voting. They also resurrected poll taxes. The historical record is filled with racially derogatory statements from delegates at State constitutional conventions who believed poll taxes and other devices would suppress Black voter registration and turnout.”
“The Supreme Court repeatedly affirmed the constitutionality of poll taxes. In its 1937 opinion in Breedlove v. Suttles, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected a claim from a white Georgia voter that the poll tax violated the Equal Protection Clause. In 1951, it rejected a similar claim challenging Virginia’s poll tax in Butler v. Thompson.” -- Constitution Center #CheckAndBalances #3Branches
Resources:
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xxiv
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- US House: https://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/37045
-- Breedlove v. Suttles: https://perma.cc/6G6H-6U4T
-- Butler v. Thompson: https://perma.cc/V4JP-TYHY
#OnThisDay in 1963, approximately 250,000 people took part in The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Martin Luther King gave the closing address in front of the Lincoln Memorial:
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
Learn more:
-- King Institute: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/i-have-dream-address-delivered-march-washington-jobs-and-freedom
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=173&v=smEqnnklfYs&feature=emb_logo
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/10-fascinating-facts-about-the-i-have-a-dream-speech
-- Civil Rights Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/march_on_washington
#OnThisDay in 1983, the 68th Texas legislature passed HB718, which abolished the life-time voting ban on ex-felons, but included a 5-yr waiting period before ex-felons would become eligible to vote.
On Sept 1, 1997, the 75th Texas legislature passed HB1001 eliminated the 5-yr waiting period.
Learn more:
-- TSLL: https://guides.sll.texas.gov/reentry-resources/voting
-- 75th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/Sessionoverviews/summary/75soe.pdf#page=114 (pg. 114)
-- 68th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/sessionOverviews/summary/soe68.pdf#page=82 (pg. 77)
-- HB1001 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/75R/HB1001/HB1001_75R.pdf
-- HB718 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/68R/HB718/HB718_68R.pdf#page=23 (pg. 23)
-- HB718 Election Law Opinion: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- JSTOR: https://www.jstor.org/stable/29768353?read-now=1&seq=4#page_scan_tab_contents (pg. 82)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Myra Davis Hemmings. Hemmings was born in Gonzales, Texas. She was one of the founders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. as well as its first president. The sorority was founded at Howard University in Jan 1913 and its 1st public act was to participate in the Woman Suffrage Procession in Washington, D.C. in Mar of 1913.
Suffragist Mary Church Terrell lobbied on behalf of the Deltas to win them a place in the parade, where they were the only African American organization represented. #HiddenFigures
A Texas Historical Marker dedicated to Myra resides at the Myra Davis Hemmings Resource Center in Bexar County, TX.
Photo credit: San Antonio Alumnae Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Learn More:
-- @usgpo: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2013-01-24/html/CREC-2013-01-24-pt1-PgS292.htm
-- @TxHistComm: https://atlas.thc.texas.gov/Details/5507017358/print
-- @TxStHistAssoc: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fhe64
-- @dstinc1913: https://www.deltasigmatheta.org
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lulu Belle Madison White. Lulu Belle was a civil rights activist who worked to eliminate the white primary in the 1930s. In 1939, she became the president of the Houston chapter of the NAACP. After the SCOTUS ruling in 1944 that outlawed the white primary (Smith v. Allwright), she worked tirelessly to encourage voting and educate voters.
Learn more:
-- TSHA Handbook: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwh75
-- TSHA Honest Past (p. 337): https://join.tshaonline.org/ebook-offers/honest-past/SHQ-An-Honest-Past.pdf
-- WTH: https://www.womenintexashistory.org/audio/lulu-belle-madison-white
-- Humanities of TX: https://www.humanitiestexas.org/news/articles/craft-civil-rights
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Ann Richards. In 1976, Ann became the 1st woman elected to the Travis County Commissioners Court. In 1982, Ann became the 1st woman elected as Texas State Treasurer, which was the 1st time a woman had been elected to statewide office in Texas since Miriam Ferguson‘s successful gubernatorial race in 1932--breaking a 50-yr absence of women in statewide leadership. In 1990, Ann became the 2nd woman to serve as governor of Texas since Texas became a state in 1845.
Learn more:
-- https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fri62
#OnThisDay in 1997, the 75th TX legislature, passed HB1001, which amended the Election Code to clarify the voting rights (eligibility) of fully discharged ex-felons, and it eliminated the 5-year waiting period established by HB718.
In 1983, the 68th Session of the TX Leg passed HB718, which abolished the life-time voting ban on ex-felons, but included a 5-year waiting period before ex-felons would become eligible to vote.
Learn more:
-- TXSLL: https://guides.sll.texas.gov/reentry-resources/voting
-- TXSOS: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- 75th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/Sessionoverviews/summary/75soe.pdf#page=114 (pg. 114)
-- 68th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/sessionOverviews/summary/soe68.pdf#page=82 (pg. 77)
-- HB1001 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/75R/HB1001/HB1001_75R.pdf
-- HB718 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/68R/HB718/HB718_68R.pdf#page=23 (pg. 23)
-- HB718 Election Law Opinion: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- JSTOR: https://www.jstor.org/stable/29768353?read-now=1&seq=4#page_scan_tab_contents (pg. 82)
This Labor Day we’re recognizing the contributions of laborers by taking a look back at the impact of labor unions on the women’s suffrage movement.
Did you know that middle and upper-class suffragists learned to use parades and picketing from working-class suffragists who were members of labor unions?
“Since the beginning of the women’s rights movement, women who devoted their lives to reform often were middle and upper-class women. Women who worked to support themselves and their families had less time and funds to devote to social movements.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, however, working women began supporting suffrage in greater numbers. They joined labor unions, held strikes for higher pay, and protested for better working conditions. Working women started seeing the vote as a way to gain more political power to further these causes.
Harriot Stanton Blatch, daughter of suffrage leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton, was among the first suffragists to recruit working women to support suffrage. She started collaborating with the Women’s Trade Union League, founded in 1905, to help women form unions and advocate for labor reforms. In 1907, she founded the Equality League of Self-Supporting Women (later called the Women’s Political Union) to attract working women to the suffrage movement. Blatch also wanted to integrate the more aggressive, militant tactics of labor activists—like parades through city streets and speakers on street corners—into the suffrage strategies to attract more publicity. Working women and their experience with the tactics of labor activists proved vital to winning the vote.” Allison Lange, Ph.D. https://www.loc.gov/resource/ggbain.02144/
Learn more:
-- Crusade for the Vote: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/working-women-movement
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/static/collections/women-of-protest/images/tactics.pdf
-- DOL: https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/history
JJoin us in celebrating the birthday of Jovita Idár. Idarwas born in 1885 and was an American journalist and civil rights activist who wrote about the challenges Mexican Americans faced in Texas. Her activism was influenced by the lynching of ethnic-Mexican men in South Texas during the early 20th century. She also used her platform as a journalist to support suffrage.
Learn more:
-- PBS (Unladylike): https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jovita-idar
-- TXWF: https://www.txwf.org/champions-for-change-jovita-idar-and-the-villareal-sisters/
-- Women‘s History: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/jovita-idar
-- TSHA Handbook: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fid03
-- TSHA Honest Past (p. 196): https://join.tshaonline.org/ebook-offers/honest-past/SHQ-An-Honest-Past.pdf
-- Humanities of Texas: https://www.humanitiestexas.org/programs/tx-originals/list/jovita-idar
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
Photo Credit: General Photographs, UTSA Special Collections (@UTSA)
#OnThisDay, Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1957 into law. The act established the Civil Rights Section of the Justice Department and empowered federal prosecutors to obtain court injunctions against interference with the right to vote. #CivilRights #VotingRights
This was the 1st civil rights legislation since Reconstruction (1875).
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
--Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/civil_rights_act_1957
--Eisenhower Library: https://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/383/Civil-Rights-Act-of-1957
--Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Photo credit: Photographs of Official Activities of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953 - 1961, US National Archives .https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7865612 (@USNatArchives)
Today is Constitution and Citizenship Day, so we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all recently naturalized American citizens. We hope an LWV volunteer was present at your naturalization ceremony to assist you with becoming a registered voter.
Learn more:
-- @LWVTexas: https://my.lwv.org/texas/register-vote
-- @librarycongress: https://www.loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/constitution-day.php
-- @uscis: https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/educators/constitution-day-and-citizenship-day
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Burnett Talbert. Mary was an American orator, civil rights activist, and suffragist. She believed that race and gender were unifying factors that could help resolve class issues. Talbert became one of the first women to join the NAACP after its founding in 1909.
#WomenInLeadership
Learn more:
-- https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/mary-burnett-talbert (https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/mary-burnett-talbert/)
-- https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/talbert-mary-b-1866-1923 (https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/talbert-mary-b-1866-1923/)
-- https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-burnett-talbert-september-17-1866-1923 (https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-burnett-talbert-september-17-1866-1923)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Church Terrell. Mary was a civil-rights activist who championed racial equality and women’s suffrage in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Learn more:
-- PBS (@unladylike2020): https://unladylike2020.com/profile/mary-church-terrell-2
-- Womens History (@womenshistory): https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mary-church-terrell
-- LOC (@libraryofcongress): https://crowd.loc.gov/campaigns/mary-church-terrell-advocate-for-african-americans-and-women
-- NPS (@NPS) - https://www.nps.gov/people/mary-church-terrell.htm
-- https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-church-terrell/
LGBT History Month is celebrated every October in United States since 1994. It was first proposed by Missouri high school history teacher Rodney Wilson, who chose October due to the establishment of National Coming Out Day in the late 1980s on October 11. October also marks the first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, which took place in 1979. In addition to LGBT History Month, LGBT Pride Month is also celebrated each year in June to commemorate the Stonewall Riots.
On Oct 3, 1965, Johnson signs the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1965, which amended the 1952 INA by including a provision stating: No person shall receive any preference or priority or be discriminated against in the issuance of an immigrant visa because of the person‘s race, sex, nationality, place of birth, or place of residence.
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act
Prevents immigration from Asia and establishes a quotas system
1952 - Truman vetoes McCarran-Walter Act (veto overridden by Congress)
Eliminates Asian exclusion and establishes a preference system for desirable ethnic groups
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Note: See https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline for a description of immigration laws before 1924
Resources:
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965
Coolidge’s INA Comments: https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/were-all-in-the-same-boat-now-coolidge-on-immigration
Truman’s INA Comments: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/public/Immigration_TrumanVeto.pdf
Johnson’s INA Comments:http://www.lbjlibrary.org/lyndon-baines-johnson/timeline/lbj-on-immigration
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Thomas Mundy Peterson. Thomas, on March 31, 1870 (one day after the ratification of the 15th Amendment) became the first Black American to vote in a U.S. election.
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian: https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2015.190
-- NJ State HIstory; https://nj.gov/state/historical/it-happened-here/ihhnj-er-peterson.pdf
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlC3fsW3rRs
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Ann Shadd Cary.
Learn more: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement/
National Coming Out Day (NCOD) is an annual LGBTQ awareness day observed on October 11. The day commemorates the Oct. 11, 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, which included half a million participants.
Learn more:
-- HRC: https://www.hrc.org/resources/the-history-of-coming-out
-- APA: https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/coming-out-day
-- GLAAD: https://www.glaad.org/tags/national-coming-out-day
-- Archive: https://gaycenter.org/archive_item/march-on-washington-for-lesbian-and-gay-rights
-- Image: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc276218
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Eleanor Roosevelt born on this day in 1884.
After the League of Women Voters was founded in 1920 – the same year that Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for Vice President – she helped establish its policy agenda. As the League’s Vice President of Legislative Affairs, she lobbied for reforms in Congress and worked tirelessly to strengthen women’s role in politics, helping mobilize women voters through the League’s nonpartisan training and lobbying work.
Learn more:
-- LWV: https://www.lwv.org/blog/eleanor-roosevelt-first-lady-league-leader-pioneer
Photo Credit: LC-USZ62-25812, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (@librarycongress)
http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3c08091/
"In 1977 participants at the United Nations International Conference on Discrimination against Indigenous Populations in the Americas proposed that Indigenous Peoples’ Day replace Columbus Day.Indigenous Peoples’ Day recognizes that Native people are the first inhabitants of the Americas, including the lands that later became the United States of America. And it urges Americans to rethink history." https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-indian/2019/10/11/indigenous-peoples-day-2019
The following states and the District of Columbia observe Native American or Indigenous Peoples’ Day, in place of or in addition to Columbus Day:
-- Alabama
-- Alaska
-- District of Columbia
-- Hawaii
-- Idaho
-- Maine
-- Michigan
-- Minnesota
-- New Mexico
-- North Carolina
-- Oklahoma
-- Oregon
-- South Dakota
-- Vermont
-- Wisconsin
The state of Texas does not currently observer Indiginous People day, but the following local jurisdiction have made the change:
-- City of Austin
-- City of Dallas
-- City of San Antonio
-- County of Bexar
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-indian/2019/10/11/indigenous-peoples-day-2019/:
-- PBS: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/npr/2019/10/14/769083847/columbus-day-or-indigenous-peoples-day/
#OnThisDay, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled on a bundle of five cases (known as the Civil Rights Cases), and in an 8-1 decision, the court found the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1875 to be unconstitutional.
The CRA of 1875 was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant and was enacted during Reconstruction in response to civil rights violations against African Americans. The act guaranteed equal treatment in public accommodations and transportation. It also outlawing race-based discrimination in jury duty/selection. The five cases heard by SCOTUS included suites brought forth by African Americans who were denied access to segregated facilities.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources: SCOTUS Ruling:
http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep109/usrep109003/usrep109003.pdf
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
The League of Women Voters of Texas, a nonpartisan political organization, was formed on October 19, 1919, at San Antonio, when the Texas Equal Suffrage Association was dissolved to reorganize for a new purposehttps://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wel05
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Christia Daniel Adair. Christia was an NAACP leader from Houston, worked for full suffrage and was one of the first black women to vote in a Democratic primary after the Supreme Court struck down Texas‘ white primary law in 1944. As executive secretary of the Houston NAACP for 12 years, she and others desegregated the Houston airport, public libraries, city buses, and department store dressing rooms. Despite official harassment, Adair and others rebuilt the Houston NAACP chapter, which grew to 10,000 members.
Learn more:
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fad19
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Nina Otero-Warren. Nina was a civil rights leader, a suffragist, and an advocate for bilingual education.
In 1917, Otero-Warren was selected by Alice Paul to head the New Mexico chapter of the Congressional Union (precursor to the National Woman’s Party). She insisted that suffrage literature be published in both English and Spanish, in order to reach the widest audience.
She was Superintendent of Public Schools in Santa Fe County from 1918 to 1929, working to improve the conditions in rural Hispano and Native American communities. Otero-Warren argued that both Spanish and English be allowed in schools, despite the federal mandate of English-only. Despite losing her political campaign to run for a seat in the US House of Representatives, she remained politically and socially active, and served as the Chairman of New Mexico’s Board of Health; an executive board member of the American Red Cross; and director of an adult literacy program in New Mexico for the Works Projects Administration.
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/people/nina-oter-warren.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Jessie Daniel Ames. Jessie was a suffragist and the founder and first president of the League of Women Voters of Texas.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fam06
Veterans Day, also known as Armistice Day or Rememberance Day in other countries which fought in the First World War, is commemorated on the 11th of November, marking the armistice signed between the Allies and Central Powers. The armistice came into effect at 11am: the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month in 1918. Formerly known as Armistice Day in the United States, the name was changed to Veterans Day in 1954 to honor all those who have served and continue to serve in the United States Armed Forces.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Elizabeth Cady Staton (1st generation suffragists). She was born in 1815 and was one of the speakers and organizers of the Seneca Falls Convention. Elizabeth was a co-founder of the National Woman Suffrage Associate (NWSA), which would later merge with the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
** Mother of Harriet Stanton Blatch (2nd generation suffragist) **
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucy-stone
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d (11 minutes in)
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
-- Seneca Falls Convention:
#OnThisDay, Bush signed the 1991 Civil Rights Act (CRA), which provided the right to trial by jury on discrimination claims. It also added provisions to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that expanded the rights of women and disabled persons. #CivilRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Johnson signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
Bush Library: https://bush41library.tamu.edu/archives/public-papers/3660
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005). Shirley was an educator, activist, and politician who achieved a number of historic 1sts
-- 1968 1st black woman elected to the Congress
-- 1972 1st woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination
-- 1972 1st African American to run for President of the US
Learn more: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/shirley-chisholm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Debra Anne Haaland. Debra and Sharice Davids were the first two Native American women elected to the U.S Congress. Haaland is a member of the Laguna Pueblo people.
Learn more:
-- National Geographic Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T_s36-1hms
-- US House: https://haaland.house.gov/about
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Patsy Takemoto Mink. Patsy was the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-women-got-vote-far-more-complex-story-history-textbooks-reveal-180971869/
-- House History: https://history.house.gov/People/detail/18329
-- NWHF: https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/patsy-takemoto-mink/
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/patsy-mink
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Titus Howard Mundine, who was the 1st Texas Legislator to propose enfranchisement of women and blacks.
"Every person, without distinction of sex, who shall have arrived at the age of twenty-one years...shall be deemed a qualified elector." -- Titus H. Mundine
Learn More:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=5124
-- Titus – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmuvf
-- Woman Suffrage – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Eliza Eubanks Peterson Johnson. Eliza was a suffragist and civil-rights activist.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fjohn
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
-- Austin Library: http://www.austinlibrary.com/ahc/suffrage/early.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Marie Louise Bottineau Baldwin. Marie was a suffragist and lawyer who worked as an advocate for the Ojibwa/Chippewa Nation in Minnesota and North Dakota.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- National Parks Service: https://www.nps.gov/people/marie-louise-bottineau-baldwin.htm
-- MNHS: https://www.mnhs.org/historycenter/activities/museum/votes-for-women/profiles/marie-baldwin
-- National Archive: https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2020/04/02/19th-amendment-at-100-mary-louise-bottineau-baldwin/
-- LWV: https://my.lwv.org/california/diablo-valley/meet-suffragist-marie-louise-bottineau-baldwin
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Ruza Wenclawska (also known as Rose Winslow). Rose was a Polish-American suffragist and trade union organizer. She was a member of the National Women‘s Party and fought for the rights of immigrant and working-class women. Along with Alice Paul, she participated in a hunger strike to bring attention to the suffrage movement.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/collections/women-of-protest/articles-and-essays/selected-leaders-of-the-national-womans-party/officers-and-national-organizers/
-- Turning Point: https://suffragistmemorial.org/rose-winslow-d-1977
-- Historical Snapshot: https://historicalsnaps.com/2018/03/19/rose-winslow-talks-about-her-hunger-strike
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Harriet Taylor Upton. Harriet was a founding member of the National League of Women Voters and the first woman to become a vice-chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d (53 mins in)
-- Upton House: http://www.uptonhouse.org/HTayor.html
-- Ohio History: https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Harriet_T._Upton
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Martha Goodwin Tunstall. Martha became the vice-president from Texas of the newly-formed National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA).
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ftuns
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Jane McCallum. Jane was the first vice president of the League of Women Voters of Texas. She had the longest term as the Secretary of State of Texas.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmc07
-- Texas Secretary as State: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/about/history.shtml
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charlotte Vandine Forten born in 1785.
-- 1st generation American suffragist
-- Mother of the Forten sisters: Margaret, Harriet, and Sarah (2nd generation suffragists)
-- Grandmother of Charlotte Forten Grimké (3rd generation suffragist)
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- Black Suffragette: http://www.blacksuffragette.com/friends
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Lucretia Coffin Mott. Lucretia was a suffragist and human rights activist. She was one of the organizers of the 1st Woman’s Rights Convention Seneca Falls, N.Y.
Learn more:
NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucretia-mott
PBS: Video: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/
NPS: https://www.nps.gov/wori/learn/historyculture/lucretia-mott.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Helen Edmunds Moore. Helen was a nurse, suffragist, and a member of the 41, 42, and 44th legislatures. In the 44 Legislature, she was the only woman.
Learn more:
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/moore-helen-edmunds
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Harriet Staton Blatch (2nd generation suffragists).
Voting rights was a family affair
** Daughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1st generation suffragist)
She founded the Equality League of Self-Supporting Women, later called the Women‘s Political Union, whose membership was based on working women, both professional and industrial. The Equality League initiated the practice of holding suffrage parades and organized the first open-air suffrage rallies in thirty years. As many as 25,000 people marched in these parades.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (28 minutes in)
#OnThisDay the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled on the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case and made a controversial decision that reversed existing campaign finance restrictions and enabled corporations and other outside groups to spend unlimited funds on elections. #DarkMoney
"Prevention of improper corporate influence in the electoral process...is a pillar of our modern democracy" -- LWV Amicus Brief #DarkMoney
"Voters are supposed to be at the center of our political process. For more than two centuries, America’s constitutional democracy has been moving in the direction of broader enfranchisement and more meaningful political participation by American citizens. After the Civil War, the 15th Amendment to the Constitution guaranteed the right to vote to citizens regardless of race or color. The 19th Amendment provided voting rights to women, the 24th to poor citizens and the 26th to young adults.
On the other hand, our Constitution does not reflect a similar solicitude for corporate participation; indeed our constitutional history reflects a growing concern over the influence of corporations, and the distinction between the legal protections afforded to living persons and corporations has been part of our constitutional law from the Founding." -- LWV Commentary on Citizens United
LWVUS Amicus Brief: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/Amicus_cfr.CitizenUnited.pdf
LWVUS Commentary on Citizens United: https://www.lwv.org/money-politics/league-commentary-citizens-united-v-fec-case-supreme-court
Brennan Institute: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/citizens-united-explained
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charles Curtis, of Kaw, Osage, and Pottawatomie ancestry. Curtis was sworn in as the U.S. Senator from Kansas. Charles was also the 1st person of color and 1st person of Native American ancestry to hold the office of vice president under President Hoover.
Learn more:
-- Senate History: https://www.senate.gov/about/officers-staff/vice-president/VP_Charles_Curtis.htm
-- Kansas Historical Society: https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/charles-curtis/12029
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Maud Wood Park. Park was the 1st president of the National League of Women Voters.
Learn more:
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/november-2015-suffragist-of-the-month/
-- Harvard: https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/schlesinger-library/collection/papers-maud-wood-park-in-womans-rights-collection
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=8
Black History Month is celebrated in the United States and Canada each February. Black History Month traces its origins to Negro History Week which was first created in 1926 with the week chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (February 12th) and Frederick Douglass (February 14th). An annual monthlong celebration of black history was later proposed by students and educators at Kent State University in 1969, and adopted one year later. By the mid-1970s, Black History Month was celebrated across the United States and officially recognized by US President Gerald Ford in 1976. Originally intended to celebrate black history and culture in the United States, Black History Month has since spread to Canada, as well as the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands, where it is celebrated in October.
#OnThisDay in 1870, the 15th Amendment, which granted black men the right to vote, was ratified. Unfortunately, Southern states continued to disenfranchise black voters through the use of poll taxes, literacy tests, threats of physical harm, etc. Therefore, the promise of the 15th Amendment was not fully realized until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965--almost a century later.
The amendment was passed (proposed) by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870.
Learn more:
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- LOC: http://www.loc.gov/rr//program/bib/ourdocs/15thamendment.html
-- Teaching resources: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-african-americans.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Juanita Jewel Craft. Juanita and Lulu Belle White of Houston organized 182 branches of the NAACP in Texas over a period of eleven years. Following the Smith v. Allwright ruling, in 1944 Juanita became the first black woman in Dallas County to vote in the Democratic Party primary. In 1946, she was the first black woman deputized in the state to collect the poll tax. Juanita was also a member of the League of Women Voters of Texas.
The Smith v. Allwright U.S. case ended the white primary.
Learn More:
-- http://www.juanitacrafthouse.org/
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fcr59
-- TxPolProject - Smith v. Allwright: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lawrence Aaron Nixon. Lawrence...
The Smith v. Allwright case ended the white primary, which suppressed the Black vote.
Learn More:
-- @TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fni10
-- @TxPolProject - White Primary: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Adella Hunt Logan.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Nellie May Quande. “In 1913, Nellie Quander, president of the nation‘s oldest Black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, wrote to Alice Paul, chair for a major upcoming Washington, D.C., parade, planned to attract national attention for the cause on the day before the inauguration of President Woodrow Wilson. "We do not wish to enter if we must meet with discrimination on account of race affiliation," Quander wrote. "Can you assign us to a desirable place in the college women‘s section?”
Learn more:
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/new-tactics-for-a-new-generation-1890-1915/new-tactics-and-renewed-confrontation/howard-university-sorority-seeks-assurances-of-nondiscrimination
-- Smithsonian: https://womenshistory.si.edu/news/2020/08/19suffragestories-countdown-stories-14-10
-- Facing History:
https://facingtoday.facinghistory.org/suffrage-and-sisterhood-the-origins-and-impact-of-black-sororities
#OnThisDay in 1909, the NAACP was founded. The NAACP is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation.
Mission: To ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.
Learn more:
-- NAACP: https://naacp.org/nations-premier-civil-rights-organization/
-- TSHA: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/national-association-for-the-advancement-of-colored-people
-- UW: https://depts.washington.edu/moves/NAACP_intro.shtml
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Fannie Barrier Williams. Fannie was an educator, political activist, and women’s rights advocate. In 1907, she was the only Black woman to eulogize Susan B. Anthony at the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) convention. Also, she helped found the NAACP in 1909.
Learn more:
-- BlackPast: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/williams-fannie-barrier-1855-1944/
-- ISU: https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/directory/frances-barrier-williams/
-- RRLC: https://rrlc.org/winningthevote/biographies/fannie-barrier-williams/
-- SPC: https://www.splcenter.org/news/2019/06/01/weekend-read-challenging-whitewashed-history-womens-suffrage/
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/more-to-the-movement/fannie-barrier-williams/
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Anna Howard Shaw.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (1 hr in)
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charlotta Spears Bass, who was born on this day in 1874. Charlotta was an educator, newspaper publisher, civil-rights and voting-rights activist. She was also the first Black woman to own and operate a newspaper in the United States and the first Black woman nominated for Vice President.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/people/charlottabass.htm
-- Black Past; https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/bass-charlotta-1879-1969/
-- South California Library: https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf6c60052d/
#OnThisDay in 1920, the League of Women Voters was founded. Carrie Chapman Catt shared the following about the founding: "Is the (League) political? Certainly, but not partisan. Its members are as free as other women to join and vote with the party of their choice. They make no pledge otherwise in joining the League."
Mission: Empowering voters. Defending democracy.
Learn more: https://www.lwv.org/league-women-voters-through-decades
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Susan B. Anthony (1st generation suffragists). She was born in 1820. Susan was a co-founder of the National Woman Suffrage Associate (NWSA), which would later merge with the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
**Susan died in 1906, 14 years before women were given the right to vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. **
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/susan-b-anthony
-- @susanbhouse: https://susanb.org/her-life/
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
-- Seneca Falls Convention:
#OnThisDay in 1929, LULAC was founded. LULAC is the oldest and largest continuously active Latino political association in the US.
Mission: To advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, housing, health and civil rights of the Hispanic population of the United States.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wel01
Join us commemorating the life of Frederick Douglass (1818 - 1895)."Frederick was one of the few men present at the woman‘s rights convention held at Seneca Falls, New York, in July 1848.
Learn more:
-- Blackpast: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/1888-frederick-douglass-woman-suffrage/
-- Smithsonian: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hidden-history-anna-murray-douglass-180968324/
#BHM
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Zitkala-Sa (Red Bird). "Zitkala-Ša joined the Society of American Indians, a group founded in 1911 with the purpose of preserving traditional Native American culture while also lobbying for full American citizenship."
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/people/zitkala-sa.htm
Photo: https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_S_NPG.79.26?destination=edan-search/default_search%3Freturn_all%3D1%26edan_q%3DZitkala%2520Sa
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Rosalie Gardiner Jones. In December of 1912, over 200 women joined Rosalie for parts of a 140-mile march from New York City to Albany to support women‘s suffrage. During the march, the women stopped to hold open-air meetings and distribute pamphlets in communities along the way.
Learn More:
-- PBS Doc: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (1 hr 16 mins in)
-- New York Heritage: https://nyheritage.org/exhibits/recognizing-womens-right-vote/%E2%80%9Cgeneral%E2%80%9D-rosalie-jones-and-suffrage-hikes
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/people/dr-general-rosalie-jones.htm
#OnThisDay in 1869, Congress passed (proposed) the 15th Amendment, which granted Black male citizens the right to vote.“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 race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
The amendment was passed (proposed) by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870.
Learn more:
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- LOC: http://www.loc.gov/rr//program/bib/ourdocs/15thamendment.html
-- Teaching resources: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-african-americans.html
Women‘s History Month celebrates the everyday contributions of women across the world to events in history and contemporary society. It is celebrated during March in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, in connection with International Women‘s Day on March 8th. Women‘s History Month traces its origins to the United States, where it was first designated in 1987. Since then the tradition has spread to other countries around the world.
#OnThisDay, President Ulysses S. Grant, signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1875. The CRA was enacted during the Reconstruction era in response to civil rights violations against African Americans. The act provided for equal treatment in public accommodations and transportation. It also outlawing race-based discrimination in jury service.
Over the ensuing years, African Americans began suing businesses that denied them access to segregated facilities. On Oct 15, 1883, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) heard a group of five cases (known as the Civil Rights Cases), and in an 8-1 decision, struck down the CRA of 1875 as unconstitutional.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resource:
-- US House of Rep: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1851-1900/The-Civil-Rights-Act-of-1875
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
-- Grant‘s Memoirs: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/4367/4367-h/4367-h.htm
The "Woman Suffrage Procession" was the first suffragist parade in Washington, DC. Organized by the suffragist Alice Paul for the National American Woman Suffrage Association, it saw thousands of suffragists marching down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC on Monday, March 3, 1913. Presaging the circumstances surrounding the 2017 Women‘s March just over 100 years later, the 1913 event was scheduled on the day before President Woodrow Wilson‘s inauguration to "march in a spirit of protest against the present political organization of society, from which women are excluded," as the official program stated. While studying in England, Paul had heard the British suffragist Christabel Pankhurst speak and joined the Women‘s Social and Political Union, being jailed a number of times in the process. She returned to the US in 1910 and continued to campaign for women‘s rights leading to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920.
Advocate of women‘s rights.
In February 1912 Brackenridge was elected president of the newly organized San Antonio Equal Franchise Society. The formation of this society stimulated interest throughout the state, and delegates from seven Texas cities met in San Antonio and organized the Texas Woman Suffrage Association in April 1913. Eleanor Brackenridge held the office of president for one year and then became honorary president.
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbr04
March 7, 1965: In the Selma to Montgomery March, around 600 civil rights marchers walk to Selma, Alabama to Montgomery—the state’s capital—in protest of black voter suppression. Local police block and brutally attack them. After successfully fighting in court for their right to march, Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders lead two more marches and finally reach Montgomery on March 25.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Anna Murray Douglass born in 1813. Anna was the wife of Frederick Douglas, but more than that, she was a participant in the activities necessary to ensure voting rights for all Americans.
Learn more:
-- @SmithsonianMagazine: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hidden-history-anna-murray-douglass-180968324/
-- @USAToday:https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/07/06/frederick-douglass-first-wife-anna-murray-made-his-work-possible/5382922002/
-- @librarycongress: https://www.loc.gov/item/mfd.02007/
International Women‘s Day traces its origins to the women‘s rights movement of the early 20th century, having been first proposed by German campaigner Clara Zetkin at an international conference in Copenhagen. The day is a celebration of the social, economic, political and cultural achievements of women worldwide. The annual campaign calls for gender parity and raises funds to support initiatives towards this goal.
Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) was never far from the struggle for equal rights and human liberation throughout her long life, from the work on the Underground Railroad for which she is famous, to her later years as an activist in the women‘s suffrage movement in the early 20th century. Born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia in 1849 before immediately returning to rescue her family. Tubman would make some 13 return trips to the South to liberate family, friends, and relatives - at great personal risk to herself - guiding them to freedom in the northern United States and British North America (present-day Canada) using a clandestine network of anti-slavery activists and safe houses to facilitate the journey. Tubman later helped the abolitionist John Brown recruit troops for his 1859 raid on Harper‘s Ferry, and helped lead multiple attacks on Confederate plantations and infrastructure during the Civil War. Toward the end of her life, Tubman joined the campaign for women‘s suffrage. With the struggle against slavery still in living memory, Tubman moved audiences around the country with tales of her heroic actions before and after the Civil War, offering these sacrifices as evidence and living proof that women deserved the same rights as men.
#OnThisDay in 1918, the Texas House (during the 36 legislative sessions) passed HB-105 by a vote of 83-34. The bill granted women the right to vote in (white) Texas Primaries.
The bill was passed by the Texas Senate on March 21, 1918 by a vote of 18-4.
Governor William P. Hobby signed the bill into law on March 26, 1918.
Learn more:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/whatsNew/client/index.cfm/2018/3/20/Votes-for-Women-The-100th-Anniversary-of-Texas-Womens-Suffrage
Bayard Rustin (1912-1987) was an American civil rights activist who worked as an influential organizer and behind-the-scenes adviser to many causes throughout the civil rights era. Rustin began his organizing career working alongside fellow activist A. Philip Randolph on the March on Washington Movement in the early 1940s, which campaigned for the desegregation of the US armed forces. Rustin later played a central organizing role in other key civil rights actions such as the Freedom Rides and the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Martin Luther King - whom Rustin had schooled on methods of non-violence and helped elevate to his leadership position in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference - gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Rustin continued his career as an activist following the passage of civil rights legislation in the mid-1960s, promoting the unionization of African American workers and working internationally to aid war refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia while raising awareness to the ongoing plight of Jews living in the Soviet Union. A gay man who chose to play a supporting role in the Civil Rights Movement due to public criticisms of his homosexuality, Rustin spent his final years working on behalf of LGBT causes during the 1980s.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Minnie Fisher Cunningham born in 1882. Minnie was the first Executive Secretary of the League of Women Voters. The Texas native was also the first female pharmacy student at the University of Texas and the first woman to run for the Texas Senate. Members of the Minnie Fisher Cunningham Society continue empowering voters and defending democracy into the future by naming the League in their wills for a bequest.
Learn More:
-- LWV: https://my.lwv.org/texas/leave-legacy-minnie-fisher-cunningham-society
-- Suffrage Petition: https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/tx-woman-suffrage-petition
--TSHA: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/cunningham-minnie-fisher
-- PBS: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/shows/2015/12/19/43918/texas-originals-minnie-fisher-cunningham/
The 21st of March is the anniversary of events in 1960 when police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid laws in Sharpeville, South Africa. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed an annual observation of the day in 1966.
"We must all work harder to repair the fissures and polarization that are so prevalent in our societies today. We must nurture mutual understanding and invest in making diversity a success. And we must counter and reject political figures who exploit differences for electoral gain." — UN Secretary-General António Guterres”
Learn more:
-- About End Racial Discrimination Day: https://www.un.org/en/observances/end-racism-day
-- History of the League and the UN: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/The%2520League%2520and%2520the%2520United%2520Nations.pdf
-- Role of the UN Observer: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/LWVUS%20United%20Nations%20Observer%20Role.pdf
-- Contact the UN Observers at unobserver@lwv.org.
Also World Poetry Day: https://www.un.org/en/events/poetryday/
#OnThisDay in 1918, the Texas Senate (during the 36 legislative sessions) passed HB-105 by a vote of 18-4. The bill granted women the right to vote in (white) Texas Primaries.
The bill was firsts passed in the TX House on March 15, 1918 by a vote of 84-34.
Governor William P. Hobby signed the bill into law on March 26, 1918.
Learn more:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/whatsNew/client/index.cfm/2018/3/20/Votes-for-Women-The-100th-Anniversary-of-Texas-Womens-Suffrage
#OnThisDay in 1972, Congress passed the ERA, but it remains 1 state short of ratification.
#OnThis day in 1971, the 26th Amendment was passed by Congress. This amendment was enacted in response to Vietnam War protests, which argued that soldiers who were old enough to fight for their country should be granted the right to vote.‘
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed to the states) on March 23, 1971, and ratified on July 1, 1971.
Resources:
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Today is Slavery Remembrance Day. “For over 400 years, more than 15 million men, women and children were the victims of the tragic transatlantic slave trade, one of the darkest chapters in human history.”
Learn about the Ark of Return, which is the permanent memorial designed by Rodney Leon (a decedent of a former slave) that sits on the grounds of the United Nations headquarters.
Resources:
-- About Slavery Remembrance Day: https://www.un.org/en/events/slaveryremembranceday
-- Ark of Return Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx-gnst3mC8
-- History of the League and the UN: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/The%2520League%2520and%2520the%2520United%2520Nations.pdf
-- Role of the UN Observer: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/LWVUS%20United%20Nations%20Observer%20Role.pdf
-- Contact the UN Observers at unobserver@lwv.org.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Virginia Louisa Minor, born in 1824. Virginia was the plaintiff in the Minor v. Happersett case that was unsuccessful in arguing that the 14th Amendment gave women the right to vote.
The Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) in 1874 ruled in a unanimous decision that the 14th Amendment did not guarantee women the right to vote.
The 19th Amendment overruled Minor v. Happersett by prohibiting discrimination in voting rights based on sex. #VotingRights
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/the-virginia-minor-case.htm
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Wilhelmina Kekelaokalaninui Widemann Dowsett.
Learn more:
-- https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelmina_Kekelaokalaninui_Widemann_Dowsett
#OnThisDay in 1961: Residents of Washington, D.C. were granted the right to vote in U.S. Presidential Elections. The 23rd Amendment extends the right to vote in presidential elections to citizens residing in the District of Columbia. The amendment grants the district electors in the Electoral College as though it were a state, though the district can never have more electors than the least-populous state.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed to the states) on June 16, 1960, and ratified March 29, 1961.
#OnThisDay in 1875, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled in a unanimous decision that the 14th Amendment did not guarantee women the right to vote.
The 19th Amendment overruled Minor v. Happersett by prohibiting discrimination in voting rights based on sex.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/the-virginia-minor-case.htm
-- US Courts: https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/annual-observances/law-day
-- LOC: https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep088/usrep088162/usrep088162.pdf
One of the most iconic labor organizers and civil rights activists in American history, Cesar Chavez (1927-1993) co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) with fellow organizer Dolores Huerta in 1962. Originally of Mexican-American origin, Chavez was a farm worker himself before turning to activism and securing official recognition for UFW as the collective bargaining agent for 50,000 field workers in California and Florida during the 1970s. Renowned for his grassroots approach to labor activism and Hispanic empowerment, Chavez is credited with popularizing the slogan "Si, se puede" ("Yes we can") and was awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 1994. In 2014 President Barack Obama proclaimed March 31 as a federal commemorative holiday in the United States, marking the date of Chavez‘s birth. Numerous American parks, streets, and schools throughout the country bear his name.
#On this day in 1944, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) decision in Smith v. Allwright ruled the so-called "white primary" unconstitutional. The case originated in 1940 when Houston dentist Lonnie E. Smith attempted to vote in the Democratic primary in Harris County and was denied a ballot.
The number of African Americans registered to vote in Texas increased from 30,000 in 1940 to 100,000 in 1947.
Learn more:
-- @TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wdw01
-- NAACP: https://www.naacpldf.org/case-issue/landmark-smith-v-allwright
-- UT: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
-- LOC: https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep321/usrep321649/usrep321649.pdf
Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was an American author, poet, dancer, actress and singer. She was active in the Civil Rights Movement and worked with Martin Luther King, James Baldwin, and Malcolm X. Prior to becoming a writer, Angelou spent much of her young life as a dancer, before turning to organizing and activism at the start of the 1960s. After spending three years as a journalist in Ghana, Angelou moved back to the United States in 1965 and collaborated closely with many of the leading civil rights figures of the time. Angelou‘s first breakthrough came in 1969 when she published her first autobiography "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," which brought global acclaim. Angelou would go on to spend the next 45 years as an internationally renowned lecturer, teacher, writer, composer, performer, and director, becoming one of America‘s literary and artistic legends.
#OnThisDay, Jeannette Pickering Rankin was sworn in as the 1st woman elected to Congress. Rankin was an American politician and women‘s rights advocate, and the first woman to hold federal office in the United States. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican from Montana in 1916, and again in 1940.
A suffragist during the Progressive Era, Rankin organized and lobbied for legislation enfranchising women in several states including Montana, New York, and North Dakota. During her victory speech following her first election to the House of Representatives, she recognized the power she held as the only woman able to vote in Congress saying, "I am deeply conscious of the responsibility resting upon me".[1] While in Congress, she introduced legislation similar to what would eventually became the 19th Constitutional Amendment, granting unrestricted voting rights to women nationwide. She championed the causes of women‘s rights and civil rights throughout a career that spanned more than six decades.
Learn more:
PBS - @unladylike2020: https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jeannette-rankin/
#OnThisDay 1893, ten Texas women, mostly members of the Woman‘s Christian Temperance Union, issued a call for a statewide woman suffrage convention. The Texas Equal Rights Association, the first such statewide organization, was chartered at the ensuing three-day convention in Dallas. Internal dissension plagued the TERA, which had been organized as a branch of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, and it ceased to operate by 1896. In 1903 Annette Finnigan helped organize a successor organization, the Texas Equal Suffrage Association, which helped lead the long and ultimately successful fight for woman suffrage. Texas women were finally granted the right to vote in primary elections in 1918, and in June 1919 Texas became the ninth state (and the first in the south) to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which extended full suffrage to women.
Learn more:
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vit02
#OnThisDay, congress overrode a veto by President Andrew Johnson and enacted into law the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1866, which defined citizenship and affirm that all citizens are equally protected by the law. The CRA of 1866 was enacted post Civil War to protect the civil rights of persons of African descent born in or brought to the US. #CivilRights
Congress passed the act on March 13, 1866.
President Andrew Johnson vetoed the act on March 27, 1866
Congress overrode the veto and enacted the CRA on April 9, 1866
Congress passed the bill to support the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
Johnson‘s Veto: https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/march-27-1866-veto-message-civil-rights-legislation
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Fannie Coralie Perkins (Francis Perkins), born on this day in1880. Fannie was a workers-rights advocate and the first woman to serve in a US president‘s cabinet. She served as Franklin D. Roosevelt‘s Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945, the longest-serving in that position. In addition, she was the first LGBTQ person to serve in the U.S. Cabinet.
Learn more:
-- FPC: https://francesperkinscenter.org/life-new/
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/lgbtqheritage/upload/lgbtqtheme-preservation.pdf
-- CU: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/digital/collections/nny/perkinsf/profile.html
-- NPR: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102959041
#OnThis Day, Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin. #CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (formed the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
-- Johnson Library: http://www.lbjlibrary.org/exhibits/civil-rights
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/summer/civil-rights-act-1.html
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Emancipation Day is an American holiday celebrated in the District of Columbia (Washington, DC) each year on April 16th. It marks the day US President Abraham Lincoln signed the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act in 1862, which granted freedom to more than 3,000 slaves in the nation‘s capital, nine months before Lincoln issued his broader Emancipation Proclamation freeing 3.5 million slaves in the rebel-held American South. Three years later, the United States ratified the 13th Amendment, which formally outlawed slavery. In 2005, Washington DC Mayor Anthony Williams signed legislation making Emancipation Day an official public holiday, which is also observed by the federal government.
#OnThisDay in 1954, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) extended constitutional rights to Mexican Americans in the landmark civil rights case Hernandez v. Texas.
Learn more: https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/artifacts/hernandez-v-texas-spotlight-050115
#OnThisDay in 1882 Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The 1882 Act was the first US history to place broad restrictions on immigration.
Timeline:
1882 - Arthur signs Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
Prevents Chinese nationals from eligibility for US citizenship (scheduled to last 10 yrs)
1892 - Harrison signs the Geary Act
Renews Chinese Exclusion act of 1882 (extends for 10 additional years and in 1902 indefinitely extended)
1943 - Roosevelt signs the Magnuson Act
Repeals the Chinese Exclusion Act leaving a yearly limit of 105 Chinese and gives foreign-born Chinese the right to seek naturalization
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Resources:
National Archive Chinese Americans: https://www.archives.gov/research/chinese-americans/guide
Chinese Exclusion History: https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/APA/Historical-Essays/Exclusion-and-Empire/First-Arrivals/
Chinese Exclusion Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1866-1898/chinese-immigration
Congress‘ Apology for Chinese Exclusion: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2012-06-18/html/CREC-2012-06-18-pt1-PgH3715-2.htm
Video: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/chinese-exclusion-act/
#OnThisDay, Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1960, which served to eliminate loopholes left by the CRA of 1957. It established federal inspection of voter-registration polls and addressed discriminatory laws and practices in the segregated South that disenfranchised blacks and Hispanics. #CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
--Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/collections/eisenhowercivilrightsfiles
--Eisenhower Library: https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/sites/default/files/research/subject-guides/pdf/civil-rights-guide-to-studies.pdf
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
#OnThisDay, the Texas Equal Rights Association (TERA), the first statewide female suffrage organization, was founded in the Grand Windsor in Dallas on May 10, 1893. The TERA was committed to securing voting and political rights for women on the same terms as men, including the right to hold political office and serve on juries.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vit02
#EqualRights #CivilRights #VotingRights
#OnThisDay in 1954, the Supreme Court of the US ruled in a unanimous decision that school segregation violated the Equal Protection and Due Process clauses of the 14th Amendment.
Brown v. Board of Education was a consolidation of five cases. The ruling effectively ending racial segregation in public schools. Many schools, however, remained segregated.
Learn more:
-- Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/brown_vs_boe
-- US Courts: https://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/history-brown-v-board-education-re-enactment
-- Library of Congress https://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep347/usrep347483/usrep347483.pdf
-- Video: https://www.loc.gov/item/mbrs01856600/
-- Image: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-brown.html
#OnThisDay in 1896, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled 7-1 that segregation was legal and constitutional as long as "facilities were equal"—the famous "separate but equal" segregation policy.
The Plessy v. Ferguson decision provided legal justification for segregation until it was overruled by Brown v. the Board of Education in 1954.
Resources:
Library of Congress: Plessy v. Ferguson: https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/plessy.html
Library of Congress: Brown v. Board of Education: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-brown.html
#OnThisDay in 1993 Clinton signed the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (also referred to as the Motor Voter Act). The bill advanced voting rights, including (but not limited to) requiring states to offer voter registration opportunities to eligible persons during driver’s license renewal.
Timeline:
1990 - LWV convenes a symposium to examine the role of negative campaigning in the decline in voter participation. The symposium leads to a comprehensive effort to return the voter to the center of the election process. LWV works with a coalition of partners to support legislation reforming voter registration.
1992 - Congress passes the NVRA of 1992
1992 - Bush vetoes the bill
1992 - Congress fails to override the veto
1993 - Congress passes the NVRA of 1993
1993 - Clinton signs the bill into law
Resources:
-- LWV 2018-2020 Impact report: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-04/LWV%202018-20%20Impact%20on%20Issues.pdf#page=15
-- LWV Celebrates NVRA 27 Anniversary: https://www.lwv.org/blog/honoring-27th-anniversary-national-voter-registration-act
-- Bush‘s comments regarding NVRA of 1992: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/message-the-senate-returning-without-approval-the-national-voter-registration-act-1992
-- Clinton‘s comment regarding NVRA of 1993: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-signing-the-national-voter-registration-act-1993
-- US Justice Department: https://www.justice.gov/crt/about-national-voter-registration-act
On May 24, Coolidge signed the Immigration Act of 1924 (also referred to as the Johnson-Reed Act), which implemented a national quota system that limited the number of immigrants allowed into the US, and it excluded immigrants from Asia.
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act
Prevents immigration from Asia and establishes a quotas system
1952 - Truman vetoes McCarran-Walter Act (veto overridden by Congress)
Eliminates Asian exclusion and establishes a preference system for desirable ethnic groups
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Note: See https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline for a description of immigration laws before 1924
Resources:
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965
Coolidge’s Comments regarding Immigration: https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/were-all-in-the-same-boat-now-coolidge-on-immigration
Truman’s Veto Comments: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/public/Immigration_TrumanVeto.pdf
Johnson’s INA Signing Comments:http://www.lbjlibrary.org/lyndon-baines-johnson/timeline/lbj-on-immigration
Images:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gQD4VFtai7I0K47-d3F58Ffp9wn0fNzh
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1bfzS8eAMFA89LTE_gU3VkTZyxH5qV9Y1
#OnThisDay in 1924, Coolidge signed the Indian Citizenship Act (also known as the Snyder Act), which granted all Native Americans citizenship and the right to vote regardless of tribal affiliation. As history has shown, having the right to vote does not always equate to having the ability to vote. Learn about hurdles that suppress the Native American vote: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/voting-rights/how-the-native-american-vote-continues-to-be-suppressed/
Resources:
Native American Voting Rights Act (Introduced 2019)
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1694/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22H.+R.+83%22%5D%7D&r=62&s=1
LWV Endorsement of Native American Voting Rights Act
https://www.lwv.org/expanding-voter-access/league-endorses-native-american-voting-rights-act-2019
Voting Rights for Native Americans: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-native-americans.html
https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/every-native-american-a-citizen/
Timeline https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline
https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-native-americans.html
#OnThisDay in 1919, Congress passed (proposed for ratification) the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. The amendment was ratified by the states on August 18, 1920.
http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
Learn more:
National Women’s History Museum: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Today marks the death of Harriet Forten Purvis (1810-1875). Typically, we ask you to join in the celebration of a birth, but Harriet’s birthday is unknown, but her contributions to the rights we enjoy today are worthy of remembrance. Improving the civil and voting rights of others was a family tradition for Harriet and her relatives:
** Daughter of Charlotte Valdine Forten (1st generation suffragist)
** Sister of Sarah Forten Purvis and Margaret Forten (2nd generation suffragists)
** Mother to Hattie Purvis (3rd generation suffragist)
** Aunt of Charlotte Forten Grimke (3rd generation suffragist)
** Wife of Robert Purvis Sr ** (instrumental in development of the Underground Railroad)
Learn more:
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/more-to-the-movement/harriet-forten-purvis/
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- Turning Point: https://suffragistmemorial.org/harriet-forten-purvis-1810-1875/
-- Women History: https://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2016/08/harriet-forten-purvis.html
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Jeannette Pickering Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress.
Learn more:
-- PBS - @unladylike2020: https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jeannette-rankin/
-- House History: https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/R/RANKIN,-Jeannette-(R000055)
Faslane Peace Camp is a permanent peace camp situated next to the Faslane Naval Base in Scotland. Set up on this date in 1982, the camp is the world‘s longest-running active demonstration site and was originally set up as part of the anti-nuclear weapons movements of the 1980s.
#OnThisDay in 1866, Congress passed (proposed) the 14th Amendment, which granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former and recently freed slaves. In addition, it forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) 0n June 13, 1866 and ratified July 9, 1868.
Resources:
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Join us in celebrating the birthday. Miriam was the 1st woman elected as Governor of Texas.
Learn more:
-- https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffe06
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/lkj01
JUNETEENTH. On June 19 ("Juneteenth"), 1865, Union general Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and issued General Order Number 3, which read, "The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juneteenth
Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, is an American holiday that commemorates the June 19, 1865, announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. state of Texas, and more generally the emancipation of enslaved African Americans throughout the former Confederate States of America. Its name is a portmanteau of "June" and "nineteenth", the date of its celebration.[1][2] Juneteenth is recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in forty-five states.[3]
Today it is observed primarily in local celebrations. Traditions include public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, singing traditional songs such as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing", and reading of works by noted African-American writers such as Ralph Ellison and Maya Angelou.[4] Celebrations may include rodeos, street fairs, cookouts, family reunions, park parties, historical reenactments, or Miss Juneteenth contests.[5] The Mascogos, descendants of Black Seminoles, of Coahuila, Mexico also celebrate Juneteenth.[6]
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal of VRA
Nixon signs 5-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on June 22, 1970. The VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1919, the TX Leg meets in a special session to consider ratification of the 19th Amendment.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919. #100YearsStrong
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
-- Leg Reference Libary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/govdocs/William%20P%20Hobby/1919/36-2proc.pdf 01
#OnThisDay in 1919, the Texas House adopts a resolution to ratify the 19th Amendment.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay in 2013, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled 5-4 that Section 4(b) of the Voters Right Act (VRA) was unconstitutional because the coverage formula was outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable until Congress agrees on a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
Timeline:
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples under the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution. The product of a three-year court battle challenging state-level bans on same-sex marriage, the landmark decision by the Supreme Court in Obergefell v. Hodges requires all US states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, while recognising same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, officially making marriage equality the law of the land across the United States and its territories.
#OnThisDay in 1918, Hortense Sparks Ward became the first woman in Harris County history to register to vote. Born in Matagorda County in 1872, she married Houston lawyer William Henry Ward in 1908. In 1910 she became one of the first women admitted to the Texas state bar (after Edith Locke in 1902 and Alice Tiernan in 1909).
Ward worked tirelessly in support of women’s rights and penned moving newspaper essays and pamphlets for that cause. She was instrumental in the passage of the Married Woman’s Property Law of 1913 by the Texas Legislature, and she campaigned with suffragist Minnie Fisher Cunningham for enfranchisement.
Texas women won an important victory in 1918 when the legislature permitted them to vote in primary elections. In a short span of less than three weeks, 386,000 women across the state registered to vote, and Hortense Ward led the way.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwa83
#OnThisDay in 1952, Congress passed into law (overriding a veto by Truman) the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1952, which abolished racial restrictions for immigration and naturalization but kept the national origins quota system established in the Immigration act of 1924
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act: Prevented immigration from Asia, set quotas on the number of immigrants from the Eastern Hemisphere)
1952 - Truman vetoes (veto overridden by Congress) McCarran-Walter Act: Eliminated Asian exclusion and established a preference system that determined which ethnic groups were desirable immigrants
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act: Eliminated policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Learn more: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965/
Join us in commemorating the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, which became a watershed moment for gay rights. After Stonewall, gay-right groups formed in cities across American, Canada, Australia, and Europe. In June 1970, the first public gay-pride marches took place commemorating the one-year anniversary of the uprising. #PRIDE #CivilRights #Intersectional
Learn more:
--Time: https://buff.ly/35HzdQl
-- PBS: https://buff.ly/2PrCqeP
-- LOC: https://buff.ly/3heGM6w
-- Video of 1st Pride March: https://www.loc.gov/item/mbrs01991430/
Go here to see the LWVTX’s position on Equal Opportunity: https://buff.ly/2NlG5wL
In addition, see the position update report from the 2020 LWVTX convening to see how the League’s positions are evolving. https://buff.ly/2YFYb14
#OnThisDay in 1919, the Texas Senate approved ratification of the 19th Amendment. Texas became the 9th state in the US and the 1st state in the South to approve ratification.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919. #100YearsStrong
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay, Reagan signs a 25-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on June 29, 1982. The renewal extended for 25 years the Section 5 preclearance provision and extended the requirement for bilingual elections for 10 years. The VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1971, the 26th Amendment was ratified, giving adults aged 18 through 21 the right to vote. The 26th Amendment was enacted in response to Vietnam War protestors who argued that soldiers who were old enough to fight/die for their country should be old enough to vote.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on March 23, 1971, and ratified on July 1, 1971.
Learn more:
-- National Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xxvi
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
#OnThis Day, Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It prohibits unequal application of voter registration requirements, and racial segregation in schools, employment, and public accommodations.
#CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
-- Johnson Library: http://www.lbjlibrary.org/exhibits/civil-rights
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/summer/civil-rights-act-1.html
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Join us celebrating the birthday of Gertrude Bustill Mosell. Gertrude wrote a weekly advice column, "Our Women‘s Department," which was the 1st women‘s column in the history of the African-American press. She fought for equal rights and encouraged women to join the suffragist movement.
Learn more:
-- Article: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
-- Book: https://books.google.com/books?id=CHx5tY6wQSMC&pg=PA37&lpg=PA37&dq=Gertrude+Bustill+Mossell&source=bl&ots=W1sLIooEOO&sig=ACfU3U1M6Q9DfnX2OJmLRn4pJBdGJaT7yQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi1hL-J18zpAhURC6wKHbR1CXc4FBDoATAFegQICRAB#v=onepage&q=Gertrude%20Bustill%20Mossell&f=false
-- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Bustill_Mossell
-- Penn University Archive: https://archives.upenn.edu/collections/finding-aid/upt50m913
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/african-american-women-and-the-nineteenth-amendment.htm
The 4th of July marks the birth of the United States of America as a nation, recalling the Declaration of Independence made in 1776. The Continental Congress of the thirteen American colonies had actually passed a resolution of independence from the British Empire on July 2nd, but subsequently debated the additional declaration which explained its decision. The American Revolution had already been underway since 1775, and continued to 1783 in victory for the new United States.
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Jenny Bland Beauchamp. She wrote one of the first articles on woman suffrage published in Texas.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbeaj
#OnThisDay in 1868, Titus H. Mundine was the 1st Texas legislator to propose the enfranchisement of women and African Americans.
"Every person, without distinction of sex, who shall have arrived at the age of twenty-one years...shall be deemed a qualified elector." -- Titus H. Mundine
Learn More:
Titus – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmuvf
1868-69 Constitutional Convention – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/mjc04
Woman Suffrage – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay in 1868, the 14th Amendment was ratified. It granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former and recently freed slaves. In addition, it forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on June 13, 1866 and ratified on July 9, 1868.
Resources:
National Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xiv
National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Mary McLeod Bethune (Birthday)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary MCLeod Bethune who contributed to the women’s suffrage movement through her activism and writing.
Learn more:
NPS: https://www.nps.gov/mamc/learn/historyculture/mary-mcleod-bethune.htm
Women‘s Vote: https://www.womensvote100.org/the-suff-buffs-blog/2020/5/4/mary-mcleod-bethune-true-democracy-and-the-fight-for-universal-suffrage?fbclid=IwAR2sHG_Gb3ue4UpAFdSYiWe95TNmK0HJE-_pnIiWUwYVp88PNlRd9Hu9SHg
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Ida Wells Barnett. Ida was a civil rights activist and founded the Alpha Suffrage Club in 1913. She criticized mainstream (white) suffrage organizations for their exclusion of women of color. During the 1913 Women‘s March on Washington, Wells and other African-American women were told to march at the back of the procession. Wells refused, waiting until the procession started and then joining the block of women that represented her state.
Learn more:
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fySmIinC0MU&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR3orBtlRs5Vhx0pCTMSgBTd6jU4wZ-xCXOv_9WVKweq8RGPZ8rWDuNR6kE
-- Hidden Figures: https://buff.ly/2TPhL88
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Time Mag: https://time.com/5792441/the-suffragists-100-women-of-the-year/
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://buff.ly/2Xd2mjQ
-- PBS: https://buff.ly/2Ag4b7c (1 hr 9 minutes in)
-- Ida‘s Writing; https://buff.ly/2Uv75vG
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Alice Dunbar Nelson. Alice was active in the emerging civil rights and woman suffrage movements. In 1915, she was the field organizer for the Middle Atlantic States in the campaign for women‘s suffrage. During World War I, Dunbar-Nelson served as a field representative of the Woman‘s Committee of the Council of National Defense.
Learn more:
-- University of Delaware Library: http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/findaids/dunbarne.html
-- Smithsonian: https://blog.library.si.edu/blog/2020/03/12/an-unsung-legacy-the-work-and-activism-of-alice-dunbar-nelson/#.XsnsXmhKhPY
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- Black History: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/dunbar-nelson-alice-ruth-moore-1875-1935/
#OnThisDay in 1848, the 1st women‘s rights convention was held in the US. It took place in Seneca Falls, New York. The meeting launched the women’s suffrage movement.
Learn more:
-- Constitutional Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/on-this-day-the-seneca-falls-convention-begins
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/july-19/
-- White House Archive: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/find-the-sentiments
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
Celebration of signing of ADA
#OnThisDay, Bush signs the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1964, which made discrimination based on race, religion, sex, national origin, and other characteristics illegal. In addition, unlike the CRA, the ADA also requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities and imposes accessibility requirements on public accommodations.
#OnThisDay, Bush signs a 25-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on Juyly 22, 2006.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lucy Burns. Lucy was an American suffragist and women‘s rights activist. She spent more time in prison because of her activism than any other American woman suffragist. She and Alice Paul were co-founders of the National Woman‘s Party.
Learn more:
National Parks Service: https://www.nps.gov/people/lucy-burns.htm
Watch Iron Jawed Angels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzoXTo4-hws
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mariana Thompson Folsom. Mariana was a leader in the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWS) and asked Lucy Stone in 1885 for assistance in establishing a state (Texas) suffrage society.
Learn more:
-- TSHA History: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffo43
-- TSHA Image: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/folsom-lecture.html
-- Unitarian Oral History: http://www.liveoakuu.org/services/rev-mariana-thompson-folsom-1845-1909/
-- Bullock Museum: https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/artifacts/what-is-feminine
-- TSL - Personal Diary Entry: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/mariana-diary.html
-- TSL - Letter from Lucy Stone: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/stone-folsom-1.html
#OnThisDay in 1965, Johnson signed the Voter Rights Act (VRA). In addition on this same day in 1975, Ford signs a 7-yr renewal. The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
** UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” Consequently, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula. **
Timeline:
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1965, Johnson signed the Voter Rights Act (VRA). The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
** UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” Consequently, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula. **
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
History: https://www.justice.gov/crt/history-federal-voting-rights-laws Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA87JWa0bEw
Video: https://storycorps.org/stories/ellie-dahmer-and-bettie-dahmer-170113/
Aug 6, 1965: Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights movement on August 6, 1965, and
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lucy Stone. Lucy was a leading suffragist who dedicated her life to fighting inequality. She was the first Massachusetts woman to earn a college degree. Lucy organized the first National Women’s Rights Convention in Worcester, Massachusetts, and she was a founding member of the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), which would later merge with the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucy-stone
-- Video: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d
-- History: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Charlotte Forten Grimké. Charlotte was a 3rd-generation suffragist and equal rights advocate. She is a reminder that we make progress by standing on the shoulders of others, and that it can take multiple generations to right wrongs.
** Granddaughter of Charlotte Vandine Forten **
** Daughter of Robert Bridges Forten **
** Niece of Margaret, Harriet, and Sarah Forten **
Learn more:
-- National History Center: http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai/identity/text3/charlottefortenjournal.pdf
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- NPS (19th Amendment): https://www.nps.gov/articles/african-american-women-and-the-nineteenth-amendment.htm
-- NPS (Voting Rights): https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Journals of Charlotte Forten Grimke: https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/3uHylBU24jMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PP1
-- Muse: https://muse.jhu.edu/chapter/1945821
-- Beltway Poetry: http://www.beltwaypoetry.com/poetry/poets/names/grimke-charlotte-forten/
#OnThisDay, 1920 the 19th Amendment was ratified, granting women the right to vote. This amendment prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex. The ratification was the culmination of the women‘s suffrage movement in the United States, which fought at both state and national levels to achieve the vote.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920.
Learn more:
-- National Women’s History Museum: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Annie Webb Blanton, teacher, suffragist, and the first woman in Texas elected to statewide office, was born Aug 19, 1870, in Houston.
In the July 1918 primary, when Texas women exercised their voting rights for the first time, Blanton defeated incumbent Walter F. Doughty and Brandon Trussell by a large margin. In November, her victory in the general election made her the first woman in Texas elected to statewide office. She served as state superintendent through 1922.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbl16
-- Humanities Texas https://www.humanitiestexas.org/programs/tx-originals/list/annie-webb-blanton
"The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote nationally on August 18, 1920, so why is Women’s Equality Day on August 26th each year?
The simple answer is that even when a constitutional amendment has been ratified it’s not official until it has been certified by the correct government official. In 1920, that official was U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby. On August 26, 1920, Colby signed a proclamation behind closed doors at 8 a.m. at his own house in Washington, D.C, ending a struggle for the vote that started a century earlier." -- Constitution Center
The first executive secretary of the League of Women Voters, Minnie Fisher Cunningham, was a Texan who, among many other notable achievements, worked for the passage of the 19th Amendment in Texas and nationally.
Learn more:
-- Alice Paul Org: https://www.alicepaul.org/2020-exhibition/
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/why-august-26-is-known-as-womans-equality-day
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/collections/women-of-protest/articles-and-essays/tactics-and-techniques-of-the-national-womans-party-suffrage-campaign/
-- NCSL: https://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/amending-the-u-s-constitution.aspx
Image: https://www.alicepaul.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/5_Suffragist_Cover_1920.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1962, the 24th Amendment, which prohibited the use or a poll tax as a condition for voting in federal elections, was passed by Congress. #SystemicRacism
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) to the states on August 27, 1962, and ratified on January 23, 1964.
“After nearly disappearing in the states, a repurposed poll tax returned as part of a successful effort to undermine the Fifteenth Amendment and reestablish limits on the franchise. Beginning in Florida in 1889, all the former Confederate States, and a few others, instituted a suite of changes to voting laws as a part of this effort. They introduced literacy tests and disqualified convicted felons from voting. They also resurrected poll taxes. The historical record is filled with racially derogatory statements from delegates at State constitutional conventions who believed poll taxes and other devices would suppress Black voter registration and turnout.”
“The Supreme Court repeatedly affirmed the constitutionality of poll taxes. In its 1937 opinion in Breedlove v. Suttles, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected a claim from a white Georgia voter that the poll tax violated the Equal Protection Clause. In 1951, it rejected a similar claim challenging Virginia’s poll tax in Butler v. Thompson.” -- Constitution Center #CheckAndBalances #3Branches
Resources:
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xxiv
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- US House: https://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/37045
-- Breedlove v. Suttles: https://perma.cc/6G6H-6U4T
-- Butler v. Thompson: https://perma.cc/V4JP-TYHY
#OnThisDay in 1963, approximately 250,000 people took part in The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Martin Luther King gave the closing address in front of the Lincoln Memorial:
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
Learn more:
-- King Institute: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/i-have-dream-address-delivered-march-washington-jobs-and-freedom
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=173&v=smEqnnklfYs&feature=emb_logo
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/10-fascinating-facts-about-the-i-have-a-dream-speech
-- Civil Rights Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/march_on_washington
#OnThisDay in 1983, the 68th Texas legislature passed HB718, which abolished the life-time voting ban on ex-felons, but included a 5-yr waiting period before ex-felons would become eligible to vote.
On Sept 1, 1997, the 75th Texas legislature passed HB1001 eliminated the 5-yr waiting period.
Learn more:
-- TSLL: https://guides.sll.texas.gov/reentry-resources/voting
-- 75th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/Sessionoverviews/summary/75soe.pdf#page=114 (pg. 114)
-- 68th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/sessionOverviews/summary/soe68.pdf#page=82 (pg. 77)
-- HB1001 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/75R/HB1001/HB1001_75R.pdf
-- HB718 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/68R/HB718/HB718_68R.pdf#page=23 (pg. 23)
-- HB718 Election Law Opinion: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- JSTOR: https://www.jstor.org/stable/29768353?read-now=1&seq=4#page_scan_tab_contents (pg. 82)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Myra Davis Hemmings. Hemmings was born in Gonzales, Texas. She was one of the founders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. as well as its first president. The sorority was founded at Howard University in Jan 1913 and its 1st public act was to participate in the Woman Suffrage Procession in Washington, D.C. in Mar of 1913.
Suffragist Mary Church Terrell lobbied on behalf of the Deltas to win them a place in the parade, where they were the only African American organization represented. #HiddenFigures
A Texas Historical Marker dedicated to Myra resides at the Myra Davis Hemmings Resource Center in Bexar County, TX.
Photo credit: San Antonio Alumnae Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Learn More:
-- @usgpo: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2013-01-24/html/CREC-2013-01-24-pt1-PgS292.htm
-- @TxHistComm: https://atlas.thc.texas.gov/Details/5507017358/print
-- @TxStHistAssoc: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fhe64
-- @dstinc1913: https://www.deltasigmatheta.org
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lulu Belle Madison White. Lulu Belle was a civil rights activist who worked to eliminate the white primary in the 1930s. In 1939, she became the president of the Houston chapter of the NAACP. After the SCOTUS ruling in 1944 that outlawed the white primary (Smith v. Allwright), she worked tirelessly to encourage voting and educate voters.
Learn more:
-- TSHA Handbook: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwh75
-- TSHA Honest Past (p. 337): https://join.tshaonline.org/ebook-offers/honest-past/SHQ-An-Honest-Past.pdf
-- WTH: https://www.womenintexashistory.org/audio/lulu-belle-madison-white
-- Humanities of TX: https://www.humanitiestexas.org/news/articles/craft-civil-rights
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Ann Richards. In 1976, Ann became the 1st woman elected to the Travis County Commissioners Court. In 1982, Ann became the 1st woman elected as Texas State Treasurer, which was the 1st time a woman had been elected to statewide office in Texas since Miriam Ferguson‘s successful gubernatorial race in 1932--breaking a 50-yr absence of women in statewide leadership. In 1990, Ann became the 2nd woman to serve as governor of Texas since Texas became a state in 1845.
Learn more:
-- https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fri62
#OnThisDay in 1997, the 75th TX legislature, passed HB1001, which amended the Election Code to clarify the voting rights (eligibility) of fully discharged ex-felons, and it eliminated the 5-year waiting period established by HB718.
In 1983, the 68th Session of the TX Leg passed HB718, which abolished the life-time voting ban on ex-felons, but included a 5-year waiting period before ex-felons would become eligible to vote.
Learn more:
-- TXSLL: https://guides.sll.texas.gov/reentry-resources/voting
-- TXSOS: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- 75th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/Sessionoverviews/summary/75soe.pdf#page=114 (pg. 114)
-- 68th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/sessionOverviews/summary/soe68.pdf#page=82 (pg. 77)
-- HB1001 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/75R/HB1001/HB1001_75R.pdf
-- HB718 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/68R/HB718/HB718_68R.pdf#page=23 (pg. 23)
-- HB718 Election Law Opinion: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- JSTOR: https://www.jstor.org/stable/29768353?read-now=1&seq=4#page_scan_tab_contents (pg. 82)
This Labor Day we’re recognizing the contributions of laborers by taking a look back at the impact of labor unions on the women’s suffrage movement.
Did you know that middle and upper-class suffragists learned to use parades and picketing from working-class suffragists who were members of labor unions?
“Since the beginning of the women’s rights movement, women who devoted their lives to reform often were middle and upper-class women. Women who worked to support themselves and their families had less time and funds to devote to social movements.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, however, working women began supporting suffrage in greater numbers. They joined labor unions, held strikes for higher pay, and protested for better working conditions. Working women started seeing the vote as a way to gain more political power to further these causes.
Harriot Stanton Blatch, daughter of suffrage leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton, was among the first suffragists to recruit working women to support suffrage. She started collaborating with the Women’s Trade Union League, founded in 1905, to help women form unions and advocate for labor reforms. In 1907, she founded the Equality League of Self-Supporting Women (later called the Women’s Political Union) to attract working women to the suffrage movement. Blatch also wanted to integrate the more aggressive, militant tactics of labor activists—like parades through city streets and speakers on street corners—into the suffrage strategies to attract more publicity. Working women and their experience with the tactics of labor activists proved vital to winning the vote.” Allison Lange, Ph.D. https://www.loc.gov/resource/ggbain.02144/
Learn more:
-- Crusade for the Vote: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/working-women-movement
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/static/collections/women-of-protest/images/tactics.pdf
-- DOL: https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/history
JJoin us in celebrating the birthday of Jovita Idár. Idarwas born in 1885 and was an American journalist and civil rights activist who wrote about the challenges Mexican Americans faced in Texas. Her activism was influenced by the lynching of ethnic-Mexican men in South Texas during the early 20th century. She also used her platform as a journalist to support suffrage.
Learn more:
-- PBS (Unladylike): https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jovita-idar
-- TXWF: https://www.txwf.org/champions-for-change-jovita-idar-and-the-villareal-sisters/
-- Women‘s History: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/jovita-idar
-- TSHA Handbook: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fid03
-- TSHA Honest Past (p. 196): https://join.tshaonline.org/ebook-offers/honest-past/SHQ-An-Honest-Past.pdf
-- Humanities of Texas: https://www.humanitiestexas.org/programs/tx-originals/list/jovita-idar
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
Photo Credit: General Photographs, UTSA Special Collections (@UTSA)
#OnThisDay, Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1957 into law. The act established the Civil Rights Section of the Justice Department and empowered federal prosecutors to obtain court injunctions against interference with the right to vote. #CivilRights #VotingRights
This was the 1st civil rights legislation since Reconstruction (1875).
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
--Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/civil_rights_act_1957
--Eisenhower Library: https://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/383/Civil-Rights-Act-of-1957
--Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Photo credit: Photographs of Official Activities of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953 - 1961, US National Archives .https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7865612 (@USNatArchives)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Burnett Talbert. Mary was an American orator, civil rights activist, and suffragist. She believed that race and gender were unifying factors that could help resolve class issues. Talbert became one of the first women to join the NAACP after its founding in 1909.
#WomenInLeadership
Learn more:
-- https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/mary-burnett-talbert (https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/mary-burnett-talbert/)
-- https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/talbert-mary-b-1866-1923 (https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/talbert-mary-b-1866-1923/)
-- https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-burnett-talbert-september-17-1866-1923 (https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-burnett-talbert-september-17-1866-1923)
Today is Constitution and Citizenship Day, so we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all recently naturalized American citizens. We hope an LWV volunteer was present at your naturalization ceremony to assist you with becoming a registered voter.
Learn more:
-- @LWVTexas: https://my.lwv.org/texas/register-vote
-- @librarycongress: https://www.loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/constitution-day.php
-- @uscis: https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/educators/constitution-day-and-citizenship-day
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Church Terrell. Mary was a civil-rights activist who championed racial equality and women’s suffrage in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Learn more:
-- PBS (@unladylike2020): https://unladylike2020.com/profile/mary-church-terrell-2
-- Womens History (@womenshistory): https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mary-church-terrell
-- LOC (@libraryofcongress): https://crowd.loc.gov/campaigns/mary-church-terrell-advocate-for-african-americans-and-women
-- NPS (@NPS) - https://www.nps.gov/people/mary-church-terrell.htm
-- https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-church-terrell/
LGBT History Month is celebrated every October in United States since 1994. It was first proposed by Missouri high school history teacher Rodney Wilson, who chose October due to the establishment of National Coming Out Day in the late 1980s on October 11. October also marks the first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, which took place in 1979. In addition to LGBT History Month, LGBT Pride Month is also celebrated each year in June to commemorate the Stonewall Riots.
On Oct 3, 1965, Johnson signs the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1965, which amended the 1952 INA by including a provision stating: No person shall receive any preference or priority or be discriminated against in the issuance of an immigrant visa because of the person‘s race, sex, nationality, place of birth, or place of residence.
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act
Prevents immigration from Asia and establishes a quotas system
1952 - Truman vetoes McCarran-Walter Act (veto overridden by Congress)
Eliminates Asian exclusion and establishes a preference system for desirable ethnic groups
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Note: See https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline for a description of immigration laws before 1924
Resources:
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965
Coolidge’s INA Comments: https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/were-all-in-the-same-boat-now-coolidge-on-immigration
Truman’s INA Comments: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/public/Immigration_TrumanVeto.pdf
Johnson’s INA Comments:http://www.lbjlibrary.org/lyndon-baines-johnson/timeline/lbj-on-immigration
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Thomas Mundy Peterson. Thomas, on March 31, 1870 (one day after the ratification of the 15th Amendment) became the first Black American to vote in a U.S. election.
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian: https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2015.190
-- NJ State HIstory; https://nj.gov/state/historical/it-happened-here/ihhnj-er-peterson.pdf
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlC3fsW3rRs
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Ann Shadd Cary.
Learn more: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement/
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Eleanor Roosevelt born on this day in 1884.
After the League of Women Voters was founded in 1920 – the same year that Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for Vice President – she helped establish its policy agenda. As the League’s Vice President of Legislative Affairs, she lobbied for reforms in Congress and worked tirelessly to strengthen women’s role in politics, helping mobilize women voters through the League’s nonpartisan training and lobbying work.
Learn more:
-- LWV: https://www.lwv.org/blog/eleanor-roosevelt-first-lady-league-leader-pioneer
Photo Credit: LC-USZ62-25812, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (@librarycongress)
http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3c08091/
National Coming Out Day (NCOD) is an annual LGBTQ awareness day observed on October 11. The day commemorates the Oct. 11, 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, which included half a million participants.
Learn more:
-- HRC: https://www.hrc.org/resources/the-history-of-coming-out
-- APA: https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/coming-out-day
-- GLAAD: https://www.glaad.org/tags/national-coming-out-day
-- Archive: https://gaycenter.org/archive_item/march-on-washington-for-lesbian-and-gay-rights
-- Image: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc276218
"In 1977 participants at the United Nations International Conference on Discrimination against Indigenous Populations in the Americas proposed that Indigenous Peoples’ Day replace Columbus Day.Indigenous Peoples’ Day recognizes that Native people are the first inhabitants of the Americas, including the lands that later became the United States of America. And it urges Americans to rethink history." https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-indian/2019/10/11/indigenous-peoples-day-2019
The following states and the District of Columbia observe Native American or Indigenous Peoples’ Day, in place of or in addition to Columbus Day:
-- Alabama
-- Alaska
-- District of Columbia
-- Hawaii
-- Idaho
-- Maine
-- Michigan
-- Minnesota
-- New Mexico
-- North Carolina
-- Oklahoma
-- Oregon
-- South Dakota
-- Vermont
-- Wisconsin
The state of Texas does not currently observer Indiginous People day, but the following local jurisdiction have made the change:
-- City of Austin
-- City of Dallas
-- City of San Antonio
-- County of Bexar
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-indian/2019/10/11/indigenous-peoples-day-2019/:
-- PBS: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/npr/2019/10/14/769083847/columbus-day-or-indigenous-peoples-day/
#OnThisDay, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled on a bundle of five cases (known as the Civil Rights Cases), and in an 8-1 decision, the court found the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1875 to be unconstitutional.
The CRA of 1875 was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant and was enacted during Reconstruction in response to civil rights violations against African Americans. The act guaranteed equal treatment in public accommodations and transportation. It also outlawing race-based discrimination in jury duty/selection. The five cases heard by SCOTUS included suites brought forth by African Americans who were denied access to segregated facilities.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources: SCOTUS Ruling:
http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep109/usrep109003/usrep109003.pdf
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
The League of Women Voters of Texas, a nonpartisan political organization, was formed on October 19, 1919, at San Antonio, when the Texas Equal Suffrage Association was dissolved to reorganize for a new purposehttps://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wel05
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Christia Daniel Adair. Christia was an NAACP leader from Houston, worked for full suffrage and was one of the first black women to vote in a Democratic primary after the Supreme Court struck down Texas‘ white primary law in 1944. As executive secretary of the Houston NAACP for 12 years, she and others desegregated the Houston airport, public libraries, city buses, and department store dressing rooms. Despite official harassment, Adair and others rebuilt the Houston NAACP chapter, which grew to 10,000 members.
Learn more:
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fad19
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Nina Otero-Warren. Nina was a civil rights leader, a suffragist, and an advocate for bilingual education.
In 1917, Otero-Warren was selected by Alice Paul to head the New Mexico chapter of the Congressional Union (precursor to the National Woman’s Party). She insisted that suffrage literature be published in both English and Spanish, in order to reach the widest audience.
She was Superintendent of Public Schools in Santa Fe County from 1918 to 1929, working to improve the conditions in rural Hispano and Native American communities. Otero-Warren argued that both Spanish and English be allowed in schools, despite the federal mandate of English-only. Despite losing her political campaign to run for a seat in the US House of Representatives, she remained politically and socially active, and served as the Chairman of New Mexico’s Board of Health; an executive board member of the American Red Cross; and director of an adult literacy program in New Mexico for the Works Projects Administration.
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/people/nina-oter-warren.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Jessie Daniel Ames. Jessie was a suffragist and the founder and first president of the League of Women Voters of Texas.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fam06
Veterans Day, also known as Armistice Day or Rememberance Day in other countries which fought in the First World War, is commemorated on the 11th of November, marking the armistice signed between the Allies and Central Powers. The armistice came into effect at 11am: the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month in 1918. Formerly known as Armistice Day in the United States, the name was changed to Veterans Day in 1954 to honor all those who have served and continue to serve in the United States Armed Forces.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Elizabeth Cady Staton (1st generation suffragists). She was born in 1815 and was one of the speakers and organizers of the Seneca Falls Convention. Elizabeth was a co-founder of the National Woman Suffrage Associate (NWSA), which would later merge with the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
** Mother of Harriet Stanton Blatch (2nd generation suffragist) **
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucy-stone
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d (11 minutes in)
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
-- Seneca Falls Convention:
#OnThisDay, Bush signed the 1991 Civil Rights Act (CRA), which provided the right to trial by jury on discrimination claims. It also added provisions to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that expanded the rights of women and disabled persons. #CivilRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Johnson signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
Bush Library: https://bush41library.tamu.edu/archives/public-papers/3660
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005). Shirley was an educator, activist, and politician who achieved a number of historic 1sts
-- 1968 1st black woman elected to the Congress
-- 1972 1st woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination
-- 1972 1st African American to run for President of the US
Learn more: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/shirley-chisholm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Debra Anne Haaland. Debra and Sharice Davids were the first two Native American women elected to the U.S Congress. Haaland is a member of the Laguna Pueblo people.
Learn more:
-- National Geographic Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T_s36-1hms
-- US House: https://haaland.house.gov/about
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Patsy Takemoto Mink. Patsy was the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-women-got-vote-far-more-complex-story-history-textbooks-reveal-180971869/
-- House History: https://history.house.gov/People/detail/18329
-- NWHF: https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/patsy-takemoto-mink/
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/patsy-mink
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Titus Howard Mundine, who was the 1st Texas Legislator to propose enfranchisement of women and blacks.
"Every person, without distinction of sex, who shall have arrived at the age of twenty-one years...shall be deemed a qualified elector." -- Titus H. Mundine
Learn More:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=5124
-- Titus – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmuvf
-- Woman Suffrage – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Eliza Eubanks Peterson Johnson. Eliza was a suffragist and civil-rights activist.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fjohn
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
-- Austin Library: http://www.austinlibrary.com/ahc/suffrage/early.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Marie Louise Bottineau Baldwin. Marie was a suffragist and lawyer who worked as an advocate for the Ojibwa/Chippewa Nation in Minnesota and North Dakota.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- National Parks Service: https://www.nps.gov/people/marie-louise-bottineau-baldwin.htm
-- MNHS: https://www.mnhs.org/historycenter/activities/museum/votes-for-women/profiles/marie-baldwin
-- National Archive: https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2020/04/02/19th-amendment-at-100-mary-louise-bottineau-baldwin/
-- LWV: https://my.lwv.org/california/diablo-valley/meet-suffragist-marie-louise-bottineau-baldwin
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Ruza Wenclawska (also known as Rose Winslow). Rose was a Polish-American suffragist and trade union organizer. She was a member of the National Women‘s Party and fought for the rights of immigrant and working-class women. Along with Alice Paul, she participated in a hunger strike to bring attention to the suffrage movement.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/collections/women-of-protest/articles-and-essays/selected-leaders-of-the-national-womans-party/officers-and-national-organizers/
-- Turning Point: https://suffragistmemorial.org/rose-winslow-d-1977
-- Historical Snapshot: https://historicalsnaps.com/2018/03/19/rose-winslow-talks-about-her-hunger-strike
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Harriet Taylor Upton. Harriet was a founding member of the National League of Women Voters and the first woman to become a vice-chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d (53 mins in)
-- Upton House: http://www.uptonhouse.org/HTayor.html
-- Ohio History: https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Harriet_T._Upton
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Martha Goodwin Tunstall. Martha became the vice-president from Texas of the newly-formed National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA).
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ftuns
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Jane McCallum. Jane was the first vice president of the League of Women Voters of Texas. She had the longest term as the Secretary of State of Texas.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmc07
-- Texas Secretary as State: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/about/history.shtml
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charlotte Vandine Forten born in 1785.
-- 1st generation American suffragist
-- Mother of the Forten sisters: Margaret, Harriet, and Sarah (2nd generation suffragists)
-- Grandmother of Charlotte Forten Grimké (3rd generation suffragist)
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- Black Suffragette: http://www.blacksuffragette.com/friends
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Helen Edmunds Moore. Helen was a nurse, suffragist, and a member of the 41, 42, and 44th legislatures. In the 44 Legislature, she was the only woman.
Learn more:
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/moore-helen-edmunds
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Lucretia Coffin Mott. Lucretia was a suffragist and human rights activist. She was one of the organizers of the 1st Woman’s Rights Convention Seneca Falls, N.Y.
Learn more:
NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucretia-mott
PBS: Video: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/
NPS: https://www.nps.gov/wori/learn/historyculture/lucretia-mott.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Harriet Staton Blatch (2nd generation suffragists).
Voting rights was a family affair
** Daughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1st generation suffragist)
She founded the Equality League of Self-Supporting Women, later called the Women‘s Political Union, whose membership was based on working women, both professional and industrial. The Equality League initiated the practice of holding suffrage parades and organized the first open-air suffrage rallies in thirty years. As many as 25,000 people marched in these parades.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (28 minutes in)
#OnThisDay the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled on the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case and made a controversial decision that reversed existing campaign finance restrictions and enabled corporations and other outside groups to spend unlimited funds on elections. #DarkMoney
"Prevention of improper corporate influence in the electoral process...is a pillar of our modern democracy" -- LWV Amicus Brief #DarkMoney
"Voters are supposed to be at the center of our political process. For more than two centuries, America’s constitutional democracy has been moving in the direction of broader enfranchisement and more meaningful political participation by American citizens. After the Civil War, the 15th Amendment to the Constitution guaranteed the right to vote to citizens regardless of race or color. The 19th Amendment provided voting rights to women, the 24th to poor citizens and the 26th to young adults.
On the other hand, our Constitution does not reflect a similar solicitude for corporate participation; indeed our constitutional history reflects a growing concern over the influence of corporations, and the distinction between the legal protections afforded to living persons and corporations has been part of our constitutional law from the Founding." -- LWV Commentary on Citizens United
LWVUS Amicus Brief: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/Amicus_cfr.CitizenUnited.pdf
LWVUS Commentary on Citizens United: https://www.lwv.org/money-politics/league-commentary-citizens-united-v-fec-case-supreme-court
Brennan Institute: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/citizens-united-explained
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Maud Wood Park. Park was the 1st president of the National League of Women Voters.
Learn more:
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/november-2015-suffragist-of-the-month/
-- Harvard: https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/schlesinger-library/collection/papers-maud-wood-park-in-womans-rights-collection
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=8
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charles Curtis, of Kaw, Osage, and Pottawatomie ancestry. Curtis was sworn in as the U.S. Senator from Kansas. Charles was also the 1st person of color and 1st person of Native American ancestry to hold the office of vice president under President Hoover.
Learn more:
-- Senate History: https://www.senate.gov/about/officers-staff/vice-president/VP_Charles_Curtis.htm
-- Kansas Historical Society: https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/charles-curtis/12029
Black History Month is celebrated in the United States and Canada each February. Black History Month traces its origins to Negro History Week which was first created in 1926 with the week chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (February 12th) and Frederick Douglass (February 14th). An annual monthlong celebration of black history was later proposed by students and educators at Kent State University in 1969, and adopted one year later. By the mid-1970s, Black History Month was celebrated across the United States and officially recognized by US President Gerald Ford in 1976. Originally intended to celebrate black history and culture in the United States, Black History Month has since spread to Canada, as well as the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands, where it is celebrated in October.
#OnThisDay in 1870, the 15th Amendment, which granted black men the right to vote, was ratified. Unfortunately, Southern states continued to disenfranchise black voters through the use of poll taxes, literacy tests, threats of physical harm, etc. Therefore, the promise of the 15th Amendment was not fully realized until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965--almost a century later.
The amendment was passed (proposed) by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870.
Learn more:
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- LOC: http://www.loc.gov/rr//program/bib/ourdocs/15thamendment.html
-- Teaching resources: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-african-americans.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Juanita Jewel Craft. Juanita and Lulu Belle White of Houston organized 182 branches of the NAACP in Texas over a period of eleven years. Following the Smith v. Allwright ruling, in 1944 Juanita became the first black woman in Dallas County to vote in the Democratic Party primary. In 1946, she was the first black woman deputized in the state to collect the poll tax. Juanita was also a member of the League of Women Voters of Texas.
The Smith v. Allwright U.S. case ended the white primary.
Learn More:
-- http://www.juanitacrafthouse.org/
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fcr59
-- TxPolProject - Smith v. Allwright: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lawrence Aaron Nixon. Lawrence...
The Smith v. Allwright case ended the white primary, which suppressed the Black vote.
Learn More:
-- @TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fni10
-- @TxPolProject - White Primary: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Adella Hunt Logan.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Nellie May Quande. “In 1913, Nellie Quander, president of the nation‘s oldest Black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, wrote to Alice Paul, chair for a major upcoming Washington, D.C., parade, planned to attract national attention for the cause on the day before the inauguration of President Woodrow Wilson. "We do not wish to enter if we must meet with discrimination on account of race affiliation," Quander wrote. "Can you assign us to a desirable place in the college women‘s section?”
Learn more:
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/new-tactics-for-a-new-generation-1890-1915/new-tactics-and-renewed-confrontation/howard-university-sorority-seeks-assurances-of-nondiscrimination
-- Smithsonian: https://womenshistory.si.edu/news/2020/08/19suffragestories-countdown-stories-14-10
-- Facing History:
https://facingtoday.facinghistory.org/suffrage-and-sisterhood-the-origins-and-impact-of-black-sororities
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Fannie Barrier Williams. Fannie was an educator, political activist, and women’s rights advocate. In 1907, she was the only Black woman to eulogize Susan B. Anthony at the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) convention. Also, she helped found the NAACP in 1909.
Learn more:
-- BlackPast: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/williams-fannie-barrier-1855-1944/
-- ISU: https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/directory/frances-barrier-williams/
-- RRLC: https://rrlc.org/winningthevote/biographies/fannie-barrier-williams/
-- SPC: https://www.splcenter.org/news/2019/06/01/weekend-read-challenging-whitewashed-history-womens-suffrage/
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/more-to-the-movement/fannie-barrier-williams/
#OnThisDay in 1909, the NAACP was founded. The NAACP is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation.
Mission: To ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.
Learn more:
-- NAACP: https://naacp.org/nations-premier-civil-rights-organization/
-- TSHA: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/national-association-for-the-advancement-of-colored-people
-- UW: https://depts.washington.edu/moves/NAACP_intro.shtml
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charlotta Spears Bass, who was born on this day in 1874. Charlotta was an educator, newspaper publisher, civil-rights and voting-rights activist. She was also the first Black woman to own and operate a newspaper in the United States and the first Black woman nominated for Vice President.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/people/charlottabass.htm
-- Black Past; https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/bass-charlotta-1879-1969/
-- South California Library: https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf6c60052d/
#OnThisDay in 1920, the League of Women Voters was founded. Carrie Chapman Catt shared the following about the founding: "Is the (League) political? Certainly, but not partisan. Its members are as free as other women to join and vote with the party of their choice. They make no pledge otherwise in joining the League."
Mission: Empowering voters. Defending democracy.
Learn more: https://www.lwv.org/league-women-voters-through-decades
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Anna Howard Shaw.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (1 hr in)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Susan B. Anthony (1st generation suffragists). She was born in 1820. Susan was a co-founder of the National Woman Suffrage Associate (NWSA), which would later merge with the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
**Susan died in 1906, 14 years before women were given the right to vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. **
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/susan-b-anthony
-- @susanbhouse: https://susanb.org/her-life/
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
-- Seneca Falls Convention:
#OnThisDay in 1929, LULAC was founded. LULAC is the oldest and largest continuously active Latino political association in the US.
Mission: To advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, housing, health and civil rights of the Hispanic population of the United States.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wel01
Join us commemorating the life of Frederick Douglass (1818 - 1895)."Frederick was one of the few men present at the woman‘s rights convention held at Seneca Falls, New York, in July 1848.
Learn more:
-- Blackpast: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/1888-frederick-douglass-woman-suffrage/
-- Smithsonian: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hidden-history-anna-murray-douglass-180968324/
#BHM
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Zitkala-Sa (Red Bird). "Zitkala-Ša joined the Society of American Indians, a group founded in 1911 with the purpose of preserving traditional Native American culture while also lobbying for full American citizenship."
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/people/zitkala-sa.htm
Photo: https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_S_NPG.79.26?destination=edan-search/default_search%3Freturn_all%3D1%26edan_q%3DZitkala%2520Sa
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Rosalie Gardiner Jones. In December of 1912, over 200 women joined Rosalie for parts of a 140-mile march from New York City to Albany to support women‘s suffrage. During the march, the women stopped to hold open-air meetings and distribute pamphlets in communities along the way.
Learn More:
-- PBS Doc: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (1 hr 16 mins in)
-- New York Heritage: https://nyheritage.org/exhibits/recognizing-womens-right-vote/%E2%80%9Cgeneral%E2%80%9D-rosalie-jones-and-suffrage-hikes
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/people/dr-general-rosalie-jones.htm
#OnThisDay in 1869, Congress passed (proposed) the 15th Amendment, which granted Black male citizens the right to vote.“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 race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
The amendment was passed (proposed) by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870.
Learn more:
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- LOC: http://www.loc.gov/rr//program/bib/ourdocs/15thamendment.html
-- Teaching resources: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-african-americans.html
#OnThisDay, President Ulysses S. Grant, signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1875. The CRA was enacted during the Reconstruction era in response to civil rights violations against African Americans. The act provided for equal treatment in public accommodations and transportation. It also outlawing race-based discrimination in jury service.
Over the ensuing years, African Americans began suing businesses that denied them access to segregated facilities. On Oct 15, 1883, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) heard a group of five cases (known as the Civil Rights Cases), and in an 8-1 decision, struck down the CRA of 1875 as unconstitutional.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resource:
-- US House of Rep: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1851-1900/The-Civil-Rights-Act-of-1875
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
-- Grant‘s Memoirs: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/4367/4367-h/4367-h.htm
Women‘s History Month celebrates the everyday contributions of women across the world to events in history and contemporary society. It is celebrated during March in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, in connection with International Women‘s Day on March 8th. Women‘s History Month traces its origins to the United States, where it was first designated in 1987. Since then the tradition has spread to other countries around the world.
The "Woman Suffrage Procession" was the first suffragist parade in Washington, DC. Organized by the suffragist Alice Paul for the National American Woman Suffrage Association, it saw thousands of suffragists marching down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC on Monday, March 3, 1913. Presaging the circumstances surrounding the 2017 Women‘s March just over 100 years later, the 1913 event was scheduled on the day before President Woodrow Wilson‘s inauguration to "march in a spirit of protest against the present political organization of society, from which women are excluded," as the official program stated. While studying in England, Paul had heard the British suffragist Christabel Pankhurst speak and joined the Women‘s Social and Political Union, being jailed a number of times in the process. She returned to the US in 1910 and continued to campaign for women‘s rights leading to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920.
March 7, 1965: In the Selma to Montgomery March, around 600 civil rights marchers walk to Selma, Alabama to Montgomery—the state’s capital—in protest of black voter suppression. Local police block and brutally attack them. After successfully fighting in court for their right to march, Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders lead two more marches and finally reach Montgomery on March 25.
Advocate of women‘s rights.
In February 1912 Brackenridge was elected president of the newly organized San Antonio Equal Franchise Society. The formation of this society stimulated interest throughout the state, and delegates from seven Texas cities met in San Antonio and organized the Texas Woman Suffrage Association in April 1913. Eleanor Brackenridge held the office of president for one year and then became honorary president.
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbr04
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Anna Murray Douglass born in 1813. Anna was the wife of Frederick Douglas, but more than that, she was a participant in the activities necessary to ensure voting rights for all Americans.
Learn more:
-- @SmithsonianMagazine: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hidden-history-anna-murray-douglass-180968324/
-- @USAToday:https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/07/06/frederick-douglass-first-wife-anna-murray-made-his-work-possible/5382922002/
-- @librarycongress: https://www.loc.gov/item/mfd.02007/
International Women‘s Day traces its origins to the women‘s rights movement of the early 20th century, having been first proposed by German campaigner Clara Zetkin at an international conference in Copenhagen. The day is a celebration of the social, economic, political and cultural achievements of women worldwide. The annual campaign calls for gender parity and raises funds to support initiatives towards this goal.
Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) was never far from the struggle for equal rights and human liberation throughout her long life, from the work on the Underground Railroad for which she is famous, to her later years as an activist in the women‘s suffrage movement in the early 20th century. Born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia in 1849 before immediately returning to rescue her family. Tubman would make some 13 return trips to the South to liberate family, friends, and relatives - at great personal risk to herself - guiding them to freedom in the northern United States and British North America (present-day Canada) using a clandestine network of anti-slavery activists and safe houses to facilitate the journey. Tubman later helped the abolitionist John Brown recruit troops for his 1859 raid on Harper‘s Ferry, and helped lead multiple attacks on Confederate plantations and infrastructure during the Civil War. Toward the end of her life, Tubman joined the campaign for women‘s suffrage. With the struggle against slavery still in living memory, Tubman moved audiences around the country with tales of her heroic actions before and after the Civil War, offering these sacrifices as evidence and living proof that women deserved the same rights as men.
#OnThisDay in 1918, the Texas House (during the 36 legislative sessions) passed HB-105 by a vote of 83-34. The bill granted women the right to vote in (white) Texas Primaries.
The bill was passed by the Texas Senate on March 21, 1918 by a vote of 18-4.
Governor William P. Hobby signed the bill into law on March 26, 1918.
Learn more:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/whatsNew/client/index.cfm/2018/3/20/Votes-for-Women-The-100th-Anniversary-of-Texas-Womens-Suffrage
Bayard Rustin (1912-1987) was an American civil rights activist who worked as an influential organizer and behind-the-scenes adviser to many causes throughout the civil rights era. Rustin began his organizing career working alongside fellow activist A. Philip Randolph on the March on Washington Movement in the early 1940s, which campaigned for the desegregation of the US armed forces. Rustin later played a central organizing role in other key civil rights actions such as the Freedom Rides and the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Martin Luther King - whom Rustin had schooled on methods of non-violence and helped elevate to his leadership position in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference - gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Rustin continued his career as an activist following the passage of civil rights legislation in the mid-1960s, promoting the unionization of African American workers and working internationally to aid war refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia while raising awareness to the ongoing plight of Jews living in the Soviet Union. A gay man who chose to play a supporting role in the Civil Rights Movement due to public criticisms of his homosexuality, Rustin spent his final years working on behalf of LGBT causes during the 1980s.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Minnie Fisher Cunningham born in 1882. Minnie was the first Executive Secretary of the League of Women Voters. The Texas native was also the first female pharmacy student at the University of Texas and the first woman to run for the Texas Senate. Members of the Minnie Fisher Cunningham Society continue empowering voters and defending democracy into the future by naming the League in their wills for a bequest.
Learn More:
-- LWV: https://my.lwv.org/texas/leave-legacy-minnie-fisher-cunningham-society
-- Suffrage Petition: https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/tx-woman-suffrage-petition
--TSHA: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/cunningham-minnie-fisher
-- PBS: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/shows/2015/12/19/43918/texas-originals-minnie-fisher-cunningham/
#OnThisDay in 1918, the Texas Senate (during the 36 legislative sessions) passed HB-105 by a vote of 18-4. The bill granted women the right to vote in (white) Texas Primaries.
The bill was firsts passed in the TX House on March 15, 1918 by a vote of 84-34.
Governor William P. Hobby signed the bill into law on March 26, 1918.
Learn more:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/whatsNew/client/index.cfm/2018/3/20/Votes-for-Women-The-100th-Anniversary-of-Texas-Womens-Suffrage
The 21st of March is the anniversary of events in 1960 when police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid laws in Sharpeville, South Africa. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed an annual observation of the day in 1966.
"We must all work harder to repair the fissures and polarization that are so prevalent in our societies today. We must nurture mutual understanding and invest in making diversity a success. And we must counter and reject political figures who exploit differences for electoral gain." — UN Secretary-General António Guterres”
Learn more:
-- About End Racial Discrimination Day: https://www.un.org/en/observances/end-racism-day
-- History of the League and the UN: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/The%2520League%2520and%2520the%2520United%2520Nations.pdf
-- Role of the UN Observer: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/LWVUS%20United%20Nations%20Observer%20Role.pdf
-- Contact the UN Observers at unobserver@lwv.org.
Also World Poetry Day: https://www.un.org/en/events/poetryday/
#OnThisDay in 1972, Congress passed the ERA, but it remains 1 state short of ratification.
#OnThis day in 1971, the 26th Amendment was passed by Congress. This amendment was enacted in response to Vietnam War protests, which argued that soldiers who were old enough to fight for their country should be granted the right to vote.‘
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed to the states) on March 23, 1971, and ratified on July 1, 1971.
Resources:
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Today is Slavery Remembrance Day. “For over 400 years, more than 15 million men, women and children were the victims of the tragic transatlantic slave trade, one of the darkest chapters in human history.”
Learn about the Ark of Return, which is the permanent memorial designed by Rodney Leon (a decedent of a former slave) that sits on the grounds of the United Nations headquarters.
Resources:
-- About Slavery Remembrance Day: https://www.un.org/en/events/slaveryremembranceday
-- Ark of Return Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx-gnst3mC8
-- History of the League and the UN: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/The%2520League%2520and%2520the%2520United%2520Nations.pdf
-- Role of the UN Observer: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/LWVUS%20United%20Nations%20Observer%20Role.pdf
-- Contact the UN Observers at unobserver@lwv.org.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Virginia Louisa Minor, born in 1824. Virginia was the plaintiff in the Minor v. Happersett case that was unsuccessful in arguing that the 14th Amendment gave women the right to vote.
The Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) in 1874 ruled in a unanimous decision that the 14th Amendment did not guarantee women the right to vote.
The 19th Amendment overruled Minor v. Happersett by prohibiting discrimination in voting rights based on sex. #VotingRights
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/the-virginia-minor-case.htm
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Wilhelmina Kekelaokalaninui Widemann Dowsett.
Learn more:
-- https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelmina_Kekelaokalaninui_Widemann_Dowsett
#OnThisDay in 1961: Residents of Washington, D.C. were granted the right to vote in U.S. Presidential Elections. The 23rd Amendment extends the right to vote in presidential elections to citizens residing in the District of Columbia. The amendment grants the district electors in the Electoral College as though it were a state, though the district can never have more electors than the least-populous state.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed to the states) on June 16, 1960, and ratified March 29, 1961.
#OnThisDay in 1875, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled in a unanimous decision that the 14th Amendment did not guarantee women the right to vote.
The 19th Amendment overruled Minor v. Happersett by prohibiting discrimination in voting rights based on sex.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/the-virginia-minor-case.htm
-- US Courts: https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/annual-observances/law-day
-- LOC: https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep088/usrep088162/usrep088162.pdf
One of the most iconic labor organizers and civil rights activists in American history, Cesar Chavez (1927-1993) co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) with fellow organizer Dolores Huerta in 1962. Originally of Mexican-American origin, Chavez was a farm worker himself before turning to activism and securing official recognition for UFW as the collective bargaining agent for 50,000 field workers in California and Florida during the 1970s. Renowned for his grassroots approach to labor activism and Hispanic empowerment, Chavez is credited with popularizing the slogan "Si, se puede" ("Yes we can") and was awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 1994. In 2014 President Barack Obama proclaimed March 31 as a federal commemorative holiday in the United States, marking the date of Chavez‘s birth. Numerous American parks, streets, and schools throughout the country bear his name.
#On this day in 1944, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) decision in Smith v. Allwright ruled the so-called "white primary" unconstitutional. The case originated in 1940 when Houston dentist Lonnie E. Smith attempted to vote in the Democratic primary in Harris County and was denied a ballot.
The number of African Americans registered to vote in Texas increased from 30,000 in 1940 to 100,000 in 1947.
Learn more:
-- @TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wdw01
-- NAACP: https://www.naacpldf.org/case-issue/landmark-smith-v-allwright
-- UT: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
-- LOC: https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep321/usrep321649/usrep321649.pdf
Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was an American author, poet, dancer, actress and singer. She was active in the Civil Rights Movement and worked with Martin Luther King, James Baldwin, and Malcolm X. Prior to becoming a writer, Angelou spent much of her young life as a dancer, before turning to organizing and activism at the start of the 1960s. After spending three years as a journalist in Ghana, Angelou moved back to the United States in 1965 and collaborated closely with many of the leading civil rights figures of the time. Angelou‘s first breakthrough came in 1969 when she published her first autobiography "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," which brought global acclaim. Angelou would go on to spend the next 45 years as an internationally renowned lecturer, teacher, writer, composer, performer, and director, becoming one of America‘s literary and artistic legends.
#OnThisDay, Jeannette Pickering Rankin was sworn in as the 1st woman elected to Congress. Rankin was an American politician and women‘s rights advocate, and the first woman to hold federal office in the United States. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican from Montana in 1916, and again in 1940.
A suffragist during the Progressive Era, Rankin organized and lobbied for legislation enfranchising women in several states including Montana, New York, and North Dakota. During her victory speech following her first election to the House of Representatives, she recognized the power she held as the only woman able to vote in Congress saying, "I am deeply conscious of the responsibility resting upon me".[1] While in Congress, she introduced legislation similar to what would eventually became the 19th Constitutional Amendment, granting unrestricted voting rights to women nationwide. She championed the causes of women‘s rights and civil rights throughout a career that spanned more than six decades.
Learn more:
PBS - @unladylike2020: https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jeannette-rankin/
#OnThisDay 1893, ten Texas women, mostly members of the Woman‘s Christian Temperance Union, issued a call for a statewide woman suffrage convention. The Texas Equal Rights Association, the first such statewide organization, was chartered at the ensuing three-day convention in Dallas. Internal dissension plagued the TERA, which had been organized as a branch of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, and it ceased to operate by 1896. In 1903 Annette Finnigan helped organize a successor organization, the Texas Equal Suffrage Association, which helped lead the long and ultimately successful fight for woman suffrage. Texas women were finally granted the right to vote in primary elections in 1918, and in June 1919 Texas became the ninth state (and the first in the south) to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which extended full suffrage to women.
Learn more:
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vit02
#OnThisDay, congress overrode a veto by President Andrew Johnson and enacted into law the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1866, which defined citizenship and affirm that all citizens are equally protected by the law. The CRA of 1866 was enacted post Civil War to protect the civil rights of persons of African descent born in or brought to the US. #CivilRights
Congress passed the act on March 13, 1866.
President Andrew Johnson vetoed the act on March 27, 1866
Congress overrode the veto and enacted the CRA on April 9, 1866
Congress passed the bill to support the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
Johnson‘s Veto: https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/march-27-1866-veto-message-civil-rights-legislation
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Fannie Coralie Perkins (Francis Perkins), born on this day in1880. Fannie was a workers-rights advocate and the first woman to serve in a US president‘s cabinet. She served as Franklin D. Roosevelt‘s Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945, the longest-serving in that position. In addition, she was the first LGBTQ person to serve in the U.S. Cabinet.
Learn more:
-- FPC: https://francesperkinscenter.org/life-new/
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/lgbtqheritage/upload/lgbtqtheme-preservation.pdf
-- CU: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/digital/collections/nny/perkinsf/profile.html
-- NPR: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102959041
#OnThis Day, Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin. #CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (formed the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
-- Johnson Library: http://www.lbjlibrary.org/exhibits/civil-rights
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/summer/civil-rights-act-1.html
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Emancipation Day is an American holiday celebrated in the District of Columbia (Washington, DC) each year on April 16th. It marks the day US President Abraham Lincoln signed the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act in 1862, which granted freedom to more than 3,000 slaves in the nation‘s capital, nine months before Lincoln issued his broader Emancipation Proclamation freeing 3.5 million slaves in the rebel-held American South. Three years later, the United States ratified the 13th Amendment, which formally outlawed slavery. In 2005, Washington DC Mayor Anthony Williams signed legislation making Emancipation Day an official public holiday, which is also observed by the federal government.
#OnThisDay in 1954, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) extended constitutional rights to Mexican Americans in the landmark civil rights case Hernandez v. Texas.
Learn more: https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/artifacts/hernandez-v-texas-spotlight-050115
#OnThisDay in 1882 Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The 1882 Act was the first US history to place broad restrictions on immigration.
Timeline:
1882 - Arthur signs Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
Prevents Chinese nationals from eligibility for US citizenship (scheduled to last 10 yrs)
1892 - Harrison signs the Geary Act
Renews Chinese Exclusion act of 1882 (extends for 10 additional years and in 1902 indefinitely extended)
1943 - Roosevelt signs the Magnuson Act
Repeals the Chinese Exclusion Act leaving a yearly limit of 105 Chinese and gives foreign-born Chinese the right to seek naturalization
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Resources:
National Archive Chinese Americans: https://www.archives.gov/research/chinese-americans/guide
Chinese Exclusion History: https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/APA/Historical-Essays/Exclusion-and-Empire/First-Arrivals/
Chinese Exclusion Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1866-1898/chinese-immigration
Congress‘ Apology for Chinese Exclusion: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2012-06-18/html/CREC-2012-06-18-pt1-PgH3715-2.htm
Video: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/chinese-exclusion-act/
#OnThisDay, Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1960, which served to eliminate loopholes left by the CRA of 1957. It established federal inspection of voter-registration polls and addressed discriminatory laws and practices in the segregated South that disenfranchised blacks and Hispanics. #CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
--Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/collections/eisenhowercivilrightsfiles
--Eisenhower Library: https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/sites/default/files/research/subject-guides/pdf/civil-rights-guide-to-studies.pdf
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
#OnThisDay, the Texas Equal Rights Association (TERA), the first statewide female suffrage organization, was founded in the Grand Windsor in Dallas on May 10, 1893. The TERA was committed to securing voting and political rights for women on the same terms as men, including the right to hold political office and serve on juries.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vit02
#EqualRights #CivilRights #VotingRights
#OnThisDay in 1954, the Supreme Court of the US ruled in a unanimous decision that school segregation violated the Equal Protection and Due Process clauses of the 14th Amendment.
Brown v. Board of Education was a consolidation of five cases. The ruling effectively ending racial segregation in public schools. Many schools, however, remained segregated.
Learn more:
-- Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/brown_vs_boe
-- US Courts: https://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/history-brown-v-board-education-re-enactment
-- Library of Congress https://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep347/usrep347483/usrep347483.pdf
-- Video: https://www.loc.gov/item/mbrs01856600/
-- Image: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-brown.html
#OnThisDay in 1896, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled 7-1 that segregation was legal and constitutional as long as "facilities were equal"—the famous "separate but equal" segregation policy.
The Plessy v. Ferguson decision provided legal justification for segregation until it was overruled by Brown v. the Board of Education in 1954.
Resources:
Library of Congress: Plessy v. Ferguson: https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/plessy.html
Library of Congress: Brown v. Board of Education: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-brown.html
#OnThisDay in 1993 Clinton signed the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (also referred to as the Motor Voter Act). The bill advanced voting rights, including (but not limited to) requiring states to offer voter registration opportunities to eligible persons during driver’s license renewal.
Timeline:
1990 - LWV convenes a symposium to examine the role of negative campaigning in the decline in voter participation. The symposium leads to a comprehensive effort to return the voter to the center of the election process. LWV works with a coalition of partners to support legislation reforming voter registration.
1992 - Congress passes the NVRA of 1992
1992 - Bush vetoes the bill
1992 - Congress fails to override the veto
1993 - Congress passes the NVRA of 1993
1993 - Clinton signs the bill into law
Resources:
-- LWV 2018-2020 Impact report: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-04/LWV%202018-20%20Impact%20on%20Issues.pdf#page=15
-- LWV Celebrates NVRA 27 Anniversary: https://www.lwv.org/blog/honoring-27th-anniversary-national-voter-registration-act
-- Bush‘s comments regarding NVRA of 1992: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/message-the-senate-returning-without-approval-the-national-voter-registration-act-1992
-- Clinton‘s comment regarding NVRA of 1993: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-signing-the-national-voter-registration-act-1993
-- US Justice Department: https://www.justice.gov/crt/about-national-voter-registration-act
On May 24, Coolidge signed the Immigration Act of 1924 (also referred to as the Johnson-Reed Act), which implemented a national quota system that limited the number of immigrants allowed into the US, and it excluded immigrants from Asia.
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act
Prevents immigration from Asia and establishes a quotas system
1952 - Truman vetoes McCarran-Walter Act (veto overridden by Congress)
Eliminates Asian exclusion and establishes a preference system for desirable ethnic groups
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Note: See https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline for a description of immigration laws before 1924
Resources:
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965
Coolidge’s Comments regarding Immigration: https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/were-all-in-the-same-boat-now-coolidge-on-immigration
Truman’s Veto Comments: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/public/Immigration_TrumanVeto.pdf
Johnson’s INA Signing Comments:http://www.lbjlibrary.org/lyndon-baines-johnson/timeline/lbj-on-immigration
Images:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gQD4VFtai7I0K47-d3F58Ffp9wn0fNzh
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1bfzS8eAMFA89LTE_gU3VkTZyxH5qV9Y1
#OnThisDay in 1924, Coolidge signed the Indian Citizenship Act (also known as the Snyder Act), which granted all Native Americans citizenship and the right to vote regardless of tribal affiliation. As history has shown, having the right to vote does not always equate to having the ability to vote. Learn about hurdles that suppress the Native American vote: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/voting-rights/how-the-native-american-vote-continues-to-be-suppressed/
Resources:
Native American Voting Rights Act (Introduced 2019)
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1694/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22H.+R.+83%22%5D%7D&r=62&s=1
LWV Endorsement of Native American Voting Rights Act
https://www.lwv.org/expanding-voter-access/league-endorses-native-american-voting-rights-act-2019
Voting Rights for Native Americans: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-native-americans.html
https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/every-native-american-a-citizen/
Timeline https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline
https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-native-americans.html
#OnThisDay in 1919, Congress passed (proposed for ratification) the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. The amendment was ratified by the states on August 18, 1920.
http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
Learn more:
National Women’s History Museum: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Today marks the death of Harriet Forten Purvis (1810-1875). Typically, we ask you to join in the celebration of a birth, but Harriet’s birthday is unknown, but her contributions to the rights we enjoy today are worthy of remembrance. Improving the civil and voting rights of others was a family tradition for Harriet and her relatives:
** Daughter of Charlotte Valdine Forten (1st generation suffragist)
** Sister of Sarah Forten Purvis and Margaret Forten (2nd generation suffragists)
** Mother to Hattie Purvis (3rd generation suffragist)
** Aunt of Charlotte Forten Grimke (3rd generation suffragist)
** Wife of Robert Purvis Sr ** (instrumental in development of the Underground Railroad)
Learn more:
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/more-to-the-movement/harriet-forten-purvis/
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- Turning Point: https://suffragistmemorial.org/harriet-forten-purvis-1810-1875/
-- Women History: https://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2016/08/harriet-forten-purvis.html
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Jeannette Pickering Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress.
Learn more:
-- PBS - @unladylike2020: https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jeannette-rankin/
-- House History: https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/R/RANKIN,-Jeannette-(R000055)
Faslane Peace Camp is a permanent peace camp situated next to the Faslane Naval Base in Scotland. Set up on this date in 1982, the camp is the world‘s longest-running active demonstration site and was originally set up as part of the anti-nuclear weapons movements of the 1980s.
#OnThisDay in 1866, Congress passed (proposed) the 14th Amendment, which granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former and recently freed slaves. In addition, it forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) 0n June 13, 1866 and ratified July 9, 1868.
Resources:
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Join us in celebrating the birthday. Miriam was the 1st woman elected as Governor of Texas.
Learn more:
-- https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffe06
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/lkj01
JUNETEENTH. On June 19 ("Juneteenth"), 1865, Union general Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and issued General Order Number 3, which read, "The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juneteenth
Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, is an American holiday that commemorates the June 19, 1865, announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. state of Texas, and more generally the emancipation of enslaved African Americans throughout the former Confederate States of America. Its name is a portmanteau of "June" and "nineteenth", the date of its celebration.[1][2] Juneteenth is recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in forty-five states.[3]
Today it is observed primarily in local celebrations. Traditions include public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, singing traditional songs such as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing", and reading of works by noted African-American writers such as Ralph Ellison and Maya Angelou.[4] Celebrations may include rodeos, street fairs, cookouts, family reunions, park parties, historical reenactments, or Miss Juneteenth contests.[5] The Mascogos, descendants of Black Seminoles, of Coahuila, Mexico also celebrate Juneteenth.[6]
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal of VRA
Nixon signs 5-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on June 22, 1970. The VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1919, the TX Leg meets in a special session to consider ratification of the 19th Amendment.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919. #100YearsStrong
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
-- Leg Reference Libary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/govdocs/William%20P%20Hobby/1919/36-2proc.pdf 01
#OnThisDay in 1919, the Texas House adopts a resolution to ratify the 19th Amendment.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay in 2013, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled 5-4 that Section 4(b) of the Voters Right Act (VRA) was unconstitutional because the coverage formula was outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable until Congress agrees on a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
Timeline:
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples under the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution. The product of a three-year court battle challenging state-level bans on same-sex marriage, the landmark decision by the Supreme Court in Obergefell v. Hodges requires all US states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, while recognising same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, officially making marriage equality the law of the land across the United States and its territories.
#OnThisDay in 1918, Hortense Sparks Ward became the first woman in Harris County history to register to vote. Born in Matagorda County in 1872, she married Houston lawyer William Henry Ward in 1908. In 1910 she became one of the first women admitted to the Texas state bar (after Edith Locke in 1902 and Alice Tiernan in 1909).
Ward worked tirelessly in support of women’s rights and penned moving newspaper essays and pamphlets for that cause. She was instrumental in the passage of the Married Woman’s Property Law of 1913 by the Texas Legislature, and she campaigned with suffragist Minnie Fisher Cunningham for enfranchisement.
Texas women won an important victory in 1918 when the legislature permitted them to vote in primary elections. In a short span of less than three weeks, 386,000 women across the state registered to vote, and Hortense Ward led the way.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwa83
#OnThisDay in 1952, Congress passed into law (overriding a veto by Truman) the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1952, which abolished racial restrictions for immigration and naturalization but kept the national origins quota system established in the Immigration act of 1924
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act: Prevented immigration from Asia, set quotas on the number of immigrants from the Eastern Hemisphere)
1952 - Truman vetoes (veto overridden by Congress) McCarran-Walter Act: Eliminated Asian exclusion and established a preference system that determined which ethnic groups were desirable immigrants
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act: Eliminated policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Learn more: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965/
Join us in commemorating the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, which became a watershed moment for gay rights. After Stonewall, gay-right groups formed in cities across American, Canada, Australia, and Europe. In June 1970, the first public gay-pride marches took place commemorating the one-year anniversary of the uprising. #PRIDE #CivilRights #Intersectional
Learn more:
--Time: https://buff.ly/35HzdQl
-- PBS: https://buff.ly/2PrCqeP
-- LOC: https://buff.ly/3heGM6w
-- Video of 1st Pride March: https://www.loc.gov/item/mbrs01991430/
Go here to see the LWVTX’s position on Equal Opportunity: https://buff.ly/2NlG5wL
In addition, see the position update report from the 2020 LWVTX convening to see how the League’s positions are evolving. https://buff.ly/2YFYb14
#OnThisDay in 1919, the Texas Senate approved ratification of the 19th Amendment. Texas became the 9th state in the US and the 1st state in the South to approve ratification.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919. #100YearsStrong
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay, Reagan signs a 25-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on June 29, 1982. The renewal extended for 25 years the Section 5 preclearance provision and extended the requirement for bilingual elections for 10 years. The VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1971, the 26th Amendment was ratified, giving adults aged 18 through 21 the right to vote. The 26th Amendment was enacted in response to Vietnam War protestors who argued that soldiers who were old enough to fight/die for their country should be old enough to vote.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on March 23, 1971, and ratified on July 1, 1971.
Learn more:
-- National Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xxvi
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
#OnThis Day, Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It prohibits unequal application of voter registration requirements, and racial segregation in schools, employment, and public accommodations.
#CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
-- Johnson Library: http://www.lbjlibrary.org/exhibits/civil-rights
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/summer/civil-rights-act-1.html
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Join us celebrating the birthday of Gertrude Bustill Mosell. Gertrude wrote a weekly advice column, "Our Women‘s Department," which was the 1st women‘s column in the history of the African-American press. She fought for equal rights and encouraged women to join the suffragist movement.
Learn more:
-- Article: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
-- Book: https://books.google.com/books?id=CHx5tY6wQSMC&pg=PA37&lpg=PA37&dq=Gertrude+Bustill+Mossell&source=bl&ots=W1sLIooEOO&sig=ACfU3U1M6Q9DfnX2OJmLRn4pJBdGJaT7yQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi1hL-J18zpAhURC6wKHbR1CXc4FBDoATAFegQICRAB#v=onepage&q=Gertrude%20Bustill%20Mossell&f=false
-- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Bustill_Mossell
-- Penn University Archive: https://archives.upenn.edu/collections/finding-aid/upt50m913
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/african-american-women-and-the-nineteenth-amendment.htm
The 4th of July marks the birth of the United States of America as a nation, recalling the Declaration of Independence made in 1776. The Continental Congress of the thirteen American colonies had actually passed a resolution of independence from the British Empire on July 2nd, but subsequently debated the additional declaration which explained its decision. The American Revolution had already been underway since 1775, and continued to 1783 in victory for the new United States.
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Jenny Bland Beauchamp. She wrote one of the first articles on woman suffrage published in Texas.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbeaj
#OnThisDay in 1868, Titus H. Mundine was the 1st Texas legislator to propose the enfranchisement of women and African Americans.
"Every person, without distinction of sex, who shall have arrived at the age of twenty-one years...shall be deemed a qualified elector." -- Titus H. Mundine
Learn More:
Titus – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmuvf
1868-69 Constitutional Convention – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/mjc04
Woman Suffrage – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay in 1868, the 14th Amendment was ratified. It granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former and recently freed slaves. In addition, it forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on June 13, 1866 and ratified on July 9, 1868.
Resources:
National Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xiv
National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Mary McLeod Bethune (Birthday)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary MCLeod Bethune who contributed to the women’s suffrage movement through her activism and writing.
Learn more:
NPS: https://www.nps.gov/mamc/learn/historyculture/mary-mcleod-bethune.htm
Women‘s Vote: https://www.womensvote100.org/the-suff-buffs-blog/2020/5/4/mary-mcleod-bethune-true-democracy-and-the-fight-for-universal-suffrage?fbclid=IwAR2sHG_Gb3ue4UpAFdSYiWe95TNmK0HJE-_pnIiWUwYVp88PNlRd9Hu9SHg
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Ida Wells Barnett. Ida was a civil rights activist and founded the Alpha Suffrage Club in 1913. She criticized mainstream (white) suffrage organizations for their exclusion of women of color. During the 1913 Women‘s March on Washington, Wells and other African-American women were told to march at the back of the procession. Wells refused, waiting until the procession started and then joining the block of women that represented her state.
Learn more:
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fySmIinC0MU&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR3orBtlRs5Vhx0pCTMSgBTd6jU4wZ-xCXOv_9WVKweq8RGPZ8rWDuNR6kE
-- Hidden Figures: https://buff.ly/2TPhL88
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Time Mag: https://time.com/5792441/the-suffragists-100-women-of-the-year/
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://buff.ly/2Xd2mjQ
-- PBS: https://buff.ly/2Ag4b7c (1 hr 9 minutes in)
-- Ida‘s Writing; https://buff.ly/2Uv75vG
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Alice Dunbar Nelson. Alice was active in the emerging civil rights and woman suffrage movements. In 1915, she was the field organizer for the Middle Atlantic States in the campaign for women‘s suffrage. During World War I, Dunbar-Nelson served as a field representative of the Woman‘s Committee of the Council of National Defense.
Learn more:
-- University of Delaware Library: http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/findaids/dunbarne.html
-- Smithsonian: https://blog.library.si.edu/blog/2020/03/12/an-unsung-legacy-the-work-and-activism-of-alice-dunbar-nelson/#.XsnsXmhKhPY
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- Black History: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/dunbar-nelson-alice-ruth-moore-1875-1935/
#OnThisDay in 1848, the 1st women‘s rights convention was held in the US. It took place in Seneca Falls, New York. The meeting launched the women’s suffrage movement.
Learn more:
-- Constitutional Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/on-this-day-the-seneca-falls-convention-begins
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/july-19/
-- White House Archive: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/find-the-sentiments
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
#OnThisDay, Bush signs the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1964, which made discrimination based on race, religion, sex, national origin, and other characteristics illegal. In addition, unlike the CRA, the ADA also requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities and imposes accessibility requirements on public accommodations.
Celebration of signing of ADA
#OnThisDay, Bush signs a 25-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on Juyly 22, 2006.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lucy Burns. Lucy was an American suffragist and women‘s rights activist. She spent more time in prison because of her activism than any other American woman suffragist. She and Alice Paul were co-founders of the National Woman‘s Party.
Learn more:
National Parks Service: https://www.nps.gov/people/lucy-burns.htm
Watch Iron Jawed Angels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzoXTo4-hws
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mariana Thompson Folsom. Mariana was a leader in the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWS) and asked Lucy Stone in 1885 for assistance in establishing a state (Texas) suffrage society.
Learn more:
-- TSHA History: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffo43
-- TSHA Image: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/folsom-lecture.html
-- Unitarian Oral History: http://www.liveoakuu.org/services/rev-mariana-thompson-folsom-1845-1909/
-- Bullock Museum: https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/artifacts/what-is-feminine
-- TSL - Personal Diary Entry: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/mariana-diary.html
-- TSL - Letter from Lucy Stone: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/stone-folsom-1.html
#OnThisDay in 1965, Johnson signed the Voter Rights Act (VRA). In addition on this same day in 1975, Ford signs a 7-yr renewal. The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
** UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” Consequently, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula. **
Timeline:
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1965, Johnson signed the Voter Rights Act (VRA). The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
** UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” Consequently, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula. **
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
History: https://www.justice.gov/crt/history-federal-voting-rights-laws Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA87JWa0bEw
Video: https://storycorps.org/stories/ellie-dahmer-and-bettie-dahmer-170113/
Aug 6, 1965: Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights movement on August 6, 1965, and
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lucy Stone. Lucy was a leading suffragist who dedicated her life to fighting inequality. She was the first Massachusetts woman to earn a college degree. Lucy organized the first National Women’s Rights Convention in Worcester, Massachusetts, and she was a founding member of the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), which would later merge with the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucy-stone
-- Video: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d
-- History: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Charlotte Forten Grimké. Charlotte was a 3rd-generation suffragist and equal rights advocate. She is a reminder that we make progress by standing on the shoulders of others, and that it can take multiple generations to right wrongs.
** Granddaughter of Charlotte Vandine Forten **
** Daughter of Robert Bridges Forten **
** Niece of Margaret, Harriet, and Sarah Forten **
Learn more:
-- National History Center: http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai/identity/text3/charlottefortenjournal.pdf
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- NPS (19th Amendment): https://www.nps.gov/articles/african-american-women-and-the-nineteenth-amendment.htm
-- NPS (Voting Rights): https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Journals of Charlotte Forten Grimke: https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/3uHylBU24jMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PP1
-- Muse: https://muse.jhu.edu/chapter/1945821
-- Beltway Poetry: http://www.beltwaypoetry.com/poetry/poets/names/grimke-charlotte-forten/
#OnThisDay, 1920 the 19th Amendment was ratified, granting women the right to vote. This amendment prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex. The ratification was the culmination of the women‘s suffrage movement in the United States, which fought at both state and national levels to achieve the vote.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920.
Learn more:
-- National Women’s History Museum: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Annie Webb Blanton, teacher, suffragist, and the first woman in Texas elected to statewide office, was born Aug 19, 1870, in Houston.
In the July 1918 primary, when Texas women exercised their voting rights for the first time, Blanton defeated incumbent Walter F. Doughty and Brandon Trussell by a large margin. In November, her victory in the general election made her the first woman in Texas elected to statewide office. She served as state superintendent through 1922.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbl16
-- Humanities Texas https://www.humanitiestexas.org/programs/tx-originals/list/annie-webb-blanton
"The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote nationally on August 18, 1920, so why is Women’s Equality Day on August 26th each year?
The simple answer is that even when a constitutional amendment has been ratified it’s not official until it has been certified by the correct government official. In 1920, that official was U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby. On August 26, 1920, Colby signed a proclamation behind closed doors at 8 a.m. at his own house in Washington, D.C, ending a struggle for the vote that started a century earlier." -- Constitution Center
The first executive secretary of the League of Women Voters, Minnie Fisher Cunningham, was a Texan who, among many other notable achievements, worked for the passage of the 19th Amendment in Texas and nationally.
Learn more:
-- Alice Paul Org: https://www.alicepaul.org/2020-exhibition/
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/why-august-26-is-known-as-womans-equality-day
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/collections/women-of-protest/articles-and-essays/tactics-and-techniques-of-the-national-womans-party-suffrage-campaign/
-- NCSL: https://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/amending-the-u-s-constitution.aspx
Image: https://www.alicepaul.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/5_Suffragist_Cover_1920.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1962, the 24th Amendment, which prohibited the use or a poll tax as a condition for voting in federal elections, was passed by Congress. #SystemicRacism
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) to the states on August 27, 1962, and ratified on January 23, 1964.
“After nearly disappearing in the states, a repurposed poll tax returned as part of a successful effort to undermine the Fifteenth Amendment and reestablish limits on the franchise. Beginning in Florida in 1889, all the former Confederate States, and a few others, instituted a suite of changes to voting laws as a part of this effort. They introduced literacy tests and disqualified convicted felons from voting. They also resurrected poll taxes. The historical record is filled with racially derogatory statements from delegates at State constitutional conventions who believed poll taxes and other devices would suppress Black voter registration and turnout.”
“The Supreme Court repeatedly affirmed the constitutionality of poll taxes. In its 1937 opinion in Breedlove v. Suttles, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected a claim from a white Georgia voter that the poll tax violated the Equal Protection Clause. In 1951, it rejected a similar claim challenging Virginia’s poll tax in Butler v. Thompson.” -- Constitution Center #CheckAndBalances #3Branches
Resources:
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xxiv
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- US House: https://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/37045
-- Breedlove v. Suttles: https://perma.cc/6G6H-6U4T
-- Butler v. Thompson: https://perma.cc/V4JP-TYHY
#OnThisDay in 1963, approximately 250,000 people took part in The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Martin Luther King gave the closing address in front of the Lincoln Memorial:
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
Learn more:
-- King Institute: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/i-have-dream-address-delivered-march-washington-jobs-and-freedom
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=173&v=smEqnnklfYs&feature=emb_logo
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/10-fascinating-facts-about-the-i-have-a-dream-speech
-- Civil Rights Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/march_on_washington
#OnThisDay in 1983, the 68th Texas legislature passed HB718, which abolished the life-time voting ban on ex-felons, but included a 5-yr waiting period before ex-felons would become eligible to vote.
On Sept 1, 1997, the 75th Texas legislature passed HB1001 eliminated the 5-yr waiting period.
Learn more:
-- TSLL: https://guides.sll.texas.gov/reentry-resources/voting
-- 75th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/Sessionoverviews/summary/75soe.pdf#page=114 (pg. 114)
-- 68th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/sessionOverviews/summary/soe68.pdf#page=82 (pg. 77)
-- HB1001 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/75R/HB1001/HB1001_75R.pdf
-- HB718 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/68R/HB718/HB718_68R.pdf#page=23 (pg. 23)
-- HB718 Election Law Opinion: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- JSTOR: https://www.jstor.org/stable/29768353?read-now=1&seq=4#page_scan_tab_contents (pg. 82)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Myra Davis Hemmings. Hemmings was born in Gonzales, Texas. She was one of the founders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. as well as its first president. The sorority was founded at Howard University in Jan 1913 and its 1st public act was to participate in the Woman Suffrage Procession in Washington, D.C. in Mar of 1913.
Suffragist Mary Church Terrell lobbied on behalf of the Deltas to win them a place in the parade, where they were the only African American organization represented. #HiddenFigures
A Texas Historical Marker dedicated to Myra resides at the Myra Davis Hemmings Resource Center in Bexar County, TX.
Photo credit: San Antonio Alumnae Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Learn More:
-- @usgpo: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2013-01-24/html/CREC-2013-01-24-pt1-PgS292.htm
-- @TxHistComm: https://atlas.thc.texas.gov/Details/5507017358/print
-- @TxStHistAssoc: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fhe64
-- @dstinc1913: https://www.deltasigmatheta.org
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lulu Belle Madison White. Lulu Belle was a civil rights activist who worked to eliminate the white primary in the 1930s. In 1939, she became the president of the Houston chapter of the NAACP. After the SCOTUS ruling in 1944 that outlawed the white primary (Smith v. Allwright), she worked tirelessly to encourage voting and educate voters.
Learn more:
-- TSHA Handbook: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwh75
-- TSHA Honest Past (p. 337): https://join.tshaonline.org/ebook-offers/honest-past/SHQ-An-Honest-Past.pdf
-- WTH: https://www.womenintexashistory.org/audio/lulu-belle-madison-white
-- Humanities of TX: https://www.humanitiestexas.org/news/articles/craft-civil-rights
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Ann Richards. In 1976, Ann became the 1st woman elected to the Travis County Commissioners Court. In 1982, Ann became the 1st woman elected as Texas State Treasurer, which was the 1st time a woman had been elected to statewide office in Texas since Miriam Ferguson‘s successful gubernatorial race in 1932--breaking a 50-yr absence of women in statewide leadership. In 1990, Ann became the 2nd woman to serve as governor of Texas since Texas became a state in 1845.
Learn more:
-- https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fri62
#OnThisDay in 1997, the 75th TX legislature, passed HB1001, which amended the Election Code to clarify the voting rights (eligibility) of fully discharged ex-felons, and it eliminated the 5-year waiting period established by HB718.
In 1983, the 68th Session of the TX Leg passed HB718, which abolished the life-time voting ban on ex-felons, but included a 5-year waiting period before ex-felons would become eligible to vote.
Learn more:
-- TXSLL: https://guides.sll.texas.gov/reentry-resources/voting
-- TXSOS: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- 75th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/Sessionoverviews/summary/75soe.pdf#page=114 (pg. 114)
-- 68th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/sessionOverviews/summary/soe68.pdf#page=82 (pg. 77)
-- HB1001 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/75R/HB1001/HB1001_75R.pdf
-- HB718 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/68R/HB718/HB718_68R.pdf#page=23 (pg. 23)
-- HB718 Election Law Opinion: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- JSTOR: https://www.jstor.org/stable/29768353?read-now=1&seq=4#page_scan_tab_contents (pg. 82)
JJoin us in celebrating the birthday of Jovita Idár. Idarwas born in 1885 and was an American journalist and civil rights activist who wrote about the challenges Mexican Americans faced in Texas. Her activism was influenced by the lynching of ethnic-Mexican men in South Texas during the early 20th century. She also used her platform as a journalist to support suffrage.
Learn more:
-- PBS (Unladylike): https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jovita-idar
-- TXWF: https://www.txwf.org/champions-for-change-jovita-idar-and-the-villareal-sisters/
-- Women‘s History: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/jovita-idar
-- TSHA Handbook: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fid03
-- TSHA Honest Past (p. 196): https://join.tshaonline.org/ebook-offers/honest-past/SHQ-An-Honest-Past.pdf
-- Humanities of Texas: https://www.humanitiestexas.org/programs/tx-originals/list/jovita-idar
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
Photo Credit: General Photographs, UTSA Special Collections (@UTSA)
This Labor Day we’re recognizing the contributions of laborers by taking a look back at the impact of labor unions on the women’s suffrage movement.
Did you know that middle and upper-class suffragists learned to use parades and picketing from working-class suffragists who were members of labor unions?
“Since the beginning of the women’s rights movement, women who devoted their lives to reform often were middle and upper-class women. Women who worked to support themselves and their families had less time and funds to devote to social movements.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, however, working women began supporting suffrage in greater numbers. They joined labor unions, held strikes for higher pay, and protested for better working conditions. Working women started seeing the vote as a way to gain more political power to further these causes.
Harriot Stanton Blatch, daughter of suffrage leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton, was among the first suffragists to recruit working women to support suffrage. She started collaborating with the Women’s Trade Union League, founded in 1905, to help women form unions and advocate for labor reforms. In 1907, she founded the Equality League of Self-Supporting Women (later called the Women’s Political Union) to attract working women to the suffrage movement. Blatch also wanted to integrate the more aggressive, militant tactics of labor activists—like parades through city streets and speakers on street corners—into the suffrage strategies to attract more publicity. Working women and their experience with the tactics of labor activists proved vital to winning the vote.” Allison Lange, Ph.D. https://www.loc.gov/resource/ggbain.02144/
Learn more:
-- Crusade for the Vote: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/working-women-movement
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/static/collections/women-of-protest/images/tactics.pdf
-- DOL: https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/history
#OnThisDay, Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1957 into law. The act established the Civil Rights Section of the Justice Department and empowered federal prosecutors to obtain court injunctions against interference with the right to vote. #CivilRights #VotingRights
This was the 1st civil rights legislation since Reconstruction (1875).
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
--Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/civil_rights_act_1957
--Eisenhower Library: https://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/383/Civil-Rights-Act-of-1957
--Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Photo credit: Photographs of Official Activities of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953 - 1961, US National Archives .https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7865612 (@USNatArchives)
Today is Constitution and Citizenship Day, so we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all recently naturalized American citizens. We hope an LWV volunteer was present at your naturalization ceremony to assist you with becoming a registered voter.
Learn more:
-- @LWVTexas: https://my.lwv.org/texas/register-vote
-- @librarycongress: https://www.loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/constitution-day.php
-- @uscis: https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/educators/constitution-day-and-citizenship-day
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Burnett Talbert. Mary was an American orator, civil rights activist, and suffragist. She believed that race and gender were unifying factors that could help resolve class issues. Talbert became one of the first women to join the NAACP after its founding in 1909.
#WomenInLeadership
Learn more:
-- https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/mary-burnett-talbert (https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/mary-burnett-talbert/)
-- https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/talbert-mary-b-1866-1923 (https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/talbert-mary-b-1866-1923/)
-- https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-burnett-talbert-september-17-1866-1923 (https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-burnett-talbert-september-17-1866-1923)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Church Terrell. Mary was a civil-rights activist who championed racial equality and women’s suffrage in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Learn more:
-- PBS (@unladylike2020): https://unladylike2020.com/profile/mary-church-terrell-2
-- Womens History (@womenshistory): https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mary-church-terrell
-- LOC (@libraryofcongress): https://crowd.loc.gov/campaigns/mary-church-terrell-advocate-for-african-americans-and-women
-- NPS (@NPS) - https://www.nps.gov/people/mary-church-terrell.htm
-- https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-church-terrell/
LGBT History Month is celebrated every October in United States since 1994. It was first proposed by Missouri high school history teacher Rodney Wilson, who chose October due to the establishment of National Coming Out Day in the late 1980s on October 11. October also marks the first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, which took place in 1979. In addition to LGBT History Month, LGBT Pride Month is also celebrated each year in June to commemorate the Stonewall Riots.
On Oct 3, 1965, Johnson signs the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1965, which amended the 1952 INA by including a provision stating: No person shall receive any preference or priority or be discriminated against in the issuance of an immigrant visa because of the person‘s race, sex, nationality, place of birth, or place of residence.
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act
Prevents immigration from Asia and establishes a quotas system
1952 - Truman vetoes McCarran-Walter Act (veto overridden by Congress)
Eliminates Asian exclusion and establishes a preference system for desirable ethnic groups
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Note: See https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline for a description of immigration laws before 1924
Resources:
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965
Coolidge’s INA Comments: https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/were-all-in-the-same-boat-now-coolidge-on-immigration
Truman’s INA Comments: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/public/Immigration_TrumanVeto.pdf
Johnson’s INA Comments:http://www.lbjlibrary.org/lyndon-baines-johnson/timeline/lbj-on-immigration
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Thomas Mundy Peterson. Thomas, on March 31, 1870 (one day after the ratification of the 15th Amendment) became the first Black American to vote in a U.S. election.
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian: https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2015.190
-- NJ State HIstory; https://nj.gov/state/historical/it-happened-here/ihhnj-er-peterson.pdf
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlC3fsW3rRs
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Ann Shadd Cary.
Learn more: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement/
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Eleanor Roosevelt born on this day in 1884.
After the League of Women Voters was founded in 1920 – the same year that Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for Vice President – she helped establish its policy agenda. As the League’s Vice President of Legislative Affairs, she lobbied for reforms in Congress and worked tirelessly to strengthen women’s role in politics, helping mobilize women voters through the League’s nonpartisan training and lobbying work.
Learn more:
-- LWV: https://www.lwv.org/blog/eleanor-roosevelt-first-lady-league-leader-pioneer
Photo Credit: LC-USZ62-25812, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (@librarycongress)
http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3c08091/
National Coming Out Day (NCOD) is an annual LGBTQ awareness day observed on October 11. The day commemorates the Oct. 11, 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, which included half a million participants.
Learn more:
-- HRC: https://www.hrc.org/resources/the-history-of-coming-out
-- APA: https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/coming-out-day
-- GLAAD: https://www.glaad.org/tags/national-coming-out-day
-- Archive: https://gaycenter.org/archive_item/march-on-washington-for-lesbian-and-gay-rights
-- Image: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc276218
"In 1977 participants at the United Nations International Conference on Discrimination against Indigenous Populations in the Americas proposed that Indigenous Peoples’ Day replace Columbus Day.Indigenous Peoples’ Day recognizes that Native people are the first inhabitants of the Americas, including the lands that later became the United States of America. And it urges Americans to rethink history." https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-indian/2019/10/11/indigenous-peoples-day-2019
The following states and the District of Columbia observe Native American or Indigenous Peoples’ Day, in place of or in addition to Columbus Day:
-- Alabama
-- Alaska
-- District of Columbia
-- Hawaii
-- Idaho
-- Maine
-- Michigan
-- Minnesota
-- New Mexico
-- North Carolina
-- Oklahoma
-- Oregon
-- South Dakota
-- Vermont
-- Wisconsin
The state of Texas does not currently observer Indiginous People day, but the following local jurisdiction have made the change:
-- City of Austin
-- City of Dallas
-- City of San Antonio
-- County of Bexar
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-indian/2019/10/11/indigenous-peoples-day-2019/:
-- PBS: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/npr/2019/10/14/769083847/columbus-day-or-indigenous-peoples-day/
#OnThisDay, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled on a bundle of five cases (known as the Civil Rights Cases), and in an 8-1 decision, the court found the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1875 to be unconstitutional.
The CRA of 1875 was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant and was enacted during Reconstruction in response to civil rights violations against African Americans. The act guaranteed equal treatment in public accommodations and transportation. It also outlawing race-based discrimination in jury duty/selection. The five cases heard by SCOTUS included suites brought forth by African Americans who were denied access to segregated facilities.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources: SCOTUS Ruling:
http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep109/usrep109003/usrep109003.pdf
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
The League of Women Voters of Texas, a nonpartisan political organization, was formed on October 19, 1919, at San Antonio, when the Texas Equal Suffrage Association was dissolved to reorganize for a new purposehttps://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wel05
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Christia Daniel Adair. Christia was an NAACP leader from Houston, worked for full suffrage and was one of the first black women to vote in a Democratic primary after the Supreme Court struck down Texas‘ white primary law in 1944. As executive secretary of the Houston NAACP for 12 years, she and others desegregated the Houston airport, public libraries, city buses, and department store dressing rooms. Despite official harassment, Adair and others rebuilt the Houston NAACP chapter, which grew to 10,000 members.
Learn more:
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fad19
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Nina Otero-Warren. Nina was a civil rights leader, a suffragist, and an advocate for bilingual education.
In 1917, Otero-Warren was selected by Alice Paul to head the New Mexico chapter of the Congressional Union (precursor to the National Woman’s Party). She insisted that suffrage literature be published in both English and Spanish, in order to reach the widest audience.
She was Superintendent of Public Schools in Santa Fe County from 1918 to 1929, working to improve the conditions in rural Hispano and Native American communities. Otero-Warren argued that both Spanish and English be allowed in schools, despite the federal mandate of English-only. Despite losing her political campaign to run for a seat in the US House of Representatives, she remained politically and socially active, and served as the Chairman of New Mexico’s Board of Health; an executive board member of the American Red Cross; and director of an adult literacy program in New Mexico for the Works Projects Administration.
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/people/nina-oter-warren.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Jessie Daniel Ames. Jessie was a suffragist and the founder and first president of the League of Women Voters of Texas.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fam06
Veterans Day, also known as Armistice Day or Rememberance Day in other countries which fought in the First World War, is commemorated on the 11th of November, marking the armistice signed between the Allies and Central Powers. The armistice came into effect at 11am: the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month in 1918. Formerly known as Armistice Day in the United States, the name was changed to Veterans Day in 1954 to honor all those who have served and continue to serve in the United States Armed Forces.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Elizabeth Cady Staton (1st generation suffragists). She was born in 1815 and was one of the speakers and organizers of the Seneca Falls Convention. Elizabeth was a co-founder of the National Woman Suffrage Associate (NWSA), which would later merge with the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
** Mother of Harriet Stanton Blatch (2nd generation suffragist) **
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucy-stone
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d (11 minutes in)
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
-- Seneca Falls Convention:
#OnThisDay, Bush signed the 1991 Civil Rights Act (CRA), which provided the right to trial by jury on discrimination claims. It also added provisions to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that expanded the rights of women and disabled persons. #CivilRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Johnson signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
Bush Library: https://bush41library.tamu.edu/archives/public-papers/3660
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005). Shirley was an educator, activist, and politician who achieved a number of historic 1sts
-- 1968 1st black woman elected to the Congress
-- 1972 1st woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination
-- 1972 1st African American to run for President of the US
Learn more: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/shirley-chisholm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Debra Anne Haaland. Debra and Sharice Davids were the first two Native American women elected to the U.S Congress. Haaland is a member of the Laguna Pueblo people.
Learn more:
-- National Geographic Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T_s36-1hms
-- US House: https://haaland.house.gov/about
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Patsy Takemoto Mink. Patsy was the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-women-got-vote-far-more-complex-story-history-textbooks-reveal-180971869/
-- House History: https://history.house.gov/People/detail/18329
-- NWHF: https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/patsy-takemoto-mink/
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/patsy-mink
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Titus Howard Mundine, who was the 1st Texas Legislator to propose enfranchisement of women and blacks.
"Every person, without distinction of sex, who shall have arrived at the age of twenty-one years...shall be deemed a qualified elector." -- Titus H. Mundine
Learn More:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=5124
-- Titus – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmuvf
-- Woman Suffrage – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Eliza Eubanks Peterson Johnson. Eliza was a suffragist and civil-rights activist.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fjohn
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
-- Austin Library: http://www.austinlibrary.com/ahc/suffrage/early.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Marie Louise Bottineau Baldwin. Marie was a suffragist and lawyer who worked as an advocate for the Ojibwa/Chippewa Nation in Minnesota and North Dakota.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- National Parks Service: https://www.nps.gov/people/marie-louise-bottineau-baldwin.htm
-- MNHS: https://www.mnhs.org/historycenter/activities/museum/votes-for-women/profiles/marie-baldwin
-- National Archive: https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2020/04/02/19th-amendment-at-100-mary-louise-bottineau-baldwin/
-- LWV: https://my.lwv.org/california/diablo-valley/meet-suffragist-marie-louise-bottineau-baldwin
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Ruza Wenclawska (also known as Rose Winslow). Rose was a Polish-American suffragist and trade union organizer. She was a member of the National Women‘s Party and fought for the rights of immigrant and working-class women. Along with Alice Paul, she participated in a hunger strike to bring attention to the suffrage movement.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/collections/women-of-protest/articles-and-essays/selected-leaders-of-the-national-womans-party/officers-and-national-organizers/
-- Turning Point: https://suffragistmemorial.org/rose-winslow-d-1977
-- Historical Snapshot: https://historicalsnaps.com/2018/03/19/rose-winslow-talks-about-her-hunger-strike
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Harriet Taylor Upton. Harriet was a founding member of the National League of Women Voters and the first woman to become a vice-chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d (53 mins in)
-- Upton House: http://www.uptonhouse.org/HTayor.html
-- Ohio History: https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Harriet_T._Upton
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Martha Goodwin Tunstall. Martha became the vice-president from Texas of the newly-formed National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA).
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ftuns
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Jane McCallum. Jane was the first vice president of the League of Women Voters of Texas. She had the longest term as the Secretary of State of Texas.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmc07
-- Texas Secretary as State: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/about/history.shtml
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charlotte Vandine Forten born in 1785.
-- 1st generation American suffragist
-- Mother of the Forten sisters: Margaret, Harriet, and Sarah (2nd generation suffragists)
-- Grandmother of Charlotte Forten Grimké (3rd generation suffragist)
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- Black Suffragette: http://www.blacksuffragette.com/friends
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Helen Edmunds Moore. Helen was a nurse, suffragist, and a member of the 41, 42, and 44th legislatures. In the 44 Legislature, she was the only woman.
Learn more:
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/moore-helen-edmunds
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Lucretia Coffin Mott. Lucretia was a suffragist and human rights activist. She was one of the organizers of the 1st Woman’s Rights Convention Seneca Falls, N.Y.
Learn more:
NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucretia-mott
PBS: Video: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/
NPS: https://www.nps.gov/wori/learn/historyculture/lucretia-mott.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Harriet Staton Blatch (2nd generation suffragists).
Voting rights was a family affair
** Daughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1st generation suffragist)
She founded the Equality League of Self-Supporting Women, later called the Women‘s Political Union, whose membership was based on working women, both professional and industrial. The Equality League initiated the practice of holding suffrage parades and organized the first open-air suffrage rallies in thirty years. As many as 25,000 people marched in these parades.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (28 minutes in)
#OnThisDay the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled on the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case and made a controversial decision that reversed existing campaign finance restrictions and enabled corporations and other outside groups to spend unlimited funds on elections. #DarkMoney
"Prevention of improper corporate influence in the electoral process...is a pillar of our modern democracy" -- LWV Amicus Brief #DarkMoney
"Voters are supposed to be at the center of our political process. For more than two centuries, America’s constitutional democracy has been moving in the direction of broader enfranchisement and more meaningful political participation by American citizens. After the Civil War, the 15th Amendment to the Constitution guaranteed the right to vote to citizens regardless of race or color. The 19th Amendment provided voting rights to women, the 24th to poor citizens and the 26th to young adults.
On the other hand, our Constitution does not reflect a similar solicitude for corporate participation; indeed our constitutional history reflects a growing concern over the influence of corporations, and the distinction between the legal protections afforded to living persons and corporations has been part of our constitutional law from the Founding." -- LWV Commentary on Citizens United
LWVUS Amicus Brief: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/Amicus_cfr.CitizenUnited.pdf
LWVUS Commentary on Citizens United: https://www.lwv.org/money-politics/league-commentary-citizens-united-v-fec-case-supreme-court
Brennan Institute: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/citizens-united-explained
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Maud Wood Park. Park was the 1st president of the National League of Women Voters.
Learn more:
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/november-2015-suffragist-of-the-month/
-- Harvard: https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/schlesinger-library/collection/papers-maud-wood-park-in-womans-rights-collection
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=8
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charles Curtis, of Kaw, Osage, and Pottawatomie ancestry. Curtis was sworn in as the U.S. Senator from Kansas. Charles was also the 1st person of color and 1st person of Native American ancestry to hold the office of vice president under President Hoover.
Learn more:
-- Senate History: https://www.senate.gov/about/officers-staff/vice-president/VP_Charles_Curtis.htm
-- Kansas Historical Society: https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/charles-curtis/12029
Black History Month is celebrated in the United States and Canada each February. Black History Month traces its origins to Negro History Week which was first created in 1926 with the week chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (February 12th) and Frederick Douglass (February 14th). An annual monthlong celebration of black history was later proposed by students and educators at Kent State University in 1969, and adopted one year later. By the mid-1970s, Black History Month was celebrated across the United States and officially recognized by US President Gerald Ford in 1976. Originally intended to celebrate black history and culture in the United States, Black History Month has since spread to Canada, as well as the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands, where it is celebrated in October.
#OnThisDay in 1870, the 15th Amendment, which granted black men the right to vote, was ratified. Unfortunately, Southern states continued to disenfranchise black voters through the use of poll taxes, literacy tests, threats of physical harm, etc. Therefore, the promise of the 15th Amendment was not fully realized until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965--almost a century later.
The amendment was passed (proposed) by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870.
Learn more:
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- LOC: http://www.loc.gov/rr//program/bib/ourdocs/15thamendment.html
-- Teaching resources: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-african-americans.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Juanita Jewel Craft. Juanita and Lulu Belle White of Houston organized 182 branches of the NAACP in Texas over a period of eleven years. Following the Smith v. Allwright ruling, in 1944 Juanita became the first black woman in Dallas County to vote in the Democratic Party primary. In 1946, she was the first black woman deputized in the state to collect the poll tax. Juanita was also a member of the League of Women Voters of Texas.
The Smith v. Allwright U.S. case ended the white primary.
Learn More:
-- http://www.juanitacrafthouse.org/
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fcr59
-- TxPolProject - Smith v. Allwright: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lawrence Aaron Nixon. Lawrence...
The Smith v. Allwright case ended the white primary, which suppressed the Black vote.
Learn More:
-- @TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fni10
-- @TxPolProject - White Primary: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Adella Hunt Logan.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Nellie May Quande. “In 1913, Nellie Quander, president of the nation‘s oldest Black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, wrote to Alice Paul, chair for a major upcoming Washington, D.C., parade, planned to attract national attention for the cause on the day before the inauguration of President Woodrow Wilson. "We do not wish to enter if we must meet with discrimination on account of race affiliation," Quander wrote. "Can you assign us to a desirable place in the college women‘s section?”
Learn more:
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/new-tactics-for-a-new-generation-1890-1915/new-tactics-and-renewed-confrontation/howard-university-sorority-seeks-assurances-of-nondiscrimination
-- Smithsonian: https://womenshistory.si.edu/news/2020/08/19suffragestories-countdown-stories-14-10
-- Facing History:
https://facingtoday.facinghistory.org/suffrage-and-sisterhood-the-origins-and-impact-of-black-sororities
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Fannie Barrier Williams. Fannie was an educator, political activist, and women’s rights advocate. In 1907, she was the only Black woman to eulogize Susan B. Anthony at the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) convention. Also, she helped found the NAACP in 1909.
Learn more:
-- BlackPast: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/williams-fannie-barrier-1855-1944/
-- ISU: https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/directory/frances-barrier-williams/
-- RRLC: https://rrlc.org/winningthevote/biographies/fannie-barrier-williams/
-- SPC: https://www.splcenter.org/news/2019/06/01/weekend-read-challenging-whitewashed-history-womens-suffrage/
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/more-to-the-movement/fannie-barrier-williams/
#OnThisDay in 1909, the NAACP was founded. The NAACP is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation.
Mission: To ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.
Learn more:
-- NAACP: https://naacp.org/nations-premier-civil-rights-organization/
-- TSHA: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/national-association-for-the-advancement-of-colored-people
-- UW: https://depts.washington.edu/moves/NAACP_intro.shtml
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charlotta Spears Bass, who was born on this day in 1874. Charlotta was an educator, newspaper publisher, civil-rights and voting-rights activist. She was also the first Black woman to own and operate a newspaper in the United States and the first Black woman nominated for Vice President.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/people/charlottabass.htm
-- Black Past; https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/bass-charlotta-1879-1969/
-- South California Library: https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf6c60052d/
#OnThisDay in 1920, the League of Women Voters was founded. Carrie Chapman Catt shared the following about the founding: "Is the (League) political? Certainly, but not partisan. Its members are as free as other women to join and vote with the party of their choice. They make no pledge otherwise in joining the League."
Mission: Empowering voters. Defending democracy.
Learn more: https://www.lwv.org/league-women-voters-through-decades
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Anna Howard Shaw.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (1 hr in)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Susan B. Anthony (1st generation suffragists). She was born in 1820. Susan was a co-founder of the National Woman Suffrage Associate (NWSA), which would later merge with the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
**Susan died in 1906, 14 years before women were given the right to vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. **
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/susan-b-anthony
-- @susanbhouse: https://susanb.org/her-life/
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
-- Seneca Falls Convention:
#OnThisDay in 1929, LULAC was founded. LULAC is the oldest and largest continuously active Latino political association in the US.
Mission: To advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, housing, health and civil rights of the Hispanic population of the United States.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wel01
Join us commemorating the life of Frederick Douglass (1818 - 1895)."Frederick was one of the few men present at the woman‘s rights convention held at Seneca Falls, New York, in July 1848.
Learn more:
-- Blackpast: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/1888-frederick-douglass-woman-suffrage/
-- Smithsonian: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hidden-history-anna-murray-douglass-180968324/
#BHM
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Zitkala-Sa (Red Bird). "Zitkala-Ša joined the Society of American Indians, a group founded in 1911 with the purpose of preserving traditional Native American culture while also lobbying for full American citizenship."
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/people/zitkala-sa.htm
Photo: https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_S_NPG.79.26?destination=edan-search/default_search%3Freturn_all%3D1%26edan_q%3DZitkala%2520Sa
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Rosalie Gardiner Jones. In December of 1912, over 200 women joined Rosalie for parts of a 140-mile march from New York City to Albany to support women‘s suffrage. During the march, the women stopped to hold open-air meetings and distribute pamphlets in communities along the way.
Learn More:
-- PBS Doc: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (1 hr 16 mins in)
-- New York Heritage: https://nyheritage.org/exhibits/recognizing-womens-right-vote/%E2%80%9Cgeneral%E2%80%9D-rosalie-jones-and-suffrage-hikes
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/people/dr-general-rosalie-jones.htm
#OnThisDay in 1869, Congress passed (proposed) the 15th Amendment, which granted Black male citizens the right to vote.“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 race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
The amendment was passed (proposed) by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870.
Learn more:
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- LOC: http://www.loc.gov/rr//program/bib/ourdocs/15thamendment.html
-- Teaching resources: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-african-americans.html
#OnThisDay, President Ulysses S. Grant, signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1875. The CRA was enacted during the Reconstruction era in response to civil rights violations against African Americans. The act provided for equal treatment in public accommodations and transportation. It also outlawing race-based discrimination in jury service.
Over the ensuing years, African Americans began suing businesses that denied them access to segregated facilities. On Oct 15, 1883, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) heard a group of five cases (known as the Civil Rights Cases), and in an 8-1 decision, struck down the CRA of 1875 as unconstitutional.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resource:
-- US House of Rep: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1851-1900/The-Civil-Rights-Act-of-1875
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
-- Grant‘s Memoirs: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/4367/4367-h/4367-h.htm
Women‘s History Month celebrates the everyday contributions of women across the world to events in history and contemporary society. It is celebrated during March in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, in connection with International Women‘s Day on March 8th. Women‘s History Month traces its origins to the United States, where it was first designated in 1987. Since then the tradition has spread to other countries around the world.
The "Woman Suffrage Procession" was the first suffragist parade in Washington, DC. Organized by the suffragist Alice Paul for the National American Woman Suffrage Association, it saw thousands of suffragists marching down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC on Monday, March 3, 1913. Presaging the circumstances surrounding the 2017 Women‘s March just over 100 years later, the 1913 event was scheduled on the day before President Woodrow Wilson‘s inauguration to "march in a spirit of protest against the present political organization of society, from which women are excluded," as the official program stated. While studying in England, Paul had heard the British suffragist Christabel Pankhurst speak and joined the Women‘s Social and Political Union, being jailed a number of times in the process. She returned to the US in 1910 and continued to campaign for women‘s rights leading to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920.
March 7, 1965: In the Selma to Montgomery March, around 600 civil rights marchers walk to Selma, Alabama to Montgomery—the state’s capital—in protest of black voter suppression. Local police block and brutally attack them. After successfully fighting in court for their right to march, Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders lead two more marches and finally reach Montgomery on March 25.
Advocate of women‘s rights.
In February 1912 Brackenridge was elected president of the newly organized San Antonio Equal Franchise Society. The formation of this society stimulated interest throughout the state, and delegates from seven Texas cities met in San Antonio and organized the Texas Woman Suffrage Association in April 1913. Eleanor Brackenridge held the office of president for one year and then became honorary president.
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbr04
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Anna Murray Douglass born in 1813. Anna was the wife of Frederick Douglas, but more than that, she was a participant in the activities necessary to ensure voting rights for all Americans.
Learn more:
-- @SmithsonianMagazine: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hidden-history-anna-murray-douglass-180968324/
-- @USAToday:https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/07/06/frederick-douglass-first-wife-anna-murray-made-his-work-possible/5382922002/
-- @librarycongress: https://www.loc.gov/item/mfd.02007/
International Women‘s Day traces its origins to the women‘s rights movement of the early 20th century, having been first proposed by German campaigner Clara Zetkin at an international conference in Copenhagen. The day is a celebration of the social, economic, political and cultural achievements of women worldwide. The annual campaign calls for gender parity and raises funds to support initiatives towards this goal.
Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) was never far from the struggle for equal rights and human liberation throughout her long life, from the work on the Underground Railroad for which she is famous, to her later years as an activist in the women‘s suffrage movement in the early 20th century. Born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia in 1849 before immediately returning to rescue her family. Tubman would make some 13 return trips to the South to liberate family, friends, and relatives - at great personal risk to herself - guiding them to freedom in the northern United States and British North America (present-day Canada) using a clandestine network of anti-slavery activists and safe houses to facilitate the journey. Tubman later helped the abolitionist John Brown recruit troops for his 1859 raid on Harper‘s Ferry, and helped lead multiple attacks on Confederate plantations and infrastructure during the Civil War. Toward the end of her life, Tubman joined the campaign for women‘s suffrage. With the struggle against slavery still in living memory, Tubman moved audiences around the country with tales of her heroic actions before and after the Civil War, offering these sacrifices as evidence and living proof that women deserved the same rights as men.
#OnThisDay in 1918, the Texas House (during the 36 legislative sessions) passed HB-105 by a vote of 83-34. The bill granted women the right to vote in (white) Texas Primaries.
The bill was passed by the Texas Senate on March 21, 1918 by a vote of 18-4.
Governor William P. Hobby signed the bill into law on March 26, 1918.
Learn more:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/whatsNew/client/index.cfm/2018/3/20/Votes-for-Women-The-100th-Anniversary-of-Texas-Womens-Suffrage
Bayard Rustin (1912-1987) was an American civil rights activist who worked as an influential organizer and behind-the-scenes adviser to many causes throughout the civil rights era. Rustin began his organizing career working alongside fellow activist A. Philip Randolph on the March on Washington Movement in the early 1940s, which campaigned for the desegregation of the US armed forces. Rustin later played a central organizing role in other key civil rights actions such as the Freedom Rides and the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Martin Luther King - whom Rustin had schooled on methods of non-violence and helped elevate to his leadership position in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference - gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Rustin continued his career as an activist following the passage of civil rights legislation in the mid-1960s, promoting the unionization of African American workers and working internationally to aid war refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia while raising awareness to the ongoing plight of Jews living in the Soviet Union. A gay man who chose to play a supporting role in the Civil Rights Movement due to public criticisms of his homosexuality, Rustin spent his final years working on behalf of LGBT causes during the 1980s.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Minnie Fisher Cunningham born in 1882. Minnie was the first Executive Secretary of the League of Women Voters. The Texas native was also the first female pharmacy student at the University of Texas and the first woman to run for the Texas Senate. Members of the Minnie Fisher Cunningham Society continue empowering voters and defending democracy into the future by naming the League in their wills for a bequest.
Learn More:
-- LWV: https://my.lwv.org/texas/leave-legacy-minnie-fisher-cunningham-society
-- Suffrage Petition: https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/tx-woman-suffrage-petition
--TSHA: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/cunningham-minnie-fisher
-- PBS: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/shows/2015/12/19/43918/texas-originals-minnie-fisher-cunningham/
#OnThisDay in 1918, the Texas Senate (during the 36 legislative sessions) passed HB-105 by a vote of 18-4. The bill granted women the right to vote in (white) Texas Primaries.
The bill was firsts passed in the TX House on March 15, 1918 by a vote of 84-34.
Governor William P. Hobby signed the bill into law on March 26, 1918.
Learn more:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/whatsNew/client/index.cfm/2018/3/20/Votes-for-Women-The-100th-Anniversary-of-Texas-Womens-Suffrage
The 21st of March is the anniversary of events in 1960 when police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid laws in Sharpeville, South Africa. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed an annual observation of the day in 1966.
"We must all work harder to repair the fissures and polarization that are so prevalent in our societies today. We must nurture mutual understanding and invest in making diversity a success. And we must counter and reject political figures who exploit differences for electoral gain." — UN Secretary-General António Guterres”
Learn more:
-- About End Racial Discrimination Day: https://www.un.org/en/observances/end-racism-day
-- History of the League and the UN: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/The%2520League%2520and%2520the%2520United%2520Nations.pdf
-- Role of the UN Observer: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/LWVUS%20United%20Nations%20Observer%20Role.pdf
-- Contact the UN Observers at unobserver@lwv.org.
Also World Poetry Day: https://www.un.org/en/events/poetryday/
#OnThisDay in 1972, Congress passed the ERA, but it remains 1 state short of ratification.
#OnThis day in 1971, the 26th Amendment was passed by Congress. This amendment was enacted in response to Vietnam War protests, which argued that soldiers who were old enough to fight for their country should be granted the right to vote.‘
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed to the states) on March 23, 1971, and ratified on July 1, 1971.
Resources:
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Today is Slavery Remembrance Day. “For over 400 years, more than 15 million men, women and children were the victims of the tragic transatlantic slave trade, one of the darkest chapters in human history.”
Learn about the Ark of Return, which is the permanent memorial designed by Rodney Leon (a decedent of a former slave) that sits on the grounds of the United Nations headquarters.
Resources:
-- About Slavery Remembrance Day: https://www.un.org/en/events/slaveryremembranceday
-- Ark of Return Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx-gnst3mC8
-- History of the League and the UN: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/The%2520League%2520and%2520the%2520United%2520Nations.pdf
-- Role of the UN Observer: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/LWVUS%20United%20Nations%20Observer%20Role.pdf
-- Contact the UN Observers at unobserver@lwv.org.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Virginia Louisa Minor, born in 1824. Virginia was the plaintiff in the Minor v. Happersett case that was unsuccessful in arguing that the 14th Amendment gave women the right to vote.
The Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) in 1874 ruled in a unanimous decision that the 14th Amendment did not guarantee women the right to vote.
The 19th Amendment overruled Minor v. Happersett by prohibiting discrimination in voting rights based on sex. #VotingRights
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/the-virginia-minor-case.htm
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Wilhelmina Kekelaokalaninui Widemann Dowsett.
Learn more:
-- https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelmina_Kekelaokalaninui_Widemann_Dowsett
#OnThisDay in 1961: Residents of Washington, D.C. were granted the right to vote in U.S. Presidential Elections. The 23rd Amendment extends the right to vote in presidential elections to citizens residing in the District of Columbia. The amendment grants the district electors in the Electoral College as though it were a state, though the district can never have more electors than the least-populous state.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed to the states) on June 16, 1960, and ratified March 29, 1961.
#OnThisDay in 1875, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled in a unanimous decision that the 14th Amendment did not guarantee women the right to vote.
The 19th Amendment overruled Minor v. Happersett by prohibiting discrimination in voting rights based on sex.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/the-virginia-minor-case.htm
-- US Courts: https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/annual-observances/law-day
-- LOC: https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep088/usrep088162/usrep088162.pdf
One of the most iconic labor organizers and civil rights activists in American history, Cesar Chavez (1927-1993) co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) with fellow organizer Dolores Huerta in 1962. Originally of Mexican-American origin, Chavez was a farm worker himself before turning to activism and securing official recognition for UFW as the collective bargaining agent for 50,000 field workers in California and Florida during the 1970s. Renowned for his grassroots approach to labor activism and Hispanic empowerment, Chavez is credited with popularizing the slogan "Si, se puede" ("Yes we can") and was awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 1994. In 2014 President Barack Obama proclaimed March 31 as a federal commemorative holiday in the United States, marking the date of Chavez‘s birth. Numerous American parks, streets, and schools throughout the country bear his name.
#On this day in 1944, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) decision in Smith v. Allwright ruled the so-called "white primary" unconstitutional. The case originated in 1940 when Houston dentist Lonnie E. Smith attempted to vote in the Democratic primary in Harris County and was denied a ballot.
The number of African Americans registered to vote in Texas increased from 30,000 in 1940 to 100,000 in 1947.
Learn more:
-- @TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wdw01
-- NAACP: https://www.naacpldf.org/case-issue/landmark-smith-v-allwright
-- UT: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
-- LOC: https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep321/usrep321649/usrep321649.pdf
Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was an American author, poet, dancer, actress and singer. She was active in the Civil Rights Movement and worked with Martin Luther King, James Baldwin, and Malcolm X. Prior to becoming a writer, Angelou spent much of her young life as a dancer, before turning to organizing and activism at the start of the 1960s. After spending three years as a journalist in Ghana, Angelou moved back to the United States in 1965 and collaborated closely with many of the leading civil rights figures of the time. Angelou‘s first breakthrough came in 1969 when she published her first autobiography "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," which brought global acclaim. Angelou would go on to spend the next 45 years as an internationally renowned lecturer, teacher, writer, composer, performer, and director, becoming one of America‘s literary and artistic legends.
#OnThisDay, Jeannette Pickering Rankin was sworn in as the 1st woman elected to Congress. Rankin was an American politician and women‘s rights advocate, and the first woman to hold federal office in the United States. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican from Montana in 1916, and again in 1940.
A suffragist during the Progressive Era, Rankin organized and lobbied for legislation enfranchising women in several states including Montana, New York, and North Dakota. During her victory speech following her first election to the House of Representatives, she recognized the power she held as the only woman able to vote in Congress saying, "I am deeply conscious of the responsibility resting upon me".[1] While in Congress, she introduced legislation similar to what would eventually became the 19th Constitutional Amendment, granting unrestricted voting rights to women nationwide. She championed the causes of women‘s rights and civil rights throughout a career that spanned more than six decades.
Learn more:
PBS - @unladylike2020: https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jeannette-rankin/
#OnThisDay 1893, ten Texas women, mostly members of the Woman‘s Christian Temperance Union, issued a call for a statewide woman suffrage convention. The Texas Equal Rights Association, the first such statewide organization, was chartered at the ensuing three-day convention in Dallas. Internal dissension plagued the TERA, which had been organized as a branch of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, and it ceased to operate by 1896. In 1903 Annette Finnigan helped organize a successor organization, the Texas Equal Suffrage Association, which helped lead the long and ultimately successful fight for woman suffrage. Texas women were finally granted the right to vote in primary elections in 1918, and in June 1919 Texas became the ninth state (and the first in the south) to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which extended full suffrage to women.
Learn more:
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vit02
#OnThisDay, congress overrode a veto by President Andrew Johnson and enacted into law the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1866, which defined citizenship and affirm that all citizens are equally protected by the law. The CRA of 1866 was enacted post Civil War to protect the civil rights of persons of African descent born in or brought to the US. #CivilRights
Congress passed the act on March 13, 1866.
President Andrew Johnson vetoed the act on March 27, 1866
Congress overrode the veto and enacted the CRA on April 9, 1866
Congress passed the bill to support the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
Johnson‘s Veto: https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/march-27-1866-veto-message-civil-rights-legislation
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Fannie Coralie Perkins (Francis Perkins), born on this day in1880. Fannie was a workers-rights advocate and the first woman to serve in a US president‘s cabinet. She served as Franklin D. Roosevelt‘s Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945, the longest-serving in that position. In addition, she was the first LGBTQ person to serve in the U.S. Cabinet.
Learn more:
-- FPC: https://francesperkinscenter.org/life-new/
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/lgbtqheritage/upload/lgbtqtheme-preservation.pdf
-- CU: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/digital/collections/nny/perkinsf/profile.html
-- NPR: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102959041
#OnThis Day, Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin. #CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (formed the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
-- Johnson Library: http://www.lbjlibrary.org/exhibits/civil-rights
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/summer/civil-rights-act-1.html
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Emancipation Day is an American holiday celebrated in the District of Columbia (Washington, DC) each year on April 16th. It marks the day US President Abraham Lincoln signed the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act in 1862, which granted freedom to more than 3,000 slaves in the nation‘s capital, nine months before Lincoln issued his broader Emancipation Proclamation freeing 3.5 million slaves in the rebel-held American South. Three years later, the United States ratified the 13th Amendment, which formally outlawed slavery. In 2005, Washington DC Mayor Anthony Williams signed legislation making Emancipation Day an official public holiday, which is also observed by the federal government.
#OnThisDay in 1954, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) extended constitutional rights to Mexican Americans in the landmark civil rights case Hernandez v. Texas.
Learn more: https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/artifacts/hernandez-v-texas-spotlight-050115
#OnThisDay in 1882 Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The 1882 Act was the first US history to place broad restrictions on immigration.
Timeline:
1882 - Arthur signs Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
Prevents Chinese nationals from eligibility for US citizenship (scheduled to last 10 yrs)
1892 - Harrison signs the Geary Act
Renews Chinese Exclusion act of 1882 (extends for 10 additional years and in 1902 indefinitely extended)
1943 - Roosevelt signs the Magnuson Act
Repeals the Chinese Exclusion Act leaving a yearly limit of 105 Chinese and gives foreign-born Chinese the right to seek naturalization
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Resources:
National Archive Chinese Americans: https://www.archives.gov/research/chinese-americans/guide
Chinese Exclusion History: https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/APA/Historical-Essays/Exclusion-and-Empire/First-Arrivals/
Chinese Exclusion Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1866-1898/chinese-immigration
Congress‘ Apology for Chinese Exclusion: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2012-06-18/html/CREC-2012-06-18-pt1-PgH3715-2.htm
Video: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/chinese-exclusion-act/
#OnThisDay, Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1960, which served to eliminate loopholes left by the CRA of 1957. It established federal inspection of voter-registration polls and addressed discriminatory laws and practices in the segregated South that disenfranchised blacks and Hispanics. #CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
--Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/collections/eisenhowercivilrightsfiles
--Eisenhower Library: https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/sites/default/files/research/subject-guides/pdf/civil-rights-guide-to-studies.pdf
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
#OnThisDay, the Texas Equal Rights Association (TERA), the first statewide female suffrage organization, was founded in the Grand Windsor in Dallas on May 10, 1893. The TERA was committed to securing voting and political rights for women on the same terms as men, including the right to hold political office and serve on juries.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vit02
#EqualRights #CivilRights #VotingRights
#OnThisDay in 1954, the Supreme Court of the US ruled in a unanimous decision that school segregation violated the Equal Protection and Due Process clauses of the 14th Amendment.
Brown v. Board of Education was a consolidation of five cases. The ruling effectively ending racial segregation in public schools. Many schools, however, remained segregated.
Learn more:
-- Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/brown_vs_boe
-- US Courts: https://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/history-brown-v-board-education-re-enactment
-- Library of Congress https://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep347/usrep347483/usrep347483.pdf
-- Video: https://www.loc.gov/item/mbrs01856600/
-- Image: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-brown.html
#OnThisDay in 1896, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled 7-1 that segregation was legal and constitutional as long as "facilities were equal"—the famous "separate but equal" segregation policy.
The Plessy v. Ferguson decision provided legal justification for segregation until it was overruled by Brown v. the Board of Education in 1954.
Resources:
Library of Congress: Plessy v. Ferguson: https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/plessy.html
Library of Congress: Brown v. Board of Education: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-brown.html
#OnThisDay in 1993 Clinton signed the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (also referred to as the Motor Voter Act). The bill advanced voting rights, including (but not limited to) requiring states to offer voter registration opportunities to eligible persons during driver’s license renewal.
Timeline:
1990 - LWV convenes a symposium to examine the role of negative campaigning in the decline in voter participation. The symposium leads to a comprehensive effort to return the voter to the center of the election process. LWV works with a coalition of partners to support legislation reforming voter registration.
1992 - Congress passes the NVRA of 1992
1992 - Bush vetoes the bill
1992 - Congress fails to override the veto
1993 - Congress passes the NVRA of 1993
1993 - Clinton signs the bill into law
Resources:
-- LWV 2018-2020 Impact report: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-04/LWV%202018-20%20Impact%20on%20Issues.pdf#page=15
-- LWV Celebrates NVRA 27 Anniversary: https://www.lwv.org/blog/honoring-27th-anniversary-national-voter-registration-act
-- Bush‘s comments regarding NVRA of 1992: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/message-the-senate-returning-without-approval-the-national-voter-registration-act-1992
-- Clinton‘s comment regarding NVRA of 1993: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-signing-the-national-voter-registration-act-1993
-- US Justice Department: https://www.justice.gov/crt/about-national-voter-registration-act
On May 24, Coolidge signed the Immigration Act of 1924 (also referred to as the Johnson-Reed Act), which implemented a national quota system that limited the number of immigrants allowed into the US, and it excluded immigrants from Asia.
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act
Prevents immigration from Asia and establishes a quotas system
1952 - Truman vetoes McCarran-Walter Act (veto overridden by Congress)
Eliminates Asian exclusion and establishes a preference system for desirable ethnic groups
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Note: See https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline for a description of immigration laws before 1924
Resources:
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965
Coolidge’s Comments regarding Immigration: https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/were-all-in-the-same-boat-now-coolidge-on-immigration
Truman’s Veto Comments: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/public/Immigration_TrumanVeto.pdf
Johnson’s INA Signing Comments:http://www.lbjlibrary.org/lyndon-baines-johnson/timeline/lbj-on-immigration
Images:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gQD4VFtai7I0K47-d3F58Ffp9wn0fNzh
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1bfzS8eAMFA89LTE_gU3VkTZyxH5qV9Y1
#OnThisDay in 1924, Coolidge signed the Indian Citizenship Act (also known as the Snyder Act), which granted all Native Americans citizenship and the right to vote regardless of tribal affiliation. As history has shown, having the right to vote does not always equate to having the ability to vote. Learn about hurdles that suppress the Native American vote: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/voting-rights/how-the-native-american-vote-continues-to-be-suppressed/
Resources:
Native American Voting Rights Act (Introduced 2019)
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1694/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22H.+R.+83%22%5D%7D&r=62&s=1
LWV Endorsement of Native American Voting Rights Act
https://www.lwv.org/expanding-voter-access/league-endorses-native-american-voting-rights-act-2019
Voting Rights for Native Americans: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-native-americans.html
https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/every-native-american-a-citizen/
Timeline https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline
https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-native-americans.html
#OnThisDay in 1919, Congress passed (proposed for ratification) the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. The amendment was ratified by the states on August 18, 1920.
http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
Learn more:
National Women’s History Museum: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Today marks the death of Harriet Forten Purvis (1810-1875). Typically, we ask you to join in the celebration of a birth, but Harriet’s birthday is unknown, but her contributions to the rights we enjoy today are worthy of remembrance. Improving the civil and voting rights of others was a family tradition for Harriet and her relatives:
** Daughter of Charlotte Valdine Forten (1st generation suffragist)
** Sister of Sarah Forten Purvis and Margaret Forten (2nd generation suffragists)
** Mother to Hattie Purvis (3rd generation suffragist)
** Aunt of Charlotte Forten Grimke (3rd generation suffragist)
** Wife of Robert Purvis Sr ** (instrumental in development of the Underground Railroad)
Learn more:
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/more-to-the-movement/harriet-forten-purvis/
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- Turning Point: https://suffragistmemorial.org/harriet-forten-purvis-1810-1875/
-- Women History: https://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2016/08/harriet-forten-purvis.html
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Jeannette Pickering Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress.
Learn more:
-- PBS - @unladylike2020: https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jeannette-rankin/
-- House History: https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/R/RANKIN,-Jeannette-(R000055)
Faslane Peace Camp is a permanent peace camp situated next to the Faslane Naval Base in Scotland. Set up on this date in 1982, the camp is the world‘s longest-running active demonstration site and was originally set up as part of the anti-nuclear weapons movements of the 1980s.
#OnThisDay in 1866, Congress passed (proposed) the 14th Amendment, which granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former and recently freed slaves. In addition, it forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) 0n June 13, 1866 and ratified July 9, 1868.
Resources:
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Join us in celebrating the birthday. Miriam was the 1st woman elected as Governor of Texas.
Learn more:
-- https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffe06
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/lkj01
JUNETEENTH. On June 19 ("Juneteenth"), 1865, Union general Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and issued General Order Number 3, which read, "The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juneteenth
Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, is an American holiday that commemorates the June 19, 1865, announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. state of Texas, and more generally the emancipation of enslaved African Americans throughout the former Confederate States of America. Its name is a portmanteau of "June" and "nineteenth", the date of its celebration.[1][2] Juneteenth is recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in forty-five states.[3]
Today it is observed primarily in local celebrations. Traditions include public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, singing traditional songs such as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing", and reading of works by noted African-American writers such as Ralph Ellison and Maya Angelou.[4] Celebrations may include rodeos, street fairs, cookouts, family reunions, park parties, historical reenactments, or Miss Juneteenth contests.[5] The Mascogos, descendants of Black Seminoles, of Coahuila, Mexico also celebrate Juneteenth.[6]
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal of VRA
Nixon signs 5-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on June 22, 1970. The VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1919, the TX Leg meets in a special session to consider ratification of the 19th Amendment.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919. #100YearsStrong
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
-- Leg Reference Libary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/govdocs/William%20P%20Hobby/1919/36-2proc.pdf 01
#OnThisDay in 1919, the Texas House adopts a resolution to ratify the 19th Amendment.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay in 2013, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled 5-4 that Section 4(b) of the Voters Right Act (VRA) was unconstitutional because the coverage formula was outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable until Congress agrees on a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
Timeline:
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples under the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution. The product of a three-year court battle challenging state-level bans on same-sex marriage, the landmark decision by the Supreme Court in Obergefell v. Hodges requires all US states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, while recognising same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, officially making marriage equality the law of the land across the United States and its territories.
#OnThisDay in 1918, Hortense Sparks Ward became the first woman in Harris County history to register to vote. Born in Matagorda County in 1872, she married Houston lawyer William Henry Ward in 1908. In 1910 she became one of the first women admitted to the Texas state bar (after Edith Locke in 1902 and Alice Tiernan in 1909).
Ward worked tirelessly in support of women’s rights and penned moving newspaper essays and pamphlets for that cause. She was instrumental in the passage of the Married Woman’s Property Law of 1913 by the Texas Legislature, and she campaigned with suffragist Minnie Fisher Cunningham for enfranchisement.
Texas women won an important victory in 1918 when the legislature permitted them to vote in primary elections. In a short span of less than three weeks, 386,000 women across the state registered to vote, and Hortense Ward led the way.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwa83
#OnThisDay in 1952, Congress passed into law (overriding a veto by Truman) the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1952, which abolished racial restrictions for immigration and naturalization but kept the national origins quota system established in the Immigration act of 1924
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act: Prevented immigration from Asia, set quotas on the number of immigrants from the Eastern Hemisphere)
1952 - Truman vetoes (veto overridden by Congress) McCarran-Walter Act: Eliminated Asian exclusion and established a preference system that determined which ethnic groups were desirable immigrants
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act: Eliminated policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Learn more: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965/
Join us in commemorating the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, which became a watershed moment for gay rights. After Stonewall, gay-right groups formed in cities across American, Canada, Australia, and Europe. In June 1970, the first public gay-pride marches took place commemorating the one-year anniversary of the uprising. #PRIDE #CivilRights #Intersectional
Learn more:
--Time: https://buff.ly/35HzdQl
-- PBS: https://buff.ly/2PrCqeP
-- LOC: https://buff.ly/3heGM6w
-- Video of 1st Pride March: https://www.loc.gov/item/mbrs01991430/
Go here to see the LWVTX’s position on Equal Opportunity: https://buff.ly/2NlG5wL
In addition, see the position update report from the 2020 LWVTX convening to see how the League’s positions are evolving. https://buff.ly/2YFYb14
#OnThisDay in 1919, the Texas Senate approved ratification of the 19th Amendment. Texas became the 9th state in the US and the 1st state in the South to approve ratification.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919. #100YearsStrong
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay, Reagan signs a 25-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on June 29, 1982. The renewal extended for 25 years the Section 5 preclearance provision and extended the requirement for bilingual elections for 10 years. The VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1971, the 26th Amendment was ratified, giving adults aged 18 through 21 the right to vote. The 26th Amendment was enacted in response to Vietnam War protestors who argued that soldiers who were old enough to fight/die for their country should be old enough to vote.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on March 23, 1971, and ratified on July 1, 1971.
Learn more:
-- National Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xxvi
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
#OnThis Day, Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It prohibits unequal application of voter registration requirements, and racial segregation in schools, employment, and public accommodations.
#CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
-- Johnson Library: http://www.lbjlibrary.org/exhibits/civil-rights
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/summer/civil-rights-act-1.html
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Join us celebrating the birthday of Gertrude Bustill Mosell. Gertrude wrote a weekly advice column, "Our Women‘s Department," which was the 1st women‘s column in the history of the African-American press. She fought for equal rights and encouraged women to join the suffragist movement.
Learn more:
-- Article: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
-- Book: https://books.google.com/books?id=CHx5tY6wQSMC&pg=PA37&lpg=PA37&dq=Gertrude+Bustill+Mossell&source=bl&ots=W1sLIooEOO&sig=ACfU3U1M6Q9DfnX2OJmLRn4pJBdGJaT7yQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi1hL-J18zpAhURC6wKHbR1CXc4FBDoATAFegQICRAB#v=onepage&q=Gertrude%20Bustill%20Mossell&f=false
-- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Bustill_Mossell
-- Penn University Archive: https://archives.upenn.edu/collections/finding-aid/upt50m913
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/african-american-women-and-the-nineteenth-amendment.htm
The 4th of July marks the birth of the United States of America as a nation, recalling the Declaration of Independence made in 1776. The Continental Congress of the thirteen American colonies had actually passed a resolution of independence from the British Empire on July 2nd, but subsequently debated the additional declaration which explained its decision. The American Revolution had already been underway since 1775, and continued to 1783 in victory for the new United States.
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Jenny Bland Beauchamp. She wrote one of the first articles on woman suffrage published in Texas.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbeaj
#OnThisDay in 1868, Titus H. Mundine was the 1st Texas legislator to propose the enfranchisement of women and African Americans.
"Every person, without distinction of sex, who shall have arrived at the age of twenty-one years...shall be deemed a qualified elector." -- Titus H. Mundine
Learn More:
Titus – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmuvf
1868-69 Constitutional Convention – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/mjc04
Woman Suffrage – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay in 1868, the 14th Amendment was ratified. It granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former and recently freed slaves. In addition, it forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on June 13, 1866 and ratified on July 9, 1868.
Resources:
National Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xiv
National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Mary McLeod Bethune (Birthday)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary MCLeod Bethune who contributed to the women’s suffrage movement through her activism and writing.
Learn more:
NPS: https://www.nps.gov/mamc/learn/historyculture/mary-mcleod-bethune.htm
Women‘s Vote: https://www.womensvote100.org/the-suff-buffs-blog/2020/5/4/mary-mcleod-bethune-true-democracy-and-the-fight-for-universal-suffrage?fbclid=IwAR2sHG_Gb3ue4UpAFdSYiWe95TNmK0HJE-_pnIiWUwYVp88PNlRd9Hu9SHg
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Ida Wells Barnett. Ida was a civil rights activist and founded the Alpha Suffrage Club in 1913. She criticized mainstream (white) suffrage organizations for their exclusion of women of color. During the 1913 Women‘s March on Washington, Wells and other African-American women were told to march at the back of the procession. Wells refused, waiting until the procession started and then joining the block of women that represented her state.
Learn more:
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fySmIinC0MU&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR3orBtlRs5Vhx0pCTMSgBTd6jU4wZ-xCXOv_9WVKweq8RGPZ8rWDuNR6kE
-- Hidden Figures: https://buff.ly/2TPhL88
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Time Mag: https://time.com/5792441/the-suffragists-100-women-of-the-year/
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://buff.ly/2Xd2mjQ
-- PBS: https://buff.ly/2Ag4b7c (1 hr 9 minutes in)
-- Ida‘s Writing; https://buff.ly/2Uv75vG
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Alice Dunbar Nelson. Alice was active in the emerging civil rights and woman suffrage movements. In 1915, she was the field organizer for the Middle Atlantic States in the campaign for women‘s suffrage. During World War I, Dunbar-Nelson served as a field representative of the Woman‘s Committee of the Council of National Defense.
Learn more:
-- University of Delaware Library: http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/findaids/dunbarne.html
-- Smithsonian: https://blog.library.si.edu/blog/2020/03/12/an-unsung-legacy-the-work-and-activism-of-alice-dunbar-nelson/#.XsnsXmhKhPY
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- Black History: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/dunbar-nelson-alice-ruth-moore-1875-1935/
#OnThisDay in 1848, the 1st women‘s rights convention was held in the US. It took place in Seneca Falls, New York. The meeting launched the women’s suffrage movement.
Learn more:
-- Constitutional Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/on-this-day-the-seneca-falls-convention-begins
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/july-19/
-- White House Archive: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/find-the-sentiments
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
#OnThisDay, Bush signs the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1964, which made discrimination based on race, religion, sex, national origin, and other characteristics illegal. In addition, unlike the CRA, the ADA also requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities and imposes accessibility requirements on public accommodations.
Celebration of signing of ADA
#OnThisDay, Bush signs a 25-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on Juyly 22, 2006.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lucy Burns. Lucy was an American suffragist and women‘s rights activist. She spent more time in prison because of her activism than any other American woman suffragist. She and Alice Paul were co-founders of the National Woman‘s Party.
Learn more:
National Parks Service: https://www.nps.gov/people/lucy-burns.htm
Watch Iron Jawed Angels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzoXTo4-hws
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mariana Thompson Folsom. Mariana was a leader in the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWS) and asked Lucy Stone in 1885 for assistance in establishing a state (Texas) suffrage society.
Learn more:
-- TSHA History: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffo43
-- TSHA Image: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/folsom-lecture.html
-- Unitarian Oral History: http://www.liveoakuu.org/services/rev-mariana-thompson-folsom-1845-1909/
-- Bullock Museum: https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/artifacts/what-is-feminine
-- TSL - Personal Diary Entry: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/mariana-diary.html
-- TSL - Letter from Lucy Stone: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/stone-folsom-1.html
#OnThisDay in 1965, Johnson signed the Voter Rights Act (VRA). In addition on this same day in 1975, Ford signs a 7-yr renewal. The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
** UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” Consequently, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula. **
Timeline:
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1965, Johnson signed the Voter Rights Act (VRA). The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
** UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” Consequently, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula. **
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
History: https://www.justice.gov/crt/history-federal-voting-rights-laws Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA87JWa0bEw
Video: https://storycorps.org/stories/ellie-dahmer-and-bettie-dahmer-170113/
Aug 6, 1965: Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights movement on August 6, 1965, and
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lucy Stone. Lucy was a leading suffragist who dedicated her life to fighting inequality. She was the first Massachusetts woman to earn a college degree. Lucy organized the first National Women’s Rights Convention in Worcester, Massachusetts, and she was a founding member of the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), which would later merge with the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucy-stone
-- Video: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d
-- History: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Charlotte Forten Grimké. Charlotte was a 3rd-generation suffragist and equal rights advocate. She is a reminder that we make progress by standing on the shoulders of others, and that it can take multiple generations to right wrongs.
** Granddaughter of Charlotte Vandine Forten **
** Daughter of Robert Bridges Forten **
** Niece of Margaret, Harriet, and Sarah Forten **
Learn more:
-- National History Center: http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai/identity/text3/charlottefortenjournal.pdf
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- NPS (19th Amendment): https://www.nps.gov/articles/african-american-women-and-the-nineteenth-amendment.htm
-- NPS (Voting Rights): https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Journals of Charlotte Forten Grimke: https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/3uHylBU24jMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PP1
-- Muse: https://muse.jhu.edu/chapter/1945821
-- Beltway Poetry: http://www.beltwaypoetry.com/poetry/poets/names/grimke-charlotte-forten/
#OnThisDay, 1920 the 19th Amendment was ratified, granting women the right to vote. This amendment prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex. The ratification was the culmination of the women‘s suffrage movement in the United States, which fought at both state and national levels to achieve the vote.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920.
Learn more:
-- National Women’s History Museum: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Annie Webb Blanton, teacher, suffragist, and the first woman in Texas elected to statewide office, was born Aug 19, 1870, in Houston.
In the July 1918 primary, when Texas women exercised their voting rights for the first time, Blanton defeated incumbent Walter F. Doughty and Brandon Trussell by a large margin. In November, her victory in the general election made her the first woman in Texas elected to statewide office. She served as state superintendent through 1922.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbl16
-- Humanities Texas https://www.humanitiestexas.org/programs/tx-originals/list/annie-webb-blanton
"The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote nationally on August 18, 1920, so why is Women’s Equality Day on August 26th each year?
The simple answer is that even when a constitutional amendment has been ratified it’s not official until it has been certified by the correct government official. In 1920, that official was U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby. On August 26, 1920, Colby signed a proclamation behind closed doors at 8 a.m. at his own house in Washington, D.C, ending a struggle for the vote that started a century earlier." -- Constitution Center
The first executive secretary of the League of Women Voters, Minnie Fisher Cunningham, was a Texan who, among many other notable achievements, worked for the passage of the 19th Amendment in Texas and nationally.
Learn more:
-- Alice Paul Org: https://www.alicepaul.org/2020-exhibition/
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/why-august-26-is-known-as-womans-equality-day
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/collections/women-of-protest/articles-and-essays/tactics-and-techniques-of-the-national-womans-party-suffrage-campaign/
-- NCSL: https://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/amending-the-u-s-constitution.aspx
Image: https://www.alicepaul.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/5_Suffragist_Cover_1920.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1962, the 24th Amendment, which prohibited the use or a poll tax as a condition for voting in federal elections, was passed by Congress. #SystemicRacism
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) to the states on August 27, 1962, and ratified on January 23, 1964.
“After nearly disappearing in the states, a repurposed poll tax returned as part of a successful effort to undermine the Fifteenth Amendment and reestablish limits on the franchise. Beginning in Florida in 1889, all the former Confederate States, and a few others, instituted a suite of changes to voting laws as a part of this effort. They introduced literacy tests and disqualified convicted felons from voting. They also resurrected poll taxes. The historical record is filled with racially derogatory statements from delegates at State constitutional conventions who believed poll taxes and other devices would suppress Black voter registration and turnout.”
“The Supreme Court repeatedly affirmed the constitutionality of poll taxes. In its 1937 opinion in Breedlove v. Suttles, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected a claim from a white Georgia voter that the poll tax violated the Equal Protection Clause. In 1951, it rejected a similar claim challenging Virginia’s poll tax in Butler v. Thompson.” -- Constitution Center #CheckAndBalances #3Branches
Resources:
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xxiv
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- US House: https://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/37045
-- Breedlove v. Suttles: https://perma.cc/6G6H-6U4T
-- Butler v. Thompson: https://perma.cc/V4JP-TYHY
#OnThisDay in 1963, approximately 250,000 people took part in The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Martin Luther King gave the closing address in front of the Lincoln Memorial:
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
Learn more:
-- King Institute: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/i-have-dream-address-delivered-march-washington-jobs-and-freedom
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=173&v=smEqnnklfYs&feature=emb_logo
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/10-fascinating-facts-about-the-i-have-a-dream-speech
-- Civil Rights Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/march_on_washington
#OnThisDay in 1983, the 68th Texas legislature passed HB718, which abolished the life-time voting ban on ex-felons, but included a 5-yr waiting period before ex-felons would become eligible to vote.
On Sept 1, 1997, the 75th Texas legislature passed HB1001 eliminated the 5-yr waiting period.
Learn more:
-- TSLL: https://guides.sll.texas.gov/reentry-resources/voting
-- 75th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/Sessionoverviews/summary/75soe.pdf#page=114 (pg. 114)
-- 68th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/sessionOverviews/summary/soe68.pdf#page=82 (pg. 77)
-- HB1001 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/75R/HB1001/HB1001_75R.pdf
-- HB718 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/68R/HB718/HB718_68R.pdf#page=23 (pg. 23)
-- HB718 Election Law Opinion: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- JSTOR: https://www.jstor.org/stable/29768353?read-now=1&seq=4#page_scan_tab_contents (pg. 82)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Myra Davis Hemmings. Hemmings was born in Gonzales, Texas. She was one of the founders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. as well as its first president. The sorority was founded at Howard University in Jan 1913 and its 1st public act was to participate in the Woman Suffrage Procession in Washington, D.C. in Mar of 1913.
Suffragist Mary Church Terrell lobbied on behalf of the Deltas to win them a place in the parade, where they were the only African American organization represented. #HiddenFigures
A Texas Historical Marker dedicated to Myra resides at the Myra Davis Hemmings Resource Center in Bexar County, TX.
Photo credit: San Antonio Alumnae Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Learn More:
-- @usgpo: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2013-01-24/html/CREC-2013-01-24-pt1-PgS292.htm
-- @TxHistComm: https://atlas.thc.texas.gov/Details/5507017358/print
-- @TxStHistAssoc: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fhe64
-- @dstinc1913: https://www.deltasigmatheta.org
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lulu Belle Madison White. Lulu Belle was a civil rights activist who worked to eliminate the white primary in the 1930s. In 1939, she became the president of the Houston chapter of the NAACP. After the SCOTUS ruling in 1944 that outlawed the white primary (Smith v. Allwright), she worked tirelessly to encourage voting and educate voters.
Learn more:
-- TSHA Handbook: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwh75
-- TSHA Honest Past (p. 337): https://join.tshaonline.org/ebook-offers/honest-past/SHQ-An-Honest-Past.pdf
-- WTH: https://www.womenintexashistory.org/audio/lulu-belle-madison-white
-- Humanities of TX: https://www.humanitiestexas.org/news/articles/craft-civil-rights
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Ann Richards. In 1976, Ann became the 1st woman elected to the Travis County Commissioners Court. In 1982, Ann became the 1st woman elected as Texas State Treasurer, which was the 1st time a woman had been elected to statewide office in Texas since Miriam Ferguson‘s successful gubernatorial race in 1932--breaking a 50-yr absence of women in statewide leadership. In 1990, Ann became the 2nd woman to serve as governor of Texas since Texas became a state in 1845.
Learn more:
-- https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fri62
#OnThisDay in 1997, the 75th TX legislature, passed HB1001, which amended the Election Code to clarify the voting rights (eligibility) of fully discharged ex-felons, and it eliminated the 5-year waiting period established by HB718.
In 1983, the 68th Session of the TX Leg passed HB718, which abolished the life-time voting ban on ex-felons, but included a 5-year waiting period before ex-felons would become eligible to vote.
Learn more:
-- TXSLL: https://guides.sll.texas.gov/reentry-resources/voting
-- TXSOS: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- 75th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/Sessionoverviews/summary/75soe.pdf#page=114 (pg. 114)
-- 68th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/sessionOverviews/summary/soe68.pdf#page=82 (pg. 77)
-- HB1001 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/75R/HB1001/HB1001_75R.pdf
-- HB718 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/68R/HB718/HB718_68R.pdf#page=23 (pg. 23)
-- HB718 Election Law Opinion: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- JSTOR: https://www.jstor.org/stable/29768353?read-now=1&seq=4#page_scan_tab_contents (pg. 82)
This Labor Day we’re recognizing the contributions of laborers by taking a look back at the impact of labor unions on the women’s suffrage movement.
Did you know that middle and upper-class suffragists learned to use parades and picketing from working-class suffragists who were members of labor unions?
“Since the beginning of the women’s rights movement, women who devoted their lives to reform often were middle and upper-class women. Women who worked to support themselves and their families had less time and funds to devote to social movements.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, however, working women began supporting suffrage in greater numbers. They joined labor unions, held strikes for higher pay, and protested for better working conditions. Working women started seeing the vote as a way to gain more political power to further these causes.
Harriot Stanton Blatch, daughter of suffrage leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton, was among the first suffragists to recruit working women to support suffrage. She started collaborating with the Women’s Trade Union League, founded in 1905, to help women form unions and advocate for labor reforms. In 1907, she founded the Equality League of Self-Supporting Women (later called the Women’s Political Union) to attract working women to the suffrage movement. Blatch also wanted to integrate the more aggressive, militant tactics of labor activists—like parades through city streets and speakers on street corners—into the suffrage strategies to attract more publicity. Working women and their experience with the tactics of labor activists proved vital to winning the vote.” Allison Lange, Ph.D. https://www.loc.gov/resource/ggbain.02144/
Learn more:
-- Crusade for the Vote: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/working-women-movement
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/static/collections/women-of-protest/images/tactics.pdf
-- DOL: https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/history
JJoin us in celebrating the birthday of Jovita Idár. Idarwas born in 1885 and was an American journalist and civil rights activist who wrote about the challenges Mexican Americans faced in Texas. Her activism was influenced by the lynching of ethnic-Mexican men in South Texas during the early 20th century. She also used her platform as a journalist to support suffrage.
Learn more:
-- PBS (Unladylike): https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jovita-idar
-- TXWF: https://www.txwf.org/champions-for-change-jovita-idar-and-the-villareal-sisters/
-- Women‘s History: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/jovita-idar
-- TSHA Handbook: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fid03
-- TSHA Honest Past (p. 196): https://join.tshaonline.org/ebook-offers/honest-past/SHQ-An-Honest-Past.pdf
-- Humanities of Texas: https://www.humanitiestexas.org/programs/tx-originals/list/jovita-idar
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
Photo Credit: General Photographs, UTSA Special Collections (@UTSA)
#OnThisDay, Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1957 into law. The act established the Civil Rights Section of the Justice Department and empowered federal prosecutors to obtain court injunctions against interference with the right to vote. #CivilRights #VotingRights
This was the 1st civil rights legislation since Reconstruction (1875).
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
--Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/civil_rights_act_1957
--Eisenhower Library: https://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/383/Civil-Rights-Act-of-1957
--Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Photo credit: Photographs of Official Activities of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953 - 1961, US National Archives .https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7865612 (@USNatArchives)
Today is Constitution and Citizenship Day, so we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all recently naturalized American citizens. We hope an LWV volunteer was present at your naturalization ceremony to assist you with becoming a registered voter.
Learn more:
-- @LWVTexas: https://my.lwv.org/texas/register-vote
-- @librarycongress: https://www.loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/constitution-day.php
-- @uscis: https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/educators/constitution-day-and-citizenship-day
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Burnett Talbert. Mary was an American orator, civil rights activist, and suffragist. She believed that race and gender were unifying factors that could help resolve class issues. Talbert became one of the first women to join the NAACP after its founding in 1909.
#WomenInLeadership
Learn more:
-- https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/mary-burnett-talbert (https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/mary-burnett-talbert/)
-- https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/talbert-mary-b-1866-1923 (https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/talbert-mary-b-1866-1923/)
-- https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-burnett-talbert-september-17-1866-1923 (https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-burnett-talbert-september-17-1866-1923)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Church Terrell. Mary was a civil-rights activist who championed racial equality and women’s suffrage in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Learn more:
-- PBS (@unladylike2020): https://unladylike2020.com/profile/mary-church-terrell-2
-- Womens History (@womenshistory): https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mary-church-terrell
-- LOC (@libraryofcongress): https://crowd.loc.gov/campaigns/mary-church-terrell-advocate-for-african-americans-and-women
-- NPS (@NPS) - https://www.nps.gov/people/mary-church-terrell.htm
-- https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-church-terrell/
LGBT History Month is celebrated every October in United States since 1994. It was first proposed by Missouri high school history teacher Rodney Wilson, who chose October due to the establishment of National Coming Out Day in the late 1980s on October 11. October also marks the first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, which took place in 1979. In addition to LGBT History Month, LGBT Pride Month is also celebrated each year in June to commemorate the Stonewall Riots.
On Oct 3, 1965, Johnson signs the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1965, which amended the 1952 INA by including a provision stating: No person shall receive any preference or priority or be discriminated against in the issuance of an immigrant visa because of the person‘s race, sex, nationality, place of birth, or place of residence.
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act
Prevents immigration from Asia and establishes a quotas system
1952 - Truman vetoes McCarran-Walter Act (veto overridden by Congress)
Eliminates Asian exclusion and establishes a preference system for desirable ethnic groups
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Note: See https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline for a description of immigration laws before 1924
Resources:
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965
Coolidge’s INA Comments: https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/were-all-in-the-same-boat-now-coolidge-on-immigration
Truman’s INA Comments: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/public/Immigration_TrumanVeto.pdf
Johnson’s INA Comments:http://www.lbjlibrary.org/lyndon-baines-johnson/timeline/lbj-on-immigration
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Thomas Mundy Peterson. Thomas, on March 31, 1870 (one day after the ratification of the 15th Amendment) became the first Black American to vote in a U.S. election.
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian: https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2015.190
-- NJ State HIstory; https://nj.gov/state/historical/it-happened-here/ihhnj-er-peterson.pdf
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlC3fsW3rRs
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Ann Shadd Cary.
Learn more: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement/
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Eleanor Roosevelt born on this day in 1884.
After the League of Women Voters was founded in 1920 – the same year that Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for Vice President – she helped establish its policy agenda. As the League’s Vice President of Legislative Affairs, she lobbied for reforms in Congress and worked tirelessly to strengthen women’s role in politics, helping mobilize women voters through the League’s nonpartisan training and lobbying work.
Learn more:
-- LWV: https://www.lwv.org/blog/eleanor-roosevelt-first-lady-league-leader-pioneer
Photo Credit: LC-USZ62-25812, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (@librarycongress)
http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3c08091/
"In 1977 participants at the United Nations International Conference on Discrimination against Indigenous Populations in the Americas proposed that Indigenous Peoples’ Day replace Columbus Day.Indigenous Peoples’ Day recognizes that Native people are the first inhabitants of the Americas, including the lands that later became the United States of America. And it urges Americans to rethink history." https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-indian/2019/10/11/indigenous-peoples-day-2019
The following states and the District of Columbia observe Native American or Indigenous Peoples’ Day, in place of or in addition to Columbus Day:
-- Alabama
-- Alaska
-- District of Columbia
-- Hawaii
-- Idaho
-- Maine
-- Michigan
-- Minnesota
-- New Mexico
-- North Carolina
-- Oklahoma
-- Oregon
-- South Dakota
-- Vermont
-- Wisconsin
The state of Texas does not currently observer Indiginous People day, but the following local jurisdiction have made the change:
-- City of Austin
-- City of Dallas
-- City of San Antonio
-- County of Bexar
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-indian/2019/10/11/indigenous-peoples-day-2019/:
-- PBS: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/npr/2019/10/14/769083847/columbus-day-or-indigenous-peoples-day/
National Coming Out Day (NCOD) is an annual LGBTQ awareness day observed on October 11. The day commemorates the Oct. 11, 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, which included half a million participants.
Learn more:
-- HRC: https://www.hrc.org/resources/the-history-of-coming-out
-- APA: https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/coming-out-day
-- GLAAD: https://www.glaad.org/tags/national-coming-out-day
-- Archive: https://gaycenter.org/archive_item/march-on-washington-for-lesbian-and-gay-rights
-- Image: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc276218
#OnThisDay, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled on a bundle of five cases (known as the Civil Rights Cases), and in an 8-1 decision, the court found the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1875 to be unconstitutional.
The CRA of 1875 was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant and was enacted during Reconstruction in response to civil rights violations against African Americans. The act guaranteed equal treatment in public accommodations and transportation. It also outlawing race-based discrimination in jury duty/selection. The five cases heard by SCOTUS included suites brought forth by African Americans who were denied access to segregated facilities.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources: SCOTUS Ruling:
http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep109/usrep109003/usrep109003.pdf
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
The League of Women Voters of Texas, a nonpartisan political organization, was formed on October 19, 1919, at San Antonio, when the Texas Equal Suffrage Association was dissolved to reorganize for a new purposehttps://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wel05
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Christia Daniel Adair. Christia was an NAACP leader from Houston, worked for full suffrage and was one of the first black women to vote in a Democratic primary after the Supreme Court struck down Texas‘ white primary law in 1944. As executive secretary of the Houston NAACP for 12 years, she and others desegregated the Houston airport, public libraries, city buses, and department store dressing rooms. Despite official harassment, Adair and others rebuilt the Houston NAACP chapter, which grew to 10,000 members.
Learn more:
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fad19
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Nina Otero-Warren. Nina was a civil rights leader, a suffragist, and an advocate for bilingual education.
In 1917, Otero-Warren was selected by Alice Paul to head the New Mexico chapter of the Congressional Union (precursor to the National Woman’s Party). She insisted that suffrage literature be published in both English and Spanish, in order to reach the widest audience.
She was Superintendent of Public Schools in Santa Fe County from 1918 to 1929, working to improve the conditions in rural Hispano and Native American communities. Otero-Warren argued that both Spanish and English be allowed in schools, despite the federal mandate of English-only. Despite losing her political campaign to run for a seat in the US House of Representatives, she remained politically and socially active, and served as the Chairman of New Mexico’s Board of Health; an executive board member of the American Red Cross; and director of an adult literacy program in New Mexico for the Works Projects Administration.
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/people/nina-oter-warren.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Jessie Daniel Ames. Jessie was a suffragist and the founder and first president of the League of Women Voters of Texas.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fam06
Veterans Day, also known as Armistice Day or Rememberance Day in other countries which fought in the First World War, is commemorated on the 11th of November, marking the armistice signed between the Allies and Central Powers. The armistice came into effect at 11am: the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month in 1918. Formerly known as Armistice Day in the United States, the name was changed to Veterans Day in 1954 to honor all those who have served and continue to serve in the United States Armed Forces.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Elizabeth Cady Staton (1st generation suffragists). She was born in 1815 and was one of the speakers and organizers of the Seneca Falls Convention. Elizabeth was a co-founder of the National Woman Suffrage Associate (NWSA), which would later merge with the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
** Mother of Harriet Stanton Blatch (2nd generation suffragist) **
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucy-stone
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d (11 minutes in)
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
-- Seneca Falls Convention:
#OnThisDay, Bush signed the 1991 Civil Rights Act (CRA), which provided the right to trial by jury on discrimination claims. It also added provisions to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that expanded the rights of women and disabled persons. #CivilRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Johnson signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
Bush Library: https://bush41library.tamu.edu/archives/public-papers/3660
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005). Shirley was an educator, activist, and politician who achieved a number of historic 1sts
-- 1968 1st black woman elected to the Congress
-- 1972 1st woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination
-- 1972 1st African American to run for President of the US
Learn more: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/shirley-chisholm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Debra Anne Haaland. Debra and Sharice Davids were the first two Native American women elected to the U.S Congress. Haaland is a member of the Laguna Pueblo people.
Learn more:
-- National Geographic Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T_s36-1hms
-- US House: https://haaland.house.gov/about
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Patsy Takemoto Mink. Patsy was the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-women-got-vote-far-more-complex-story-history-textbooks-reveal-180971869/
-- House History: https://history.house.gov/People/detail/18329
-- NWHF: https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/patsy-takemoto-mink/
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/patsy-mink
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Titus Howard Mundine, who was the 1st Texas Legislator to propose enfranchisement of women and blacks.
"Every person, without distinction of sex, who shall have arrived at the age of twenty-one years...shall be deemed a qualified elector." -- Titus H. Mundine
Learn More:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=5124
-- Titus – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmuvf
-- Woman Suffrage – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Eliza Eubanks Peterson Johnson. Eliza was a suffragist and civil-rights activist.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fjohn
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
-- Austin Library: http://www.austinlibrary.com/ahc/suffrage/early.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Marie Louise Bottineau Baldwin. Marie was a suffragist and lawyer who worked as an advocate for the Ojibwa/Chippewa Nation in Minnesota and North Dakota.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- National Parks Service: https://www.nps.gov/people/marie-louise-bottineau-baldwin.htm
-- MNHS: https://www.mnhs.org/historycenter/activities/museum/votes-for-women/profiles/marie-baldwin
-- National Archive: https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2020/04/02/19th-amendment-at-100-mary-louise-bottineau-baldwin/
-- LWV: https://my.lwv.org/california/diablo-valley/meet-suffragist-marie-louise-bottineau-baldwin
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Ruza Wenclawska (also known as Rose Winslow). Rose was a Polish-American suffragist and trade union organizer. She was a member of the National Women‘s Party and fought for the rights of immigrant and working-class women. Along with Alice Paul, she participated in a hunger strike to bring attention to the suffrage movement.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/collections/women-of-protest/articles-and-essays/selected-leaders-of-the-national-womans-party/officers-and-national-organizers/
-- Turning Point: https://suffragistmemorial.org/rose-winslow-d-1977
-- Historical Snapshot: https://historicalsnaps.com/2018/03/19/rose-winslow-talks-about-her-hunger-strike
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Harriet Taylor Upton. Harriet was a founding member of the National League of Women Voters and the first woman to become a vice-chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d (53 mins in)
-- Upton House: http://www.uptonhouse.org/HTayor.html
-- Ohio History: https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Harriet_T._Upton
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Martha Goodwin Tunstall. Martha became the vice-president from Texas of the newly-formed National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA).
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ftuns
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Jane McCallum. Jane was the first vice president of the League of Women Voters of Texas. She had the longest term as the Secretary of State of Texas.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmc07
-- Texas Secretary as State: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/about/history.shtml
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charlotte Vandine Forten born in 1785.
-- 1st generation American suffragist
-- Mother of the Forten sisters: Margaret, Harriet, and Sarah (2nd generation suffragists)
-- Grandmother of Charlotte Forten Grimké (3rd generation suffragist)
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- Black Suffragette: http://www.blacksuffragette.com/friends
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Helen Edmunds Moore. Helen was a nurse, suffragist, and a member of the 41, 42, and 44th legislatures. In the 44 Legislature, she was the only woman.
Learn more:
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/moore-helen-edmunds
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Lucretia Coffin Mott. Lucretia was a suffragist and human rights activist. She was one of the organizers of the 1st Woman’s Rights Convention Seneca Falls, N.Y.
Learn more:
NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucretia-mott
PBS: Video: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/
NPS: https://www.nps.gov/wori/learn/historyculture/lucretia-mott.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Harriet Staton Blatch (2nd generation suffragists).
Voting rights was a family affair
** Daughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1st generation suffragist)
She founded the Equality League of Self-Supporting Women, later called the Women‘s Political Union, whose membership was based on working women, both professional and industrial. The Equality League initiated the practice of holding suffrage parades and organized the first open-air suffrage rallies in thirty years. As many as 25,000 people marched in these parades.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (28 minutes in)
#OnThisDay the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled on the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case and made a controversial decision that reversed existing campaign finance restrictions and enabled corporations and other outside groups to spend unlimited funds on elections. #DarkMoney
"Prevention of improper corporate influence in the electoral process...is a pillar of our modern democracy" -- LWV Amicus Brief #DarkMoney
"Voters are supposed to be at the center of our political process. For more than two centuries, America’s constitutional democracy has been moving in the direction of broader enfranchisement and more meaningful political participation by American citizens. After the Civil War, the 15th Amendment to the Constitution guaranteed the right to vote to citizens regardless of race or color. The 19th Amendment provided voting rights to women, the 24th to poor citizens and the 26th to young adults.
On the other hand, our Constitution does not reflect a similar solicitude for corporate participation; indeed our constitutional history reflects a growing concern over the influence of corporations, and the distinction between the legal protections afforded to living persons and corporations has been part of our constitutional law from the Founding." -- LWV Commentary on Citizens United
LWVUS Amicus Brief: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/Amicus_cfr.CitizenUnited.pdf
LWVUS Commentary on Citizens United: https://www.lwv.org/money-politics/league-commentary-citizens-united-v-fec-case-supreme-court
Brennan Institute: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/citizens-united-explained
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charles Curtis, of Kaw, Osage, and Pottawatomie ancestry. Curtis was sworn in as the U.S. Senator from Kansas. Charles was also the 1st person of color and 1st person of Native American ancestry to hold the office of vice president under President Hoover.
Learn more:
-- Senate History: https://www.senate.gov/about/officers-staff/vice-president/VP_Charles_Curtis.htm
-- Kansas Historical Society: https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/charles-curtis/12029
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Maud Wood Park. Park was the 1st president of the National League of Women Voters.
Learn more:
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/november-2015-suffragist-of-the-month/
-- Harvard: https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/schlesinger-library/collection/papers-maud-wood-park-in-womans-rights-collection
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=8
Black History Month is celebrated in the United States and Canada each February. Black History Month traces its origins to Negro History Week which was first created in 1926 with the week chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (February 12th) and Frederick Douglass (February 14th). An annual monthlong celebration of black history was later proposed by students and educators at Kent State University in 1969, and adopted one year later. By the mid-1970s, Black History Month was celebrated across the United States and officially recognized by US President Gerald Ford in 1976. Originally intended to celebrate black history and culture in the United States, Black History Month has since spread to Canada, as well as the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands, where it is celebrated in October.
#OnThisDay in 1870, the 15th Amendment, which granted black men the right to vote, was ratified. Unfortunately, Southern states continued to disenfranchise black voters through the use of poll taxes, literacy tests, threats of physical harm, etc. Therefore, the promise of the 15th Amendment was not fully realized until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965--almost a century later.
The amendment was passed (proposed) by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870.
Learn more:
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- LOC: http://www.loc.gov/rr//program/bib/ourdocs/15thamendment.html
-- Teaching resources: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-african-americans.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Juanita Jewel Craft. Juanita and Lulu Belle White of Houston organized 182 branches of the NAACP in Texas over a period of eleven years. Following the Smith v. Allwright ruling, in 1944 Juanita became the first black woman in Dallas County to vote in the Democratic Party primary. In 1946, she was the first black woman deputized in the state to collect the poll tax. Juanita was also a member of the League of Women Voters of Texas.
The Smith v. Allwright U.S. case ended the white primary.
Learn More:
-- http://www.juanitacrafthouse.org/
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fcr59
-- TxPolProject - Smith v. Allwright: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lawrence Aaron Nixon. Lawrence...
The Smith v. Allwright case ended the white primary, which suppressed the Black vote.
Learn More:
-- @TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fni10
-- @TxPolProject - White Primary: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Adella Hunt Logan.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Nellie May Quande. “In 1913, Nellie Quander, president of the nation‘s oldest Black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, wrote to Alice Paul, chair for a major upcoming Washington, D.C., parade, planned to attract national attention for the cause on the day before the inauguration of President Woodrow Wilson. "We do not wish to enter if we must meet with discrimination on account of race affiliation," Quander wrote. "Can you assign us to a desirable place in the college women‘s section?”
Learn more:
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/new-tactics-for-a-new-generation-1890-1915/new-tactics-and-renewed-confrontation/howard-university-sorority-seeks-assurances-of-nondiscrimination
-- Smithsonian: https://womenshistory.si.edu/news/2020/08/19suffragestories-countdown-stories-14-10
-- Facing History:
https://facingtoday.facinghistory.org/suffrage-and-sisterhood-the-origins-and-impact-of-black-sororities
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Fannie Barrier Williams. Fannie was an educator, political activist, and women’s rights advocate. In 1907, she was the only Black woman to eulogize Susan B. Anthony at the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) convention. Also, she helped found the NAACP in 1909.
Learn more:
-- BlackPast: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/williams-fannie-barrier-1855-1944/
-- ISU: https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/directory/frances-barrier-williams/
-- RRLC: https://rrlc.org/winningthevote/biographies/fannie-barrier-williams/
-- SPC: https://www.splcenter.org/news/2019/06/01/weekend-read-challenging-whitewashed-history-womens-suffrage/
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/more-to-the-movement/fannie-barrier-williams/
#OnThisDay in 1909, the NAACP was founded. The NAACP is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation.
Mission: To ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.
Learn more:
-- NAACP: https://naacp.org/nations-premier-civil-rights-organization/
-- TSHA: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/national-association-for-the-advancement-of-colored-people
-- UW: https://depts.washington.edu/moves/NAACP_intro.shtml
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Anna Howard Shaw.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (1 hr in)
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charlotta Spears Bass, who was born on this day in 1874. Charlotta was an educator, newspaper publisher, civil-rights and voting-rights activist. She was also the first Black woman to own and operate a newspaper in the United States and the first Black woman nominated for Vice President.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/people/charlottabass.htm
-- Black Past; https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/bass-charlotta-1879-1969/
-- South California Library: https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf6c60052d/
#OnThisDay in 1920, the League of Women Voters was founded. Carrie Chapman Catt shared the following about the founding: "Is the (League) political? Certainly, but not partisan. Its members are as free as other women to join and vote with the party of their choice. They make no pledge otherwise in joining the League."
Mission: Empowering voters. Defending democracy.
Learn more: https://www.lwv.org/league-women-voters-through-decades
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Susan B. Anthony (1st generation suffragists). She was born in 1820. Susan was a co-founder of the National Woman Suffrage Associate (NWSA), which would later merge with the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
**Susan died in 1906, 14 years before women were given the right to vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. **
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/susan-b-anthony
-- @susanbhouse: https://susanb.org/her-life/
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
-- Seneca Falls Convention:
#OnThisDay in 1929, LULAC was founded. LULAC is the oldest and largest continuously active Latino political association in the US.
Mission: To advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, housing, health and civil rights of the Hispanic population of the United States.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wel01
Join us commemorating the life of Frederick Douglass (1818 - 1895)."Frederick was one of the few men present at the woman‘s rights convention held at Seneca Falls, New York, in July 1848.
Learn more:
-- Blackpast: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/1888-frederick-douglass-woman-suffrage/
-- Smithsonian: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hidden-history-anna-murray-douglass-180968324/
#BHM
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Zitkala-Sa (Red Bird). "Zitkala-Ša joined the Society of American Indians, a group founded in 1911 with the purpose of preserving traditional Native American culture while also lobbying for full American citizenship."
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/people/zitkala-sa.htm
Photo: https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_S_NPG.79.26?destination=edan-search/default_search%3Freturn_all%3D1%26edan_q%3DZitkala%2520Sa
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Rosalie Gardiner Jones. In December of 1912, over 200 women joined Rosalie for parts of a 140-mile march from New York City to Albany to support women‘s suffrage. During the march, the women stopped to hold open-air meetings and distribute pamphlets in communities along the way.
Learn More:
-- PBS Doc: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (1 hr 16 mins in)
-- New York Heritage: https://nyheritage.org/exhibits/recognizing-womens-right-vote/%E2%80%9Cgeneral%E2%80%9D-rosalie-jones-and-suffrage-hikes
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/people/dr-general-rosalie-jones.htm
#OnThisDay in 1869, Congress passed (proposed) the 15th Amendment, which granted Black male citizens the right to vote.“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 race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
The amendment was passed (proposed) by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870.
Learn more:
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- LOC: http://www.loc.gov/rr//program/bib/ourdocs/15thamendment.html
-- Teaching resources: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-african-americans.html
#OnThisDay, President Ulysses S. Grant, signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1875. The CRA was enacted during the Reconstruction era in response to civil rights violations against African Americans. The act provided for equal treatment in public accommodations and transportation. It also outlawing race-based discrimination in jury service.
Over the ensuing years, African Americans began suing businesses that denied them access to segregated facilities. On Oct 15, 1883, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) heard a group of five cases (known as the Civil Rights Cases), and in an 8-1 decision, struck down the CRA of 1875 as unconstitutional.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resource:
-- US House of Rep: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1851-1900/The-Civil-Rights-Act-of-1875
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
-- Grant‘s Memoirs: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/4367/4367-h/4367-h.htm
Women‘s History Month celebrates the everyday contributions of women across the world to events in history and contemporary society. It is celebrated during March in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, in connection with International Women‘s Day on March 8th. Women‘s History Month traces its origins to the United States, where it was first designated in 1987. Since then the tradition has spread to other countries around the world.
The "Woman Suffrage Procession" was the first suffragist parade in Washington, DC. Organized by the suffragist Alice Paul for the National American Woman Suffrage Association, it saw thousands of suffragists marching down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC on Monday, March 3, 1913. Presaging the circumstances surrounding the 2017 Women‘s March just over 100 years later, the 1913 event was scheduled on the day before President Woodrow Wilson‘s inauguration to "march in a spirit of protest against the present political organization of society, from which women are excluded," as the official program stated. While studying in England, Paul had heard the British suffragist Christabel Pankhurst speak and joined the Women‘s Social and Political Union, being jailed a number of times in the process. She returned to the US in 1910 and continued to campaign for women‘s rights leading to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920.
Advocate of women‘s rights.
In February 1912 Brackenridge was elected president of the newly organized San Antonio Equal Franchise Society. The formation of this society stimulated interest throughout the state, and delegates from seven Texas cities met in San Antonio and organized the Texas Woman Suffrage Association in April 1913. Eleanor Brackenridge held the office of president for one year and then became honorary president.
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbr04
March 7, 1965: In the Selma to Montgomery March, around 600 civil rights marchers walk to Selma, Alabama to Montgomery—the state’s capital—in protest of black voter suppression. Local police block and brutally attack them. After successfully fighting in court for their right to march, Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders lead two more marches and finally reach Montgomery on March 25.
International Women‘s Day traces its origins to the women‘s rights movement of the early 20th century, having been first proposed by German campaigner Clara Zetkin at an international conference in Copenhagen. The day is a celebration of the social, economic, political and cultural achievements of women worldwide. The annual campaign calls for gender parity and raises funds to support initiatives towards this goal.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Anna Murray Douglass born in 1813. Anna was the wife of Frederick Douglas, but more than that, she was a participant in the activities necessary to ensure voting rights for all Americans.
Learn more:
-- @SmithsonianMagazine: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hidden-history-anna-murray-douglass-180968324/
-- @USAToday:https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/07/06/frederick-douglass-first-wife-anna-murray-made-his-work-possible/5382922002/
-- @librarycongress: https://www.loc.gov/item/mfd.02007/
Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) was never far from the struggle for equal rights and human liberation throughout her long life, from the work on the Underground Railroad for which she is famous, to her later years as an activist in the women‘s suffrage movement in the early 20th century. Born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia in 1849 before immediately returning to rescue her family. Tubman would make some 13 return trips to the South to liberate family, friends, and relatives - at great personal risk to herself - guiding them to freedom in the northern United States and British North America (present-day Canada) using a clandestine network of anti-slavery activists and safe houses to facilitate the journey. Tubman later helped the abolitionist John Brown recruit troops for his 1859 raid on Harper‘s Ferry, and helped lead multiple attacks on Confederate plantations and infrastructure during the Civil War. Toward the end of her life, Tubman joined the campaign for women‘s suffrage. With the struggle against slavery still in living memory, Tubman moved audiences around the country with tales of her heroic actions before and after the Civil War, offering these sacrifices as evidence and living proof that women deserved the same rights as men.
#OnThisDay in 1918, the Texas House (during the 36 legislative sessions) passed HB-105 by a vote of 83-34. The bill granted women the right to vote in (white) Texas Primaries.
The bill was passed by the Texas Senate on March 21, 1918 by a vote of 18-4.
Governor William P. Hobby signed the bill into law on March 26, 1918.
Learn more:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/whatsNew/client/index.cfm/2018/3/20/Votes-for-Women-The-100th-Anniversary-of-Texas-Womens-Suffrage
Bayard Rustin (1912-1987) was an American civil rights activist who worked as an influential organizer and behind-the-scenes adviser to many causes throughout the civil rights era. Rustin began his organizing career working alongside fellow activist A. Philip Randolph on the March on Washington Movement in the early 1940s, which campaigned for the desegregation of the US armed forces. Rustin later played a central organizing role in other key civil rights actions such as the Freedom Rides and the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Martin Luther King - whom Rustin had schooled on methods of non-violence and helped elevate to his leadership position in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference - gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Rustin continued his career as an activist following the passage of civil rights legislation in the mid-1960s, promoting the unionization of African American workers and working internationally to aid war refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia while raising awareness to the ongoing plight of Jews living in the Soviet Union. A gay man who chose to play a supporting role in the Civil Rights Movement due to public criticisms of his homosexuality, Rustin spent his final years working on behalf of LGBT causes during the 1980s.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Minnie Fisher Cunningham born in 1882. Minnie was the first Executive Secretary of the League of Women Voters. The Texas native was also the first female pharmacy student at the University of Texas and the first woman to run for the Texas Senate. Members of the Minnie Fisher Cunningham Society continue empowering voters and defending democracy into the future by naming the League in their wills for a bequest.
Learn More:
-- LWV: https://my.lwv.org/texas/leave-legacy-minnie-fisher-cunningham-society
-- Suffrage Petition: https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/tx-woman-suffrage-petition
--TSHA: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/cunningham-minnie-fisher
-- PBS: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/shows/2015/12/19/43918/texas-originals-minnie-fisher-cunningham/
#OnThisDay in 1918, the Texas Senate (during the 36 legislative sessions) passed HB-105 by a vote of 18-4. The bill granted women the right to vote in (white) Texas Primaries.
The bill was firsts passed in the TX House on March 15, 1918 by a vote of 84-34.
Governor William P. Hobby signed the bill into law on March 26, 1918.
Learn more:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/whatsNew/client/index.cfm/2018/3/20/Votes-for-Women-The-100th-Anniversary-of-Texas-Womens-Suffrage
The 21st of March is the anniversary of events in 1960 when police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid laws in Sharpeville, South Africa. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed an annual observation of the day in 1966.
"We must all work harder to repair the fissures and polarization that are so prevalent in our societies today. We must nurture mutual understanding and invest in making diversity a success. And we must counter and reject political figures who exploit differences for electoral gain." — UN Secretary-General António Guterres”
Learn more:
-- About End Racial Discrimination Day: https://www.un.org/en/observances/end-racism-day
-- History of the League and the UN: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/The%2520League%2520and%2520the%2520United%2520Nations.pdf
-- Role of the UN Observer: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/LWVUS%20United%20Nations%20Observer%20Role.pdf
-- Contact the UN Observers at unobserver@lwv.org.
Also World Poetry Day: https://www.un.org/en/events/poetryday/
#OnThisDay in 1972, Congress passed the ERA, but it remains 1 state short of ratification.
#OnThis day in 1971, the 26th Amendment was passed by Congress. This amendment was enacted in response to Vietnam War protests, which argued that soldiers who were old enough to fight for their country should be granted the right to vote.‘
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed to the states) on March 23, 1971, and ratified on July 1, 1971.
Resources:
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Today is Slavery Remembrance Day. “For over 400 years, more than 15 million men, women and children were the victims of the tragic transatlantic slave trade, one of the darkest chapters in human history.”
Learn about the Ark of Return, which is the permanent memorial designed by Rodney Leon (a decedent of a former slave) that sits on the grounds of the United Nations headquarters.
Resources:
-- About Slavery Remembrance Day: https://www.un.org/en/events/slaveryremembranceday
-- Ark of Return Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx-gnst3mC8
-- History of the League and the UN: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/The%2520League%2520and%2520the%2520United%2520Nations.pdf
-- Role of the UN Observer: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/LWVUS%20United%20Nations%20Observer%20Role.pdf
-- Contact the UN Observers at unobserver@lwv.org.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Virginia Louisa Minor, born in 1824. Virginia was the plaintiff in the Minor v. Happersett case that was unsuccessful in arguing that the 14th Amendment gave women the right to vote.
The Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) in 1874 ruled in a unanimous decision that the 14th Amendment did not guarantee women the right to vote.
The 19th Amendment overruled Minor v. Happersett by prohibiting discrimination in voting rights based on sex. #VotingRights
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/the-virginia-minor-case.htm
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Wilhelmina Kekelaokalaninui Widemann Dowsett.
Learn more:
-- https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelmina_Kekelaokalaninui_Widemann_Dowsett
#OnThisDay in 1961: Residents of Washington, D.C. were granted the right to vote in U.S. Presidential Elections. The 23rd Amendment extends the right to vote in presidential elections to citizens residing in the District of Columbia. The amendment grants the district electors in the Electoral College as though it were a state, though the district can never have more electors than the least-populous state.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed to the states) on June 16, 1960, and ratified March 29, 1961.
#OnThisDay in 1875, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled in a unanimous decision that the 14th Amendment did not guarantee women the right to vote.
The 19th Amendment overruled Minor v. Happersett by prohibiting discrimination in voting rights based on sex.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/the-virginia-minor-case.htm
-- US Courts: https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/annual-observances/law-day
-- LOC: https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep088/usrep088162/usrep088162.pdf
One of the most iconic labor organizers and civil rights activists in American history, Cesar Chavez (1927-1993) co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) with fellow organizer Dolores Huerta in 1962. Originally of Mexican-American origin, Chavez was a farm worker himself before turning to activism and securing official recognition for UFW as the collective bargaining agent for 50,000 field workers in California and Florida during the 1970s. Renowned for his grassroots approach to labor activism and Hispanic empowerment, Chavez is credited with popularizing the slogan "Si, se puede" ("Yes we can") and was awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 1994. In 2014 President Barack Obama proclaimed March 31 as a federal commemorative holiday in the United States, marking the date of Chavez‘s birth. Numerous American parks, streets, and schools throughout the country bear his name.
#On this day in 1944, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) decision in Smith v. Allwright ruled the so-called "white primary" unconstitutional. The case originated in 1940 when Houston dentist Lonnie E. Smith attempted to vote in the Democratic primary in Harris County and was denied a ballot.
The number of African Americans registered to vote in Texas increased from 30,000 in 1940 to 100,000 in 1947.
Learn more:
-- @TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wdw01
-- NAACP: https://www.naacpldf.org/case-issue/landmark-smith-v-allwright
-- UT: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
-- LOC: https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep321/usrep321649/usrep321649.pdf
Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was an American author, poet, dancer, actress and singer. She was active in the Civil Rights Movement and worked with Martin Luther King, James Baldwin, and Malcolm X. Prior to becoming a writer, Angelou spent much of her young life as a dancer, before turning to organizing and activism at the start of the 1960s. After spending three years as a journalist in Ghana, Angelou moved back to the United States in 1965 and collaborated closely with many of the leading civil rights figures of the time. Angelou‘s first breakthrough came in 1969 when she published her first autobiography "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," which brought global acclaim. Angelou would go on to spend the next 45 years as an internationally renowned lecturer, teacher, writer, composer, performer, and director, becoming one of America‘s literary and artistic legends.
#OnThisDay, Jeannette Pickering Rankin was sworn in as the 1st woman elected to Congress. Rankin was an American politician and women‘s rights advocate, and the first woman to hold federal office in the United States. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican from Montana in 1916, and again in 1940.
A suffragist during the Progressive Era, Rankin organized and lobbied for legislation enfranchising women in several states including Montana, New York, and North Dakota. During her victory speech following her first election to the House of Representatives, she recognized the power she held as the only woman able to vote in Congress saying, "I am deeply conscious of the responsibility resting upon me".[1] While in Congress, she introduced legislation similar to what would eventually became the 19th Constitutional Amendment, granting unrestricted voting rights to women nationwide. She championed the causes of women‘s rights and civil rights throughout a career that spanned more than six decades.
Learn more:
PBS - @unladylike2020: https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jeannette-rankin/
#OnThisDay 1893, ten Texas women, mostly members of the Woman‘s Christian Temperance Union, issued a call for a statewide woman suffrage convention. The Texas Equal Rights Association, the first such statewide organization, was chartered at the ensuing three-day convention in Dallas. Internal dissension plagued the TERA, which had been organized as a branch of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, and it ceased to operate by 1896. In 1903 Annette Finnigan helped organize a successor organization, the Texas Equal Suffrage Association, which helped lead the long and ultimately successful fight for woman suffrage. Texas women were finally granted the right to vote in primary elections in 1918, and in June 1919 Texas became the ninth state (and the first in the south) to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which extended full suffrage to women.
Learn more:
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vit02
#OnThisDay, congress overrode a veto by President Andrew Johnson and enacted into law the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1866, which defined citizenship and affirm that all citizens are equally protected by the law. The CRA of 1866 was enacted post Civil War to protect the civil rights of persons of African descent born in or brought to the US. #CivilRights
Congress passed the act on March 13, 1866.
President Andrew Johnson vetoed the act on March 27, 1866
Congress overrode the veto and enacted the CRA on April 9, 1866
Congress passed the bill to support the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
Johnson‘s Veto: https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/march-27-1866-veto-message-civil-rights-legislation
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Fannie Coralie Perkins (Francis Perkins), born on this day in1880. Fannie was a workers-rights advocate and the first woman to serve in a US president‘s cabinet. She served as Franklin D. Roosevelt‘s Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945, the longest-serving in that position. In addition, she was the first LGBTQ person to serve in the U.S. Cabinet.
Learn more:
-- FPC: https://francesperkinscenter.org/life-new/
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/lgbtqheritage/upload/lgbtqtheme-preservation.pdf
-- CU: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/digital/collections/nny/perkinsf/profile.html
-- NPR: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102959041
#OnThis Day, Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin. #CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (formed the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
-- Johnson Library: http://www.lbjlibrary.org/exhibits/civil-rights
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/summer/civil-rights-act-1.html
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Emancipation Day is an American holiday celebrated in the District of Columbia (Washington, DC) each year on April 16th. It marks the day US President Abraham Lincoln signed the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act in 1862, which granted freedom to more than 3,000 slaves in the nation‘s capital, nine months before Lincoln issued his broader Emancipation Proclamation freeing 3.5 million slaves in the rebel-held American South. Three years later, the United States ratified the 13th Amendment, which formally outlawed slavery. In 2005, Washington DC Mayor Anthony Williams signed legislation making Emancipation Day an official public holiday, which is also observed by the federal government.
#OnThisDay in 1954, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) extended constitutional rights to Mexican Americans in the landmark civil rights case Hernandez v. Texas.
Learn more: https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/artifacts/hernandez-v-texas-spotlight-050115
#OnThisDay in 1882 Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The 1882 Act was the first US history to place broad restrictions on immigration.
Timeline:
1882 - Arthur signs Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
Prevents Chinese nationals from eligibility for US citizenship (scheduled to last 10 yrs)
1892 - Harrison signs the Geary Act
Renews Chinese Exclusion act of 1882 (extends for 10 additional years and in 1902 indefinitely extended)
1943 - Roosevelt signs the Magnuson Act
Repeals the Chinese Exclusion Act leaving a yearly limit of 105 Chinese and gives foreign-born Chinese the right to seek naturalization
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Resources:
National Archive Chinese Americans: https://www.archives.gov/research/chinese-americans/guide
Chinese Exclusion History: https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/APA/Historical-Essays/Exclusion-and-Empire/First-Arrivals/
Chinese Exclusion Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1866-1898/chinese-immigration
Congress‘ Apology for Chinese Exclusion: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2012-06-18/html/CREC-2012-06-18-pt1-PgH3715-2.htm
Video: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/chinese-exclusion-act/
#OnThisDay, Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1960, which served to eliminate loopholes left by the CRA of 1957. It established federal inspection of voter-registration polls and addressed discriminatory laws and practices in the segregated South that disenfranchised blacks and Hispanics. #CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
--Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/collections/eisenhowercivilrightsfiles
--Eisenhower Library: https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/sites/default/files/research/subject-guides/pdf/civil-rights-guide-to-studies.pdf
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
#OnThisDay, the Texas Equal Rights Association (TERA), the first statewide female suffrage organization, was founded in the Grand Windsor in Dallas on May 10, 1893. The TERA was committed to securing voting and political rights for women on the same terms as men, including the right to hold political office and serve on juries.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vit02
#EqualRights #CivilRights #VotingRights
#OnThisDay in 1954, the Supreme Court of the US ruled in a unanimous decision that school segregation violated the Equal Protection and Due Process clauses of the 14th Amendment.
Brown v. Board of Education was a consolidation of five cases. The ruling effectively ending racial segregation in public schools. Many schools, however, remained segregated.
Learn more:
-- Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/brown_vs_boe
-- US Courts: https://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/history-brown-v-board-education-re-enactment
-- Library of Congress https://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep347/usrep347483/usrep347483.pdf
-- Video: https://www.loc.gov/item/mbrs01856600/
-- Image: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-brown.html
#OnThisDay in 1896, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled 7-1 that segregation was legal and constitutional as long as "facilities were equal"—the famous "separate but equal" segregation policy.
The Plessy v. Ferguson decision provided legal justification for segregation until it was overruled by Brown v. the Board of Education in 1954.
Resources:
Library of Congress: Plessy v. Ferguson: https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/plessy.html
Library of Congress: Brown v. Board of Education: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-brown.html
#OnThisDay in 1993 Clinton signed the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (also referred to as the Motor Voter Act). The bill advanced voting rights, including (but not limited to) requiring states to offer voter registration opportunities to eligible persons during driver’s license renewal.
Timeline:
1990 - LWV convenes a symposium to examine the role of negative campaigning in the decline in voter participation. The symposium leads to a comprehensive effort to return the voter to the center of the election process. LWV works with a coalition of partners to support legislation reforming voter registration.
1992 - Congress passes the NVRA of 1992
1992 - Bush vetoes the bill
1992 - Congress fails to override the veto
1993 - Congress passes the NVRA of 1993
1993 - Clinton signs the bill into law
Resources:
-- LWV 2018-2020 Impact report: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-04/LWV%202018-20%20Impact%20on%20Issues.pdf#page=15
-- LWV Celebrates NVRA 27 Anniversary: https://www.lwv.org/blog/honoring-27th-anniversary-national-voter-registration-act
-- Bush‘s comments regarding NVRA of 1992: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/message-the-senate-returning-without-approval-the-national-voter-registration-act-1992
-- Clinton‘s comment regarding NVRA of 1993: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-signing-the-national-voter-registration-act-1993
-- US Justice Department: https://www.justice.gov/crt/about-national-voter-registration-act
On May 24, Coolidge signed the Immigration Act of 1924 (also referred to as the Johnson-Reed Act), which implemented a national quota system that limited the number of immigrants allowed into the US, and it excluded immigrants from Asia.
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act
Prevents immigration from Asia and establishes a quotas system
1952 - Truman vetoes McCarran-Walter Act (veto overridden by Congress)
Eliminates Asian exclusion and establishes a preference system for desirable ethnic groups
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Note: See https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline for a description of immigration laws before 1924
Resources:
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965
Coolidge’s Comments regarding Immigration: https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/were-all-in-the-same-boat-now-coolidge-on-immigration
Truman’s Veto Comments: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/public/Immigration_TrumanVeto.pdf
Johnson’s INA Signing Comments:http://www.lbjlibrary.org/lyndon-baines-johnson/timeline/lbj-on-immigration
Images:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gQD4VFtai7I0K47-d3F58Ffp9wn0fNzh
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1bfzS8eAMFA89LTE_gU3VkTZyxH5qV9Y1
#OnThisDay in 1924, Coolidge signed the Indian Citizenship Act (also known as the Snyder Act), which granted all Native Americans citizenship and the right to vote regardless of tribal affiliation. As history has shown, having the right to vote does not always equate to having the ability to vote. Learn about hurdles that suppress the Native American vote: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/voting-rights/how-the-native-american-vote-continues-to-be-suppressed/
Resources:
Native American Voting Rights Act (Introduced 2019)
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1694/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22H.+R.+83%22%5D%7D&r=62&s=1
LWV Endorsement of Native American Voting Rights Act
https://www.lwv.org/expanding-voter-access/league-endorses-native-american-voting-rights-act-2019
Voting Rights for Native Americans: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-native-americans.html
https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/every-native-american-a-citizen/
Timeline https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline
https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-native-americans.html
#OnThisDay in 1919, Congress passed (proposed for ratification) the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. The amendment was ratified by the states on August 18, 1920.
http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
Learn more:
National Women’s History Museum: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Today marks the death of Harriet Forten Purvis (1810-1875). Typically, we ask you to join in the celebration of a birth, but Harriet’s birthday is unknown, but her contributions to the rights we enjoy today are worthy of remembrance. Improving the civil and voting rights of others was a family tradition for Harriet and her relatives:
** Daughter of Charlotte Valdine Forten (1st generation suffragist)
** Sister of Sarah Forten Purvis and Margaret Forten (2nd generation suffragists)
** Mother to Hattie Purvis (3rd generation suffragist)
** Aunt of Charlotte Forten Grimke (3rd generation suffragist)
** Wife of Robert Purvis Sr ** (instrumental in development of the Underground Railroad)
Learn more:
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/more-to-the-movement/harriet-forten-purvis/
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- Turning Point: https://suffragistmemorial.org/harriet-forten-purvis-1810-1875/
-- Women History: https://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2016/08/harriet-forten-purvis.html
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Jeannette Pickering Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress.
Learn more:
-- PBS - @unladylike2020: https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jeannette-rankin/
-- House History: https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/R/RANKIN,-Jeannette-(R000055)
Faslane Peace Camp is a permanent peace camp situated next to the Faslane Naval Base in Scotland. Set up on this date in 1982, the camp is the world‘s longest-running active demonstration site and was originally set up as part of the anti-nuclear weapons movements of the 1980s.
#OnThisDay in 1866, Congress passed (proposed) the 14th Amendment, which granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former and recently freed slaves. In addition, it forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) 0n June 13, 1866 and ratified July 9, 1868.
Resources:
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Join us in celebrating the birthday. Miriam was the 1st woman elected as Governor of Texas.
Learn more:
-- https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffe06
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/lkj01
JUNETEENTH. On June 19 ("Juneteenth"), 1865, Union general Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and issued General Order Number 3, which read, "The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juneteenth
Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, is an American holiday that commemorates the June 19, 1865, announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. state of Texas, and more generally the emancipation of enslaved African Americans throughout the former Confederate States of America. Its name is a portmanteau of "June" and "nineteenth", the date of its celebration.[1][2] Juneteenth is recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in forty-five states.[3]
Today it is observed primarily in local celebrations. Traditions include public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, singing traditional songs such as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing", and reading of works by noted African-American writers such as Ralph Ellison and Maya Angelou.[4] Celebrations may include rodeos, street fairs, cookouts, family reunions, park parties, historical reenactments, or Miss Juneteenth contests.[5] The Mascogos, descendants of Black Seminoles, of Coahuila, Mexico also celebrate Juneteenth.[6]
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal of VRA
Nixon signs 5-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on June 22, 1970. The VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1919, the TX Leg meets in a special session to consider ratification of the 19th Amendment.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919. #100YearsStrong
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
-- Leg Reference Libary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/govdocs/William%20P%20Hobby/1919/36-2proc.pdf 01
#OnThisDay in 1919, the Texas House adopts a resolution to ratify the 19th Amendment.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay in 2013, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled 5-4 that Section 4(b) of the Voters Right Act (VRA) was unconstitutional because the coverage formula was outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable until Congress agrees on a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
Timeline:
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples under the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution. The product of a three-year court battle challenging state-level bans on same-sex marriage, the landmark decision by the Supreme Court in Obergefell v. Hodges requires all US states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, while recognising same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, officially making marriage equality the law of the land across the United States and its territories.
#OnThisDay in 1918, Hortense Sparks Ward became the first woman in Harris County history to register to vote. Born in Matagorda County in 1872, she married Houston lawyer William Henry Ward in 1908. In 1910 she became one of the first women admitted to the Texas state bar (after Edith Locke in 1902 and Alice Tiernan in 1909).
Ward worked tirelessly in support of women’s rights and penned moving newspaper essays and pamphlets for that cause. She was instrumental in the passage of the Married Woman’s Property Law of 1913 by the Texas Legislature, and she campaigned with suffragist Minnie Fisher Cunningham for enfranchisement.
Texas women won an important victory in 1918 when the legislature permitted them to vote in primary elections. In a short span of less than three weeks, 386,000 women across the state registered to vote, and Hortense Ward led the way.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwa83
#OnThisDay in 1952, Congress passed into law (overriding a veto by Truman) the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1952, which abolished racial restrictions for immigration and naturalization but kept the national origins quota system established in the Immigration act of 1924
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act: Prevented immigration from Asia, set quotas on the number of immigrants from the Eastern Hemisphere)
1952 - Truman vetoes (veto overridden by Congress) McCarran-Walter Act: Eliminated Asian exclusion and established a preference system that determined which ethnic groups were desirable immigrants
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act: Eliminated policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Learn more: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965/
Join us in commemorating the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, which became a watershed moment for gay rights. After Stonewall, gay-right groups formed in cities across American, Canada, Australia, and Europe. In June 1970, the first public gay-pride marches took place commemorating the one-year anniversary of the uprising. #PRIDE #CivilRights #Intersectional
Learn more:
--Time: https://buff.ly/35HzdQl
-- PBS: https://buff.ly/2PrCqeP
-- LOC: https://buff.ly/3heGM6w
-- Video of 1st Pride March: https://www.loc.gov/item/mbrs01991430/
Go here to see the LWVTX’s position on Equal Opportunity: https://buff.ly/2NlG5wL
In addition, see the position update report from the 2020 LWVTX convening to see how the League’s positions are evolving. https://buff.ly/2YFYb14
#OnThisDay in 1919, the Texas Senate approved ratification of the 19th Amendment. Texas became the 9th state in the US and the 1st state in the South to approve ratification.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919. #100YearsStrong
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay, Reagan signs a 25-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on June 29, 1982. The renewal extended for 25 years the Section 5 preclearance provision and extended the requirement for bilingual elections for 10 years. The VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1971, the 26th Amendment was ratified, giving adults aged 18 through 21 the right to vote. The 26th Amendment was enacted in response to Vietnam War protestors who argued that soldiers who were old enough to fight/die for their country should be old enough to vote.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on March 23, 1971, and ratified on July 1, 1971.
Learn more:
-- National Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xxvi
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
#OnThis Day, Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It prohibits unequal application of voter registration requirements, and racial segregation in schools, employment, and public accommodations.
#CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
-- Johnson Library: http://www.lbjlibrary.org/exhibits/civil-rights
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/summer/civil-rights-act-1.html
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Join us celebrating the birthday of Gertrude Bustill Mosell. Gertrude wrote a weekly advice column, "Our Women‘s Department," which was the 1st women‘s column in the history of the African-American press. She fought for equal rights and encouraged women to join the suffragist movement.
Learn more:
-- Article: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
-- Book: https://books.google.com/books?id=CHx5tY6wQSMC&pg=PA37&lpg=PA37&dq=Gertrude+Bustill+Mossell&source=bl&ots=W1sLIooEOO&sig=ACfU3U1M6Q9DfnX2OJmLRn4pJBdGJaT7yQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi1hL-J18zpAhURC6wKHbR1CXc4FBDoATAFegQICRAB#v=onepage&q=Gertrude%20Bustill%20Mossell&f=false
-- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Bustill_Mossell
-- Penn University Archive: https://archives.upenn.edu/collections/finding-aid/upt50m913
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/african-american-women-and-the-nineteenth-amendment.htm
The 4th of July marks the birth of the United States of America as a nation, recalling the Declaration of Independence made in 1776. The Continental Congress of the thirteen American colonies had actually passed a resolution of independence from the British Empire on July 2nd, but subsequently debated the additional declaration which explained its decision. The American Revolution had already been underway since 1775, and continued to 1783 in victory for the new United States.
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Jenny Bland Beauchamp. She wrote one of the first articles on woman suffrage published in Texas.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbeaj
#OnThisDay in 1868, Titus H. Mundine was the 1st Texas legislator to propose the enfranchisement of women and African Americans.
"Every person, without distinction of sex, who shall have arrived at the age of twenty-one years...shall be deemed a qualified elector." -- Titus H. Mundine
Learn More:
Titus – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmuvf
1868-69 Constitutional Convention – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/mjc04
Woman Suffrage – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay in 1868, the 14th Amendment was ratified. It granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former and recently freed slaves. In addition, it forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on June 13, 1866 and ratified on July 9, 1868.
Resources:
National Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xiv
National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Mary McLeod Bethune (Birthday)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary MCLeod Bethune who contributed to the women’s suffrage movement through her activism and writing.
Learn more:
NPS: https://www.nps.gov/mamc/learn/historyculture/mary-mcleod-bethune.htm
Women‘s Vote: https://www.womensvote100.org/the-suff-buffs-blog/2020/5/4/mary-mcleod-bethune-true-democracy-and-the-fight-for-universal-suffrage?fbclid=IwAR2sHG_Gb3ue4UpAFdSYiWe95TNmK0HJE-_pnIiWUwYVp88PNlRd9Hu9SHg
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Ida Wells Barnett. Ida was a civil rights activist and founded the Alpha Suffrage Club in 1913. She criticized mainstream (white) suffrage organizations for their exclusion of women of color. During the 1913 Women‘s March on Washington, Wells and other African-American women were told to march at the back of the procession. Wells refused, waiting until the procession started and then joining the block of women that represented her state.
Learn more:
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fySmIinC0MU&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR3orBtlRs5Vhx0pCTMSgBTd6jU4wZ-xCXOv_9WVKweq8RGPZ8rWDuNR6kE
-- Hidden Figures: https://buff.ly/2TPhL88
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Time Mag: https://time.com/5792441/the-suffragists-100-women-of-the-year/
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://buff.ly/2Xd2mjQ
-- PBS: https://buff.ly/2Ag4b7c (1 hr 9 minutes in)
-- Ida‘s Writing; https://buff.ly/2Uv75vG
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Alice Dunbar Nelson. Alice was active in the emerging civil rights and woman suffrage movements. In 1915, she was the field organizer for the Middle Atlantic States in the campaign for women‘s suffrage. During World War I, Dunbar-Nelson served as a field representative of the Woman‘s Committee of the Council of National Defense.
Learn more:
-- University of Delaware Library: http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/findaids/dunbarne.html
-- Smithsonian: https://blog.library.si.edu/blog/2020/03/12/an-unsung-legacy-the-work-and-activism-of-alice-dunbar-nelson/#.XsnsXmhKhPY
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- Black History: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/dunbar-nelson-alice-ruth-moore-1875-1935/
#OnThisDay in 1848, the 1st women‘s rights convention was held in the US. It took place in Seneca Falls, New York. The meeting launched the women’s suffrage movement.
Learn more:
-- Constitutional Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/on-this-day-the-seneca-falls-convention-begins
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/july-19/
-- White House Archive: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/find-the-sentiments
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
#OnThisDay, Bush signs the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1964, which made discrimination based on race, religion, sex, national origin, and other characteristics illegal. In addition, unlike the CRA, the ADA also requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities and imposes accessibility requirements on public accommodations.
Celebration of signing of ADA
#OnThisDay, Bush signs a 25-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on Juyly 22, 2006.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lucy Burns. Lucy was an American suffragist and women‘s rights activist. She spent more time in prison because of her activism than any other American woman suffragist. She and Alice Paul were co-founders of the National Woman‘s Party.
Learn more:
National Parks Service: https://www.nps.gov/people/lucy-burns.htm
Watch Iron Jawed Angels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzoXTo4-hws
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mariana Thompson Folsom. Mariana was a leader in the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWS) and asked Lucy Stone in 1885 for assistance in establishing a state (Texas) suffrage society.
Learn more:
-- TSHA History: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffo43
-- TSHA Image: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/folsom-lecture.html
-- Unitarian Oral History: http://www.liveoakuu.org/services/rev-mariana-thompson-folsom-1845-1909/
-- Bullock Museum: https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/artifacts/what-is-feminine
-- TSL - Personal Diary Entry: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/mariana-diary.html
-- TSL - Letter from Lucy Stone: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/stone-folsom-1.html
#OnThisDay in 1965, Johnson signed the Voter Rights Act (VRA). The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
** UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” Consequently, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula. **
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
History: https://www.justice.gov/crt/history-federal-voting-rights-laws Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA87JWa0bEw
Video: https://storycorps.org/stories/ellie-dahmer-and-bettie-dahmer-170113/
Aug 6, 1965: Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights movement on August 6, 1965, and
#OnThisDay in 1965, Johnson signed the Voter Rights Act (VRA). In addition on this same day in 1975, Ford signs a 7-yr renewal. The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
** UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” Consequently, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula. **
Timeline:
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lucy Stone. Lucy was a leading suffragist who dedicated her life to fighting inequality. She was the first Massachusetts woman to earn a college degree. Lucy organized the first National Women’s Rights Convention in Worcester, Massachusetts, and she was a founding member of the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), which would later merge with the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucy-stone
-- Video: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d
-- History: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Charlotte Forten Grimké. Charlotte was a 3rd-generation suffragist and equal rights advocate. She is a reminder that we make progress by standing on the shoulders of others, and that it can take multiple generations to right wrongs.
** Granddaughter of Charlotte Vandine Forten **
** Daughter of Robert Bridges Forten **
** Niece of Margaret, Harriet, and Sarah Forten **
Learn more:
-- National History Center: http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai/identity/text3/charlottefortenjournal.pdf
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- NPS (19th Amendment): https://www.nps.gov/articles/african-american-women-and-the-nineteenth-amendment.htm
-- NPS (Voting Rights): https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Journals of Charlotte Forten Grimke: https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/3uHylBU24jMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PP1
-- Muse: https://muse.jhu.edu/chapter/1945821
-- Beltway Poetry: http://www.beltwaypoetry.com/poetry/poets/names/grimke-charlotte-forten/
#OnThisDay, 1920 the 19th Amendment was ratified, granting women the right to vote. This amendment prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex. The ratification was the culmination of the women‘s suffrage movement in the United States, which fought at both state and national levels to achieve the vote.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920.
Learn more:
-- National Women’s History Museum: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Annie Webb Blanton, teacher, suffragist, and the first woman in Texas elected to statewide office, was born Aug 19, 1870, in Houston.
In the July 1918 primary, when Texas women exercised their voting rights for the first time, Blanton defeated incumbent Walter F. Doughty and Brandon Trussell by a large margin. In November, her victory in the general election made her the first woman in Texas elected to statewide office. She served as state superintendent through 1922.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbl16
-- Humanities Texas https://www.humanitiestexas.org/programs/tx-originals/list/annie-webb-blanton
"The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote nationally on August 18, 1920, so why is Women’s Equality Day on August 26th each year?
The simple answer is that even when a constitutional amendment has been ratified it’s not official until it has been certified by the correct government official. In 1920, that official was U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby. On August 26, 1920, Colby signed a proclamation behind closed doors at 8 a.m. at his own house in Washington, D.C, ending a struggle for the vote that started a century earlier." -- Constitution Center
The first executive secretary of the League of Women Voters, Minnie Fisher Cunningham, was a Texan who, among many other notable achievements, worked for the passage of the 19th Amendment in Texas and nationally.
Learn more:
-- Alice Paul Org: https://www.alicepaul.org/2020-exhibition/
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/why-august-26-is-known-as-womans-equality-day
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/collections/women-of-protest/articles-and-essays/tactics-and-techniques-of-the-national-womans-party-suffrage-campaign/
-- NCSL: https://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/amending-the-u-s-constitution.aspx
Image: https://www.alicepaul.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/5_Suffragist_Cover_1920.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1962, the 24th Amendment, which prohibited the use or a poll tax as a condition for voting in federal elections, was passed by Congress. #SystemicRacism
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) to the states on August 27, 1962, and ratified on January 23, 1964.
“After nearly disappearing in the states, a repurposed poll tax returned as part of a successful effort to undermine the Fifteenth Amendment and reestablish limits on the franchise. Beginning in Florida in 1889, all the former Confederate States, and a few others, instituted a suite of changes to voting laws as a part of this effort. They introduced literacy tests and disqualified convicted felons from voting. They also resurrected poll taxes. The historical record is filled with racially derogatory statements from delegates at State constitutional conventions who believed poll taxes and other devices would suppress Black voter registration and turnout.”
“The Supreme Court repeatedly affirmed the constitutionality of poll taxes. In its 1937 opinion in Breedlove v. Suttles, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected a claim from a white Georgia voter that the poll tax violated the Equal Protection Clause. In 1951, it rejected a similar claim challenging Virginia’s poll tax in Butler v. Thompson.” -- Constitution Center #CheckAndBalances #3Branches
Resources:
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xxiv
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- US House: https://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/37045
-- Breedlove v. Suttles: https://perma.cc/6G6H-6U4T
-- Butler v. Thompson: https://perma.cc/V4JP-TYHY
#OnThisDay in 1963, approximately 250,000 people took part in The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Martin Luther King gave the closing address in front of the Lincoln Memorial:
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
Learn more:
-- King Institute: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/i-have-dream-address-delivered-march-washington-jobs-and-freedom
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=173&v=smEqnnklfYs&feature=emb_logo
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/10-fascinating-facts-about-the-i-have-a-dream-speech
-- Civil Rights Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/march_on_washington
#OnThisDay in 1983, the 68th Texas legislature passed HB718, which abolished the life-time voting ban on ex-felons, but included a 5-yr waiting period before ex-felons would become eligible to vote.
On Sept 1, 1997, the 75th Texas legislature passed HB1001 eliminated the 5-yr waiting period.
Learn more:
-- TSLL: https://guides.sll.texas.gov/reentry-resources/voting
-- 75th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/Sessionoverviews/summary/75soe.pdf#page=114 (pg. 114)
-- 68th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/sessionOverviews/summary/soe68.pdf#page=82 (pg. 77)
-- HB1001 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/75R/HB1001/HB1001_75R.pdf
-- HB718 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/68R/HB718/HB718_68R.pdf#page=23 (pg. 23)
-- HB718 Election Law Opinion: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- JSTOR: https://www.jstor.org/stable/29768353?read-now=1&seq=4#page_scan_tab_contents (pg. 82)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Myra Davis Hemmings. Hemmings was born in Gonzales, Texas. She was one of the founders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. as well as its first president. The sorority was founded at Howard University in Jan 1913 and its 1st public act was to participate in the Woman Suffrage Procession in Washington, D.C. in Mar of 1913.
Suffragist Mary Church Terrell lobbied on behalf of the Deltas to win them a place in the parade, where they were the only African American organization represented. #HiddenFigures
A Texas Historical Marker dedicated to Myra resides at the Myra Davis Hemmings Resource Center in Bexar County, TX.
Photo credit: San Antonio Alumnae Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Learn More:
-- @usgpo: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2013-01-24/html/CREC-2013-01-24-pt1-PgS292.htm
-- @TxHistComm: https://atlas.thc.texas.gov/Details/5507017358/print
-- @TxStHistAssoc: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fhe64
-- @dstinc1913: https://www.deltasigmatheta.org
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lulu Belle Madison White. Lulu Belle was a civil rights activist who worked to eliminate the white primary in the 1930s. In 1939, she became the president of the Houston chapter of the NAACP. After the SCOTUS ruling in 1944 that outlawed the white primary (Smith v. Allwright), she worked tirelessly to encourage voting and educate voters.
Learn more:
-- TSHA Handbook: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwh75
-- TSHA Honest Past (p. 337): https://join.tshaonline.org/ebook-offers/honest-past/SHQ-An-Honest-Past.pdf
-- WTH: https://www.womenintexashistory.org/audio/lulu-belle-madison-white
-- Humanities of TX: https://www.humanitiestexas.org/news/articles/craft-civil-rights
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Ann Richards. In 1976, Ann became the 1st woman elected to the Travis County Commissioners Court. In 1982, Ann became the 1st woman elected as Texas State Treasurer, which was the 1st time a woman had been elected to statewide office in Texas since Miriam Ferguson‘s successful gubernatorial race in 1932--breaking a 50-yr absence of women in statewide leadership. In 1990, Ann became the 2nd woman to serve as governor of Texas since Texas became a state in 1845.
Learn more:
-- https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fri62
#OnThisDay in 1997, the 75th TX legislature, passed HB1001, which amended the Election Code to clarify the voting rights (eligibility) of fully discharged ex-felons, and it eliminated the 5-year waiting period established by HB718.
In 1983, the 68th Session of the TX Leg passed HB718, which abolished the life-time voting ban on ex-felons, but included a 5-year waiting period before ex-felons would become eligible to vote.
Learn more:
-- TXSLL: https://guides.sll.texas.gov/reentry-resources/voting
-- TXSOS: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- 75th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/Sessionoverviews/summary/75soe.pdf#page=114 (pg. 114)
-- 68th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/sessionOverviews/summary/soe68.pdf#page=82 (pg. 77)
-- HB1001 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/75R/HB1001/HB1001_75R.pdf
-- HB718 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/68R/HB718/HB718_68R.pdf#page=23 (pg. 23)
-- HB718 Election Law Opinion: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- JSTOR: https://www.jstor.org/stable/29768353?read-now=1&seq=4#page_scan_tab_contents (pg. 82)
This Labor Day we’re recognizing the contributions of laborers by taking a look back at the impact of labor unions on the women’s suffrage movement.
Did you know that middle and upper-class suffragists learned to use parades and picketing from working-class suffragists who were members of labor unions?
“Since the beginning of the women’s rights movement, women who devoted their lives to reform often were middle and upper-class women. Women who worked to support themselves and their families had less time and funds to devote to social movements.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, however, working women began supporting suffrage in greater numbers. They joined labor unions, held strikes for higher pay, and protested for better working conditions. Working women started seeing the vote as a way to gain more political power to further these causes.
Harriot Stanton Blatch, daughter of suffrage leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton, was among the first suffragists to recruit working women to support suffrage. She started collaborating with the Women’s Trade Union League, founded in 1905, to help women form unions and advocate for labor reforms. In 1907, she founded the Equality League of Self-Supporting Women (later called the Women’s Political Union) to attract working women to the suffrage movement. Blatch also wanted to integrate the more aggressive, militant tactics of labor activists—like parades through city streets and speakers on street corners—into the suffrage strategies to attract more publicity. Working women and their experience with the tactics of labor activists proved vital to winning the vote.” Allison Lange, Ph.D. https://www.loc.gov/resource/ggbain.02144/
Learn more:
-- Crusade for the Vote: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/working-women-movement
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/static/collections/women-of-protest/images/tactics.pdf
-- DOL: https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/history
JJoin us in celebrating the birthday of Jovita Idár. Idarwas born in 1885 and was an American journalist and civil rights activist who wrote about the challenges Mexican Americans faced in Texas. Her activism was influenced by the lynching of ethnic-Mexican men in South Texas during the early 20th century. She also used her platform as a journalist to support suffrage.
Learn more:
-- PBS (Unladylike): https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jovita-idar
-- TXWF: https://www.txwf.org/champions-for-change-jovita-idar-and-the-villareal-sisters/
-- Women‘s History: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/jovita-idar
-- TSHA Handbook: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fid03
-- TSHA Honest Past (p. 196): https://join.tshaonline.org/ebook-offers/honest-past/SHQ-An-Honest-Past.pdf
-- Humanities of Texas: https://www.humanitiestexas.org/programs/tx-originals/list/jovita-idar
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
Photo Credit: General Photographs, UTSA Special Collections (@UTSA)
#OnThisDay, Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1957 into law. The act established the Civil Rights Section of the Justice Department and empowered federal prosecutors to obtain court injunctions against interference with the right to vote. #CivilRights #VotingRights
This was the 1st civil rights legislation since Reconstruction (1875).
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
--Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/civil_rights_act_1957
--Eisenhower Library: https://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/383/Civil-Rights-Act-of-1957
--Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Photo credit: Photographs of Official Activities of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953 - 1961, US National Archives .https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7865612 (@USNatArchives)
Today is Constitution and Citizenship Day, so we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all recently naturalized American citizens. We hope an LWV volunteer was present at your naturalization ceremony to assist you with becoming a registered voter.
Learn more:
-- @LWVTexas: https://my.lwv.org/texas/register-vote
-- @librarycongress: https://www.loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/constitution-day.php
-- @uscis: https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/educators/constitution-day-and-citizenship-day
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Burnett Talbert. Mary was an American orator, civil rights activist, and suffragist. She believed that race and gender were unifying factors that could help resolve class issues. Talbert became one of the first women to join the NAACP after its founding in 1909.
#WomenInLeadership
Learn more:
-- https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/mary-burnett-talbert (https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/mary-burnett-talbert/)
-- https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/talbert-mary-b-1866-1923 (https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/talbert-mary-b-1866-1923/)
-- https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-burnett-talbert-september-17-1866-1923 (https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-burnett-talbert-september-17-1866-1923)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Church Terrell. Mary was a civil-rights activist who championed racial equality and women’s suffrage in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Learn more:
-- PBS (@unladylike2020): https://unladylike2020.com/profile/mary-church-terrell-2
-- Womens History (@womenshistory): https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mary-church-terrell
-- LOC (@libraryofcongress): https://crowd.loc.gov/campaigns/mary-church-terrell-advocate-for-african-americans-and-women
-- NPS (@NPS) - https://www.nps.gov/people/mary-church-terrell.htm
-- https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-church-terrell/
LGBT History Month is celebrated every October in United States since 1994. It was first proposed by Missouri high school history teacher Rodney Wilson, who chose October due to the establishment of National Coming Out Day in the late 1980s on October 11. October also marks the first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, which took place in 1979. In addition to LGBT History Month, LGBT Pride Month is also celebrated each year in June to commemorate the Stonewall Riots.
On Oct 3, 1965, Johnson signs the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1965, which amended the 1952 INA by including a provision stating: No person shall receive any preference or priority or be discriminated against in the issuance of an immigrant visa because of the person‘s race, sex, nationality, place of birth, or place of residence.
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act
Prevents immigration from Asia and establishes a quotas system
1952 - Truman vetoes McCarran-Walter Act (veto overridden by Congress)
Eliminates Asian exclusion and establishes a preference system for desirable ethnic groups
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Note: See https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline for a description of immigration laws before 1924
Resources:
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965
Coolidge’s INA Comments: https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/were-all-in-the-same-boat-now-coolidge-on-immigration
Truman’s INA Comments: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/public/Immigration_TrumanVeto.pdf
Johnson’s INA Comments:http://www.lbjlibrary.org/lyndon-baines-johnson/timeline/lbj-on-immigration
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Thomas Mundy Peterson. Thomas, on March 31, 1870 (one day after the ratification of the 15th Amendment) became the first Black American to vote in a U.S. election.
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian: https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2015.190
-- NJ State HIstory; https://nj.gov/state/historical/it-happened-here/ihhnj-er-peterson.pdf
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlC3fsW3rRs
"In 1977 participants at the United Nations International Conference on Discrimination against Indigenous Populations in the Americas proposed that Indigenous Peoples’ Day replace Columbus Day.Indigenous Peoples’ Day recognizes that Native people are the first inhabitants of the Americas, including the lands that later became the United States of America. And it urges Americans to rethink history." https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-indian/2019/10/11/indigenous-peoples-day-2019
The following states and the District of Columbia observe Native American or Indigenous Peoples’ Day, in place of or in addition to Columbus Day:
-- Alabama
-- Alaska
-- District of Columbia
-- Hawaii
-- Idaho
-- Maine
-- Michigan
-- Minnesota
-- New Mexico
-- North Carolina
-- Oklahoma
-- Oregon
-- South Dakota
-- Vermont
-- Wisconsin
The state of Texas does not currently observer Indiginous People day, but the following local jurisdiction have made the change:
-- City of Austin
-- City of Dallas
-- City of San Antonio
-- County of Bexar
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-indian/2019/10/11/indigenous-peoples-day-2019/:
-- PBS: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/npr/2019/10/14/769083847/columbus-day-or-indigenous-peoples-day/
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Ann Shadd Cary.
Learn more: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement/
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Eleanor Roosevelt born on this day in 1884.
After the League of Women Voters was founded in 1920 – the same year that Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for Vice President – she helped establish its policy agenda. As the League’s Vice President of Legislative Affairs, she lobbied for reforms in Congress and worked tirelessly to strengthen women’s role in politics, helping mobilize women voters through the League’s nonpartisan training and lobbying work.
Learn more:
-- LWV: https://www.lwv.org/blog/eleanor-roosevelt-first-lady-league-leader-pioneer
Photo Credit: LC-USZ62-25812, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (@librarycongress)
http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3c08091/
National Coming Out Day (NCOD) is an annual LGBTQ awareness day observed on October 11. The day commemorates the Oct. 11, 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, which included half a million participants.
Learn more:
-- HRC: https://www.hrc.org/resources/the-history-of-coming-out
-- APA: https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/coming-out-day
-- GLAAD: https://www.glaad.org/tags/national-coming-out-day
-- Archive: https://gaycenter.org/archive_item/march-on-washington-for-lesbian-and-gay-rights
-- Image: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc276218
#OnThisDay, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled on a bundle of five cases (known as the Civil Rights Cases), and in an 8-1 decision, the court found the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1875 to be unconstitutional.
The CRA of 1875 was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant and was enacted during Reconstruction in response to civil rights violations against African Americans. The act guaranteed equal treatment in public accommodations and transportation. It also outlawing race-based discrimination in jury duty/selection. The five cases heard by SCOTUS included suites brought forth by African Americans who were denied access to segregated facilities.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources: SCOTUS Ruling:
http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep109/usrep109003/usrep109003.pdf
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
The League of Women Voters of Texas, a nonpartisan political organization, was formed on October 19, 1919, at San Antonio, when the Texas Equal Suffrage Association was dissolved to reorganize for a new purposehttps://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wel05
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Christia Daniel Adair. Christia was an NAACP leader from Houston, worked for full suffrage and was one of the first black women to vote in a Democratic primary after the Supreme Court struck down Texas‘ white primary law in 1944. As executive secretary of the Houston NAACP for 12 years, she and others desegregated the Houston airport, public libraries, city buses, and department store dressing rooms. Despite official harassment, Adair and others rebuilt the Houston NAACP chapter, which grew to 10,000 members.
Learn more:
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fad19
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Nina Otero-Warren. Nina was a civil rights leader, a suffragist, and an advocate for bilingual education.
In 1917, Otero-Warren was selected by Alice Paul to head the New Mexico chapter of the Congressional Union (precursor to the National Woman’s Party). She insisted that suffrage literature be published in both English and Spanish, in order to reach the widest audience.
She was Superintendent of Public Schools in Santa Fe County from 1918 to 1929, working to improve the conditions in rural Hispano and Native American communities. Otero-Warren argued that both Spanish and English be allowed in schools, despite the federal mandate of English-only. Despite losing her political campaign to run for a seat in the US House of Representatives, she remained politically and socially active, and served as the Chairman of New Mexico’s Board of Health; an executive board member of the American Red Cross; and director of an adult literacy program in New Mexico for the Works Projects Administration.
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/people/nina-oter-warren.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Jessie Daniel Ames. Jessie was a suffragist and the founder and first president of the League of Women Voters of Texas.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fam06
Veterans Day, also known as Armistice Day or Rememberance Day in other countries which fought in the First World War, is commemorated on the 11th of November, marking the armistice signed between the Allies and Central Powers. The armistice came into effect at 11am: the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month in 1918. Formerly known as Armistice Day in the United States, the name was changed to Veterans Day in 1954 to honor all those who have served and continue to serve in the United States Armed Forces.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Elizabeth Cady Staton (1st generation suffragists). She was born in 1815 and was one of the speakers and organizers of the Seneca Falls Convention. Elizabeth was a co-founder of the National Woman Suffrage Associate (NWSA), which would later merge with the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
** Mother of Harriet Stanton Blatch (2nd generation suffragist) **
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucy-stone
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d (11 minutes in)
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
-- Seneca Falls Convention:
#OnThisDay, Bush signed the 1991 Civil Rights Act (CRA), which provided the right to trial by jury on discrimination claims. It also added provisions to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that expanded the rights of women and disabled persons. #CivilRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Johnson signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
Bush Library: https://bush41library.tamu.edu/archives/public-papers/3660
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005). Shirley was an educator, activist, and politician who achieved a number of historic 1sts
-- 1968 1st black woman elected to the Congress
-- 1972 1st woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination
-- 1972 1st African American to run for President of the US
Learn more: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/shirley-chisholm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Debra Anne Haaland. Debra and Sharice Davids were the first two Native American women elected to the U.S Congress. Haaland is a member of the Laguna Pueblo people.
Learn more:
-- National Geographic Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T_s36-1hms
-- US House: https://haaland.house.gov/about
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Patsy Takemoto Mink. Patsy was the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-women-got-vote-far-more-complex-story-history-textbooks-reveal-180971869/
-- House History: https://history.house.gov/People/detail/18329
-- NWHF: https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/patsy-takemoto-mink/
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/patsy-mink
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Titus Howard Mundine, who was the 1st Texas Legislator to propose enfranchisement of women and blacks.
"Every person, without distinction of sex, who shall have arrived at the age of twenty-one years...shall be deemed a qualified elector." -- Titus H. Mundine
Learn More:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=5124
-- Titus – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmuvf
-- Woman Suffrage – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Eliza Eubanks Peterson Johnson. Eliza was a suffragist and civil-rights activist.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fjohn
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
-- Austin Library: http://www.austinlibrary.com/ahc/suffrage/early.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Marie Louise Bottineau Baldwin. Marie was a suffragist and lawyer who worked as an advocate for the Ojibwa/Chippewa Nation in Minnesota and North Dakota.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- National Parks Service: https://www.nps.gov/people/marie-louise-bottineau-baldwin.htm
-- MNHS: https://www.mnhs.org/historycenter/activities/museum/votes-for-women/profiles/marie-baldwin
-- National Archive: https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2020/04/02/19th-amendment-at-100-mary-louise-bottineau-baldwin/
-- LWV: https://my.lwv.org/california/diablo-valley/meet-suffragist-marie-louise-bottineau-baldwin
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Ruza Wenclawska (also known as Rose Winslow). Rose was a Polish-American suffragist and trade union organizer. She was a member of the National Women‘s Party and fought for the rights of immigrant and working-class women. Along with Alice Paul, she participated in a hunger strike to bring attention to the suffrage movement.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/collections/women-of-protest/articles-and-essays/selected-leaders-of-the-national-womans-party/officers-and-national-organizers/
-- Turning Point: https://suffragistmemorial.org/rose-winslow-d-1977
-- Historical Snapshot: https://historicalsnaps.com/2018/03/19/rose-winslow-talks-about-her-hunger-strike
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Harriet Taylor Upton. Harriet was a founding member of the National League of Women Voters and the first woman to become a vice-chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d (53 mins in)
-- Upton House: http://www.uptonhouse.org/HTayor.html
-- Ohio History: https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Harriet_T._Upton
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Martha Goodwin Tunstall. Martha became the vice-president from Texas of the newly-formed National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA).
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ftuns
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Jane McCallum. Jane was the first vice president of the League of Women Voters of Texas. She had the longest term as the Secretary of State of Texas.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmc07
-- Texas Secretary as State: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/about/history.shtml
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charlotte Vandine Forten born in 1785.
-- 1st generation American suffragist
-- Mother of the Forten sisters: Margaret, Harriet, and Sarah (2nd generation suffragists)
-- Grandmother of Charlotte Forten Grimké (3rd generation suffragist)
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- Black Suffragette: http://www.blacksuffragette.com/friends
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Helen Edmunds Moore. Helen was a nurse, suffragist, and a member of the 41, 42, and 44th legislatures. In the 44 Legislature, she was the only woman.
Learn more:
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/moore-helen-edmunds
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Lucretia Coffin Mott. Lucretia was a suffragist and human rights activist. She was one of the organizers of the 1st Woman’s Rights Convention Seneca Falls, N.Y.
Learn more:
NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucretia-mott
PBS: Video: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/
NPS: https://www.nps.gov/wori/learn/historyculture/lucretia-mott.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Carrie Chapman Catt. Carrie was a skilled political strategist and suffragist. She was the director of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) and she founded the League of Women Voters (1920).
Learn more:
-- Women’s History: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/carrie-chapman-catt
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/collections/carrie-chapman-catt-papers/about-this-collection
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/people/carrie-chapman-catt.htm
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/wilson-carrie-chapman-catt
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Oveta Culp Hobby. Oveta was the first Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, first Director of the Women‘s Army Corps, and a Chairperson of the Board of the Houston Post. Her husband, William Hobby, was the Texas Governor who signed the law allowing women in Texas to vote in a primary election.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Harriet Staton Blatch (2nd generation suffragists).
Voting rights was a family affair
** Daughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1st generation suffragist)
She founded the Equality League of Self-Supporting Women, later called the Women‘s Political Union, whose membership was based on working women, both professional and industrial. The Equality League initiated the practice of holding suffrage parades and organized the first open-air suffrage rallies in thirty years. As many as 25,000 people marched in these parades.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (28 minutes in)
#OnThisDay the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled on the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case and made a controversial decision that reversed existing campaign finance restrictions and enabled corporations and other outside groups to spend unlimited funds on elections. #DarkMoney
"Prevention of improper corporate influence in the electoral process...is a pillar of our modern democracy" -- LWV Amicus Brief #DarkMoney
"Voters are supposed to be at the center of our political process. For more than two centuries, America’s constitutional democracy has been moving in the direction of broader enfranchisement and more meaningful political participation by American citizens. After the Civil War, the 15th Amendment to the Constitution guaranteed the right to vote to citizens regardless of race or color. The 19th Amendment provided voting rights to women, the 24th to poor citizens and the 26th to young adults.
On the other hand, our Constitution does not reflect a similar solicitude for corporate participation; indeed our constitutional history reflects a growing concern over the influence of corporations, and the distinction between the legal protections afforded to living persons and corporations has been part of our constitutional law from the Founding." -- LWV Commentary on Citizens United
LWVUS Amicus Brief: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/Amicus_cfr.CitizenUnited.pdf
LWVUS Commentary on Citizens United: https://www.lwv.org/money-politics/league-commentary-citizens-united-v-fec-case-supreme-court
Brennan Institute: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/citizens-united-explained
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charles Curtis, of Kaw, Osage, and Pottawatomie ancestry. Curtis was sworn in as the U.S. Senator from Kansas. Charles was also the 1st person of color and 1st person of Native American ancestry to hold the office of vice president under President Hoover.
Learn more:
-- Senate History: https://www.senate.gov/about/officers-staff/vice-president/VP_Charles_Curtis.htm
-- Kansas Historical Society: https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/charles-curtis/12029
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Maud Wood Park. Park was the 1st president of the National League of Women Voters.
Learn more:
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/november-2015-suffragist-of-the-month/
-- Harvard: https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/schlesinger-library/collection/papers-maud-wood-park-in-womans-rights-collection
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=8
Black History Month is celebrated in the United States and Canada each February. Black History Month traces its origins to Negro History Week which was first created in 1926 with the week chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (February 12th) and Frederick Douglass (February 14th). An annual monthlong celebration of black history was later proposed by students and educators at Kent State University in 1969, and adopted one year later. By the mid-1970s, Black History Month was celebrated across the United States and officially recognized by US President Gerald Ford in 1976. Originally intended to celebrate black history and culture in the United States, Black History Month has since spread to Canada, as well as the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands, where it is celebrated in October.
#OnThisDay in 1870, the 15th Amendment, which granted black men the right to vote, was ratified. Unfortunately, Southern states continued to disenfranchise black voters through the use of poll taxes, literacy tests, threats of physical harm, etc. Therefore, the promise of the 15th Amendment was not fully realized until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965--almost a century later.
The amendment was passed (proposed) by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870.
Learn more:
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- LOC: http://www.loc.gov/rr//program/bib/ourdocs/15thamendment.html
-- Teaching resources: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-african-americans.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Juanita Jewel Craft. Juanita and Lulu Belle White of Houston organized 182 branches of the NAACP in Texas over a period of eleven years. Following the Smith v. Allwright ruling, in 1944 Juanita became the first black woman in Dallas County to vote in the Democratic Party primary. In 1946, she was the first black woman deputized in the state to collect the poll tax. Juanita was also a member of the League of Women Voters of Texas.
The Smith v. Allwright U.S. case ended the white primary.
Learn More:
-- http://www.juanitacrafthouse.org/
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fcr59
-- TxPolProject - Smith v. Allwright: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lawrence Aaron Nixon. Lawrence...
The Smith v. Allwright case ended the white primary, which suppressed the Black vote.
Learn More:
-- @TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fni10
-- @TxPolProject - White Primary: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Adella Hunt Logan.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Nellie May Quande. “In 1913, Nellie Quander, president of the nation‘s oldest Black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, wrote to Alice Paul, chair for a major upcoming Washington, D.C., parade, planned to attract national attention for the cause on the day before the inauguration of President Woodrow Wilson. "We do not wish to enter if we must meet with discrimination on account of race affiliation," Quander wrote. "Can you assign us to a desirable place in the college women‘s section?”
Learn more:
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/new-tactics-for-a-new-generation-1890-1915/new-tactics-and-renewed-confrontation/howard-university-sorority-seeks-assurances-of-nondiscrimination
-- Smithsonian: https://womenshistory.si.edu/news/2020/08/19suffragestories-countdown-stories-14-10
-- Facing History:
https://facingtoday.facinghistory.org/suffrage-and-sisterhood-the-origins-and-impact-of-black-sororities
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Fannie Barrier Williams. Fannie was an educator, political activist, and women’s rights advocate. In 1907, she was the only Black woman to eulogize Susan B. Anthony at the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) convention. Also, she helped found the NAACP in 1909.
Learn more:
-- BlackPast: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/williams-fannie-barrier-1855-1944/
-- ISU: https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/directory/frances-barrier-williams/
-- RRLC: https://rrlc.org/winningthevote/biographies/fannie-barrier-williams/
-- SPC: https://www.splcenter.org/news/2019/06/01/weekend-read-challenging-whitewashed-history-womens-suffrage/
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/more-to-the-movement/fannie-barrier-williams/
#OnThisDay in 1909, the NAACP was founded. The NAACP is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation.
Mission: To ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.
Learn more:
-- NAACP: https://naacp.org/nations-premier-civil-rights-organization/
-- TSHA: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/national-association-for-the-advancement-of-colored-people
-- UW: https://depts.washington.edu/moves/NAACP_intro.shtml
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Anna Howard Shaw.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (1 hr in)
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charlotta Spears Bass, who was born on this day in 1874. Charlotta was an educator, newspaper publisher, civil-rights and voting-rights activist. She was also the first Black woman to own and operate a newspaper in the United States and the first Black woman nominated for Vice President.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/people/charlottabass.htm
-- Black Past; https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/bass-charlotta-1879-1969/
-- South California Library: https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf6c60052d/
#OnThisDay in 1920, the League of Women Voters was founded. Carrie Chapman Catt shared the following about the founding: "Is the (League) political? Certainly, but not partisan. Its members are as free as other women to join and vote with the party of their choice. They make no pledge otherwise in joining the League."
Mission: Empowering voters. Defending democracy.
Learn more: https://www.lwv.org/league-women-voters-through-decades
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Susan B. Anthony (1st generation suffragists). She was born in 1820. Susan was a co-founder of the National Woman Suffrage Associate (NWSA), which would later merge with the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
**Susan died in 1906, 14 years before women were given the right to vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. **
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/susan-b-anthony
-- @susanbhouse: https://susanb.org/her-life/
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
-- Seneca Falls Convention:
#OnThisDay in 1929, LULAC was founded. LULAC is the oldest and largest continuously active Latino political association in the US.
Mission: To advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, housing, health and civil rights of the Hispanic population of the United States.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wel01
Join us commemorating the life of Frederick Douglass (1818 - 1895)."Frederick was one of the few men present at the woman‘s rights convention held at Seneca Falls, New York, in July 1848.
Learn more:
-- Blackpast: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/1888-frederick-douglass-woman-suffrage/
-- Smithsonian: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hidden-history-anna-murray-douglass-180968324/
#BHM
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Zitkala-Sa (Red Bird). "Zitkala-Ša joined the Society of American Indians, a group founded in 1911 with the purpose of preserving traditional Native American culture while also lobbying for full American citizenship."
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/people/zitkala-sa.htm
Photo: https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_S_NPG.79.26?destination=edan-search/default_search%3Freturn_all%3D1%26edan_q%3DZitkala%2520Sa
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Rosalie Gardiner Jones. In December of 1912, over 200 women joined Rosalie for parts of a 140-mile march from New York City to Albany to support women‘s suffrage. During the march, the women stopped to hold open-air meetings and distribute pamphlets in communities along the way.
Learn More:
-- PBS Doc: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (1 hr 16 mins in)
-- New York Heritage: https://nyheritage.org/exhibits/recognizing-womens-right-vote/%E2%80%9Cgeneral%E2%80%9D-rosalie-jones-and-suffrage-hikes
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/people/dr-general-rosalie-jones.htm
#OnThisDay in 1869, Congress passed (proposed) the 15th Amendment, which granted Black male citizens the right to vote.“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 race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
The amendment was passed (proposed) by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870.
Learn more:
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- LOC: http://www.loc.gov/rr//program/bib/ourdocs/15thamendment.html
-- Teaching resources: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-african-americans.html
#OnThisDay, President Ulysses S. Grant, signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1875. The CRA was enacted during the Reconstruction era in response to civil rights violations against African Americans. The act provided for equal treatment in public accommodations and transportation. It also outlawing race-based discrimination in jury service.
Over the ensuing years, African Americans began suing businesses that denied them access to segregated facilities. On Oct 15, 1883, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) heard a group of five cases (known as the Civil Rights Cases), and in an 8-1 decision, struck down the CRA of 1875 as unconstitutional.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resource:
-- US House of Rep: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1851-1900/The-Civil-Rights-Act-of-1875
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
-- Grant‘s Memoirs: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/4367/4367-h/4367-h.htm
Women‘s History Month celebrates the everyday contributions of women across the world to events in history and contemporary society. It is celebrated during March in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, in connection with International Women‘s Day on March 8th. Women‘s History Month traces its origins to the United States, where it was first designated in 1987. Since then the tradition has spread to other countries around the world.
The "Woman Suffrage Procession" was the first suffragist parade in Washington, DC. Organized by the suffragist Alice Paul for the National American Woman Suffrage Association, it saw thousands of suffragists marching down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC on Monday, March 3, 1913. Presaging the circumstances surrounding the 2017 Women‘s March just over 100 years later, the 1913 event was scheduled on the day before President Woodrow Wilson‘s inauguration to "march in a spirit of protest against the present political organization of society, from which women are excluded," as the official program stated. While studying in England, Paul had heard the British suffragist Christabel Pankhurst speak and joined the Women‘s Social and Political Union, being jailed a number of times in the process. She returned to the US in 1910 and continued to campaign for women‘s rights leading to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920.
Advocate of women‘s rights.
In February 1912 Brackenridge was elected president of the newly organized San Antonio Equal Franchise Society. The formation of this society stimulated interest throughout the state, and delegates from seven Texas cities met in San Antonio and organized the Texas Woman Suffrage Association in April 1913. Eleanor Brackenridge held the office of president for one year and then became honorary president.
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbr04
March 7, 1965: In the Selma to Montgomery March, around 600 civil rights marchers walk to Selma, Alabama to Montgomery—the state’s capital—in protest of black voter suppression. Local police block and brutally attack them. After successfully fighting in court for their right to march, Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders lead two more marches and finally reach Montgomery on March 25.
International Women‘s Day traces its origins to the women‘s rights movement of the early 20th century, having been first proposed by German campaigner Clara Zetkin at an international conference in Copenhagen. The day is a celebration of the social, economic, political and cultural achievements of women worldwide. The annual campaign calls for gender parity and raises funds to support initiatives towards this goal.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Anna Murray Douglass born in 1813. Anna was the wife of Frederick Douglas, but more than that, she was a participant in the activities necessary to ensure voting rights for all Americans.
Learn more:
-- @SmithsonianMagazine: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hidden-history-anna-murray-douglass-180968324/
-- @USAToday:https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/07/06/frederick-douglass-first-wife-anna-murray-made-his-work-possible/5382922002/
-- @librarycongress: https://www.loc.gov/item/mfd.02007/
Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) was never far from the struggle for equal rights and human liberation throughout her long life, from the work on the Underground Railroad for which she is famous, to her later years as an activist in the women‘s suffrage movement in the early 20th century. Born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia in 1849 before immediately returning to rescue her family. Tubman would make some 13 return trips to the South to liberate family, friends, and relatives - at great personal risk to herself - guiding them to freedom in the northern United States and British North America (present-day Canada) using a clandestine network of anti-slavery activists and safe houses to facilitate the journey. Tubman later helped the abolitionist John Brown recruit troops for his 1859 raid on Harper‘s Ferry, and helped lead multiple attacks on Confederate plantations and infrastructure during the Civil War. Toward the end of her life, Tubman joined the campaign for women‘s suffrage. With the struggle against slavery still in living memory, Tubman moved audiences around the country with tales of her heroic actions before and after the Civil War, offering these sacrifices as evidence and living proof that women deserved the same rights as men.
#OnThisDay in 1918, the Texas House (during the 36 legislative sessions) passed HB-105 by a vote of 83-34. The bill granted women the right to vote in (white) Texas Primaries.
The bill was passed by the Texas Senate on March 21, 1918 by a vote of 18-4.
Governor William P. Hobby signed the bill into law on March 26, 1918.
Learn more:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/whatsNew/client/index.cfm/2018/3/20/Votes-for-Women-The-100th-Anniversary-of-Texas-Womens-Suffrage
Bayard Rustin (1912-1987) was an American civil rights activist who worked as an influential organizer and behind-the-scenes adviser to many causes throughout the civil rights era. Rustin began his organizing career working alongside fellow activist A. Philip Randolph on the March on Washington Movement in the early 1940s, which campaigned for the desegregation of the US armed forces. Rustin later played a central organizing role in other key civil rights actions such as the Freedom Rides and the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Martin Luther King - whom Rustin had schooled on methods of non-violence and helped elevate to his leadership position in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference - gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Rustin continued his career as an activist following the passage of civil rights legislation in the mid-1960s, promoting the unionization of African American workers and working internationally to aid war refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia while raising awareness to the ongoing plight of Jews living in the Soviet Union. A gay man who chose to play a supporting role in the Civil Rights Movement due to public criticisms of his homosexuality, Rustin spent his final years working on behalf of LGBT causes during the 1980s.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Minnie Fisher Cunningham born in 1882. Minnie was the first Executive Secretary of the League of Women Voters. The Texas native was also the first female pharmacy student at the University of Texas and the first woman to run for the Texas Senate. Members of the Minnie Fisher Cunningham Society continue empowering voters and defending democracy into the future by naming the League in their wills for a bequest.
Learn More:
-- LWV: https://my.lwv.org/texas/leave-legacy-minnie-fisher-cunningham-society
-- Suffrage Petition: https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/tx-woman-suffrage-petition
--TSHA: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/cunningham-minnie-fisher
-- PBS: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/shows/2015/12/19/43918/texas-originals-minnie-fisher-cunningham/
#OnThisDay in 1918, the Texas Senate (during the 36 legislative sessions) passed HB-105 by a vote of 18-4. The bill granted women the right to vote in (white) Texas Primaries.
The bill was firsts passed in the TX House on March 15, 1918 by a vote of 84-34.
Governor William P. Hobby signed the bill into law on March 26, 1918.
Learn more:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/whatsNew/client/index.cfm/2018/3/20/Votes-for-Women-The-100th-Anniversary-of-Texas-Womens-Suffrage
The 21st of March is the anniversary of events in 1960 when police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid laws in Sharpeville, South Africa. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed an annual observation of the day in 1966.
"We must all work harder to repair the fissures and polarization that are so prevalent in our societies today. We must nurture mutual understanding and invest in making diversity a success. And we must counter and reject political figures who exploit differences for electoral gain." — UN Secretary-General António Guterres”
Learn more:
-- About End Racial Discrimination Day: https://www.un.org/en/observances/end-racism-day
-- History of the League and the UN: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/The%2520League%2520and%2520the%2520United%2520Nations.pdf
-- Role of the UN Observer: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/LWVUS%20United%20Nations%20Observer%20Role.pdf
-- Contact the UN Observers at unobserver@lwv.org.
Also World Poetry Day: https://www.un.org/en/events/poetryday/
#OnThisDay in 1972, Congress passed the ERA, but it remains 1 state short of ratification.
#OnThis day in 1971, the 26th Amendment was passed by Congress. This amendment was enacted in response to Vietnam War protests, which argued that soldiers who were old enough to fight for their country should be granted the right to vote.‘
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed to the states) on March 23, 1971, and ratified on July 1, 1971.
Resources:
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Today is Slavery Remembrance Day. “For over 400 years, more than 15 million men, women and children were the victims of the tragic transatlantic slave trade, one of the darkest chapters in human history.”
Learn about the Ark of Return, which is the permanent memorial designed by Rodney Leon (a decedent of a former slave) that sits on the grounds of the United Nations headquarters.
Resources:
-- About Slavery Remembrance Day: https://www.un.org/en/events/slaveryremembranceday
-- Ark of Return Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx-gnst3mC8
-- History of the League and the UN: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/The%2520League%2520and%2520the%2520United%2520Nations.pdf
-- Role of the UN Observer: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/LWVUS%20United%20Nations%20Observer%20Role.pdf
-- Contact the UN Observers at unobserver@lwv.org.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Virginia Louisa Minor, born in 1824. Virginia was the plaintiff in the Minor v. Happersett case that was unsuccessful in arguing that the 14th Amendment gave women the right to vote.
The Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) in 1874 ruled in a unanimous decision that the 14th Amendment did not guarantee women the right to vote.
The 19th Amendment overruled Minor v. Happersett by prohibiting discrimination in voting rights based on sex. #VotingRights
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/the-virginia-minor-case.htm
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Wilhelmina Kekelaokalaninui Widemann Dowsett.
Learn more:
-- https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelmina_Kekelaokalaninui_Widemann_Dowsett
#OnThisDay in 1961: Residents of Washington, D.C. were granted the right to vote in U.S. Presidential Elections. The 23rd Amendment extends the right to vote in presidential elections to citizens residing in the District of Columbia. The amendment grants the district electors in the Electoral College as though it were a state, though the district can never have more electors than the least-populous state.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed to the states) on June 16, 1960, and ratified March 29, 1961.
#OnThisDay in 1875, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled in a unanimous decision that the 14th Amendment did not guarantee women the right to vote.
The 19th Amendment overruled Minor v. Happersett by prohibiting discrimination in voting rights based on sex.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/the-virginia-minor-case.htm
-- US Courts: https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/annual-observances/law-day
-- LOC: https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep088/usrep088162/usrep088162.pdf
One of the most iconic labor organizers and civil rights activists in American history, Cesar Chavez (1927-1993) co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) with fellow organizer Dolores Huerta in 1962. Originally of Mexican-American origin, Chavez was a farm worker himself before turning to activism and securing official recognition for UFW as the collective bargaining agent for 50,000 field workers in California and Florida during the 1970s. Renowned for his grassroots approach to labor activism and Hispanic empowerment, Chavez is credited with popularizing the slogan "Si, se puede" ("Yes we can") and was awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 1994. In 2014 President Barack Obama proclaimed March 31 as a federal commemorative holiday in the United States, marking the date of Chavez‘s birth. Numerous American parks, streets, and schools throughout the country bear his name.
#On this day in 1944, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) decision in Smith v. Allwright ruled the so-called "white primary" unconstitutional. The case originated in 1940 when Houston dentist Lonnie E. Smith attempted to vote in the Democratic primary in Harris County and was denied a ballot.
The number of African Americans registered to vote in Texas increased from 30,000 in 1940 to 100,000 in 1947.
Learn more:
-- @TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wdw01
-- NAACP: https://www.naacpldf.org/case-issue/landmark-smith-v-allwright
-- UT: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
-- LOC: https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep321/usrep321649/usrep321649.pdf
Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was an American author, poet, dancer, actress and singer. She was active in the Civil Rights Movement and worked with Martin Luther King, James Baldwin, and Malcolm X. Prior to becoming a writer, Angelou spent much of her young life as a dancer, before turning to organizing and activism at the start of the 1960s. After spending three years as a journalist in Ghana, Angelou moved back to the United States in 1965 and collaborated closely with many of the leading civil rights figures of the time. Angelou‘s first breakthrough came in 1969 when she published her first autobiography "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," which brought global acclaim. Angelou would go on to spend the next 45 years as an internationally renowned lecturer, teacher, writer, composer, performer, and director, becoming one of America‘s literary and artistic legends.
#OnThisDay, Jeannette Pickering Rankin was sworn in as the 1st woman elected to Congress. Rankin was an American politician and women‘s rights advocate, and the first woman to hold federal office in the United States. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican from Montana in 1916, and again in 1940.
A suffragist during the Progressive Era, Rankin organized and lobbied for legislation enfranchising women in several states including Montana, New York, and North Dakota. During her victory speech following her first election to the House of Representatives, she recognized the power she held as the only woman able to vote in Congress saying, "I am deeply conscious of the responsibility resting upon me".[1] While in Congress, she introduced legislation similar to what would eventually became the 19th Constitutional Amendment, granting unrestricted voting rights to women nationwide. She championed the causes of women‘s rights and civil rights throughout a career that spanned more than six decades.
Learn more:
PBS - @unladylike2020: https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jeannette-rankin/
#OnThisDay 1893, ten Texas women, mostly members of the Woman‘s Christian Temperance Union, issued a call for a statewide woman suffrage convention. The Texas Equal Rights Association, the first such statewide organization, was chartered at the ensuing three-day convention in Dallas. Internal dissension plagued the TERA, which had been organized as a branch of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, and it ceased to operate by 1896. In 1903 Annette Finnigan helped organize a successor organization, the Texas Equal Suffrage Association, which helped lead the long and ultimately successful fight for woman suffrage. Texas women were finally granted the right to vote in primary elections in 1918, and in June 1919 Texas became the ninth state (and the first in the south) to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which extended full suffrage to women.
Learn more:
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vit02
#OnThisDay, congress overrode a veto by President Andrew Johnson and enacted into law the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1866, which defined citizenship and affirm that all citizens are equally protected by the law. The CRA of 1866 was enacted post Civil War to protect the civil rights of persons of African descent born in or brought to the US. #CivilRights
Congress passed the act on March 13, 1866.
President Andrew Johnson vetoed the act on March 27, 1866
Congress overrode the veto and enacted the CRA on April 9, 1866
Congress passed the bill to support the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
Johnson‘s Veto: https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/march-27-1866-veto-message-civil-rights-legislation
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Fannie Coralie Perkins (Francis Perkins), born on this day in1880. Fannie was a workers-rights advocate and the first woman to serve in a US president‘s cabinet. She served as Franklin D. Roosevelt‘s Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945, the longest-serving in that position. In addition, she was the first LGBTQ person to serve in the U.S. Cabinet.
Learn more:
-- FPC: https://francesperkinscenter.org/life-new/
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/lgbtqheritage/upload/lgbtqtheme-preservation.pdf
-- CU: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/digital/collections/nny/perkinsf/profile.html
-- NPR: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102959041
#OnThis Day, Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin. #CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (formed the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
-- Johnson Library: http://www.lbjlibrary.org/exhibits/civil-rights
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/summer/civil-rights-act-1.html
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Emancipation Day is an American holiday celebrated in the District of Columbia (Washington, DC) each year on April 16th. It marks the day US President Abraham Lincoln signed the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act in 1862, which granted freedom to more than 3,000 slaves in the nation‘s capital, nine months before Lincoln issued his broader Emancipation Proclamation freeing 3.5 million slaves in the rebel-held American South. Three years later, the United States ratified the 13th Amendment, which formally outlawed slavery. In 2005, Washington DC Mayor Anthony Williams signed legislation making Emancipation Day an official public holiday, which is also observed by the federal government.
#OnThisDay in 1954, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) extended constitutional rights to Mexican Americans in the landmark civil rights case Hernandez v. Texas.
Learn more: https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/artifacts/hernandez-v-texas-spotlight-050115
#OnThisDay in 1882 Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The 1882 Act was the first US history to place broad restrictions on immigration.
Timeline:
1882 - Arthur signs Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
Prevents Chinese nationals from eligibility for US citizenship (scheduled to last 10 yrs)
1892 - Harrison signs the Geary Act
Renews Chinese Exclusion act of 1882 (extends for 10 additional years and in 1902 indefinitely extended)
1943 - Roosevelt signs the Magnuson Act
Repeals the Chinese Exclusion Act leaving a yearly limit of 105 Chinese and gives foreign-born Chinese the right to seek naturalization
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Resources:
National Archive Chinese Americans: https://www.archives.gov/research/chinese-americans/guide
Chinese Exclusion History: https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/APA/Historical-Essays/Exclusion-and-Empire/First-Arrivals/
Chinese Exclusion Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1866-1898/chinese-immigration
Congress‘ Apology for Chinese Exclusion: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2012-06-18/html/CREC-2012-06-18-pt1-PgH3715-2.htm
Video: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/chinese-exclusion-act/
#OnThisDay, Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1960, which served to eliminate loopholes left by the CRA of 1957. It established federal inspection of voter-registration polls and addressed discriminatory laws and practices in the segregated South that disenfranchised blacks and Hispanics. #CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
--Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/collections/eisenhowercivilrightsfiles
--Eisenhower Library: https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/sites/default/files/research/subject-guides/pdf/civil-rights-guide-to-studies.pdf
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
#OnThisDay, the Texas Equal Rights Association (TERA), the first statewide female suffrage organization, was founded in the Grand Windsor in Dallas on May 10, 1893. The TERA was committed to securing voting and political rights for women on the same terms as men, including the right to hold political office and serve on juries.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vit02
#EqualRights #CivilRights #VotingRights
#OnThisDay in 1954, the Supreme Court of the US ruled in a unanimous decision that school segregation violated the Equal Protection and Due Process clauses of the 14th Amendment.
Brown v. Board of Education was a consolidation of five cases. The ruling effectively ending racial segregation in public schools. Many schools, however, remained segregated.
Learn more:
-- Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/brown_vs_boe
-- US Courts: https://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/history-brown-v-board-education-re-enactment
-- Library of Congress https://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep347/usrep347483/usrep347483.pdf
-- Video: https://www.loc.gov/item/mbrs01856600/
-- Image: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-brown.html
#OnThisDay in 1896, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled 7-1 that segregation was legal and constitutional as long as "facilities were equal"—the famous "separate but equal" segregation policy.
The Plessy v. Ferguson decision provided legal justification for segregation until it was overruled by Brown v. the Board of Education in 1954.
Resources:
Library of Congress: Plessy v. Ferguson: https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/plessy.html
Library of Congress: Brown v. Board of Education: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-brown.html
#OnThisDay in 1993 Clinton signed the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (also referred to as the Motor Voter Act). The bill advanced voting rights, including (but not limited to) requiring states to offer voter registration opportunities to eligible persons during driver’s license renewal.
Timeline:
1990 - LWV convenes a symposium to examine the role of negative campaigning in the decline in voter participation. The symposium leads to a comprehensive effort to return the voter to the center of the election process. LWV works with a coalition of partners to support legislation reforming voter registration.
1992 - Congress passes the NVRA of 1992
1992 - Bush vetoes the bill
1992 - Congress fails to override the veto
1993 - Congress passes the NVRA of 1993
1993 - Clinton signs the bill into law
Resources:
-- LWV 2018-2020 Impact report: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-04/LWV%202018-20%20Impact%20on%20Issues.pdf#page=15
-- LWV Celebrates NVRA 27 Anniversary: https://www.lwv.org/blog/honoring-27th-anniversary-national-voter-registration-act
-- Bush‘s comments regarding NVRA of 1992: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/message-the-senate-returning-without-approval-the-national-voter-registration-act-1992
-- Clinton‘s comment regarding NVRA of 1993: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-signing-the-national-voter-registration-act-1993
-- US Justice Department: https://www.justice.gov/crt/about-national-voter-registration-act
On May 24, Coolidge signed the Immigration Act of 1924 (also referred to as the Johnson-Reed Act), which implemented a national quota system that limited the number of immigrants allowed into the US, and it excluded immigrants from Asia.
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act
Prevents immigration from Asia and establishes a quotas system
1952 - Truman vetoes McCarran-Walter Act (veto overridden by Congress)
Eliminates Asian exclusion and establishes a preference system for desirable ethnic groups
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Note: See https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline for a description of immigration laws before 1924
Resources:
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965
Coolidge’s Comments regarding Immigration: https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/were-all-in-the-same-boat-now-coolidge-on-immigration
Truman’s Veto Comments: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/public/Immigration_TrumanVeto.pdf
Johnson’s INA Signing Comments:http://www.lbjlibrary.org/lyndon-baines-johnson/timeline/lbj-on-immigration
Images:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gQD4VFtai7I0K47-d3F58Ffp9wn0fNzh
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1bfzS8eAMFA89LTE_gU3VkTZyxH5qV9Y1
#OnThisDay in 1924, Coolidge signed the Indian Citizenship Act (also known as the Snyder Act), which granted all Native Americans citizenship and the right to vote regardless of tribal affiliation. As history has shown, having the right to vote does not always equate to having the ability to vote. Learn about hurdles that suppress the Native American vote: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/voting-rights/how-the-native-american-vote-continues-to-be-suppressed/
Resources:
Native American Voting Rights Act (Introduced 2019)
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1694/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22H.+R.+83%22%5D%7D&r=62&s=1
LWV Endorsement of Native American Voting Rights Act
https://www.lwv.org/expanding-voter-access/league-endorses-native-american-voting-rights-act-2019
Voting Rights for Native Americans: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-native-americans.html
https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/every-native-american-a-citizen/
Timeline https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline
https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-native-americans.html
#OnThisDay in 1919, Congress passed (proposed for ratification) the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. The amendment was ratified by the states on August 18, 1920.
http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
Learn more:
National Women’s History Museum: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Jeannette Pickering Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress.
Learn more:
-- PBS - @unladylike2020: https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jeannette-rankin/
-- House History: https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/R/RANKIN,-Jeannette-(R000055)
Today marks the death of Harriet Forten Purvis (1810-1875). Typically, we ask you to join in the celebration of a birth, but Harriet’s birthday is unknown, but her contributions to the rights we enjoy today are worthy of remembrance. Improving the civil and voting rights of others was a family tradition for Harriet and her relatives:
** Daughter of Charlotte Valdine Forten (1st generation suffragist)
** Sister of Sarah Forten Purvis and Margaret Forten (2nd generation suffragists)
** Mother to Hattie Purvis (3rd generation suffragist)
** Aunt of Charlotte Forten Grimke (3rd generation suffragist)
** Wife of Robert Purvis Sr ** (instrumental in development of the Underground Railroad)
Learn more:
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/more-to-the-movement/harriet-forten-purvis/
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- Turning Point: https://suffragistmemorial.org/harriet-forten-purvis-1810-1875/
-- Women History: https://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2016/08/harriet-forten-purvis.html
Faslane Peace Camp is a permanent peace camp situated next to the Faslane Naval Base in Scotland. Set up on this date in 1982, the camp is the world‘s longest-running active demonstration site and was originally set up as part of the anti-nuclear weapons movements of the 1980s.
#OnThisDay in 1866, Congress passed (proposed) the 14th Amendment, which granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former and recently freed slaves. In addition, it forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) 0n June 13, 1866 and ratified July 9, 1868.
Resources:
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Join us in celebrating the birthday. Miriam was the 1st woman elected as Governor of Texas.
Learn more:
-- https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffe06
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/lkj01
JUNETEENTH. On June 19 ("Juneteenth"), 1865, Union general Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and issued General Order Number 3, which read, "The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juneteenth
Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, is an American holiday that commemorates the June 19, 1865, announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. state of Texas, and more generally the emancipation of enslaved African Americans throughout the former Confederate States of America. Its name is a portmanteau of "June" and "nineteenth", the date of its celebration.[1][2] Juneteenth is recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in forty-five states.[3]
Today it is observed primarily in local celebrations. Traditions include public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, singing traditional songs such as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing", and reading of works by noted African-American writers such as Ralph Ellison and Maya Angelou.[4] Celebrations may include rodeos, street fairs, cookouts, family reunions, park parties, historical reenactments, or Miss Juneteenth contests.[5] The Mascogos, descendants of Black Seminoles, of Coahuila, Mexico also celebrate Juneteenth.[6]
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal of VRA
Nixon signs 5-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on June 22, 1970. The VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1919, the TX Leg meets in a special session to consider ratification of the 19th Amendment.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919. #100YearsStrong
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
-- Leg Reference Libary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/govdocs/William%20P%20Hobby/1919/36-2proc.pdf 01
#OnThisDay in 1919, the Texas House adopts a resolution to ratify the 19th Amendment.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay in 2013, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled 5-4 that Section 4(b) of the Voters Right Act (VRA) was unconstitutional because the coverage formula was outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable until Congress agrees on a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
Timeline:
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples under the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution. The product of a three-year court battle challenging state-level bans on same-sex marriage, the landmark decision by the Supreme Court in Obergefell v. Hodges requires all US states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, while recognising same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, officially making marriage equality the law of the land across the United States and its territories.
#OnThisDay in 1952, Congress passed into law (overriding a veto by Truman) the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1952, which abolished racial restrictions for immigration and naturalization but kept the national origins quota system established in the Immigration act of 1924
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act: Prevented immigration from Asia, set quotas on the number of immigrants from the Eastern Hemisphere)
1952 - Truman vetoes (veto overridden by Congress) McCarran-Walter Act: Eliminated Asian exclusion and established a preference system that determined which ethnic groups were desirable immigrants
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act: Eliminated policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Learn more: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965/
#OnThisDay in 1918, Hortense Sparks Ward became the first woman in Harris County history to register to vote. Born in Matagorda County in 1872, she married Houston lawyer William Henry Ward in 1908. In 1910 she became one of the first women admitted to the Texas state bar (after Edith Locke in 1902 and Alice Tiernan in 1909).
Ward worked tirelessly in support of women’s rights and penned moving newspaper essays and pamphlets for that cause. She was instrumental in the passage of the Married Woman’s Property Law of 1913 by the Texas Legislature, and she campaigned with suffragist Minnie Fisher Cunningham for enfranchisement.
Texas women won an important victory in 1918 when the legislature permitted them to vote in primary elections. In a short span of less than three weeks, 386,000 women across the state registered to vote, and Hortense Ward led the way.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwa83
Join us in commemorating the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, which became a watershed moment for gay rights. After Stonewall, gay-right groups formed in cities across American, Canada, Australia, and Europe. In June 1970, the first public gay-pride marches took place commemorating the one-year anniversary of the uprising. #PRIDE #CivilRights #Intersectional
Learn more:
--Time: https://buff.ly/35HzdQl
-- PBS: https://buff.ly/2PrCqeP
-- LOC: https://buff.ly/3heGM6w
-- Video of 1st Pride March: https://www.loc.gov/item/mbrs01991430/
Go here to see the LWVTX’s position on Equal Opportunity: https://buff.ly/2NlG5wL
In addition, see the position update report from the 2020 LWVTX convening to see how the League’s positions are evolving. https://buff.ly/2YFYb14
#OnThisDay in 1919, the Texas Senate approved ratification of the 19th Amendment. Texas became the 9th state in the US and the 1st state in the South to approve ratification.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919. #100YearsStrong
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay, Reagan signs a 25-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on June 29, 1982. The renewal extended for 25 years the Section 5 preclearance provision and extended the requirement for bilingual elections for 10 years. The VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1971, the 26th Amendment was ratified, giving adults aged 18 through 21 the right to vote. The 26th Amendment was enacted in response to Vietnam War protestors who argued that soldiers who were old enough to fight/die for their country should be old enough to vote.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on March 23, 1971, and ratified on July 1, 1971.
Learn more:
-- National Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xxvi
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
#OnThis Day, Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It prohibits unequal application of voter registration requirements, and racial segregation in schools, employment, and public accommodations.
#CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
-- Johnson Library: http://www.lbjlibrary.org/exhibits/civil-rights
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/summer/civil-rights-act-1.html
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Join us celebrating the birthday of Gertrude Bustill Mosell. Gertrude wrote a weekly advice column, "Our Women‘s Department," which was the 1st women‘s column in the history of the African-American press. She fought for equal rights and encouraged women to join the suffragist movement.
Learn more:
-- Article: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
-- Book: https://books.google.com/books?id=CHx5tY6wQSMC&pg=PA37&lpg=PA37&dq=Gertrude+Bustill+Mossell&source=bl&ots=W1sLIooEOO&sig=ACfU3U1M6Q9DfnX2OJmLRn4pJBdGJaT7yQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi1hL-J18zpAhURC6wKHbR1CXc4FBDoATAFegQICRAB#v=onepage&q=Gertrude%20Bustill%20Mossell&f=false
-- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Bustill_Mossell
-- Penn University Archive: https://archives.upenn.edu/collections/finding-aid/upt50m913
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/african-american-women-and-the-nineteenth-amendment.htm
The 4th of July marks the birth of the United States of America as a nation, recalling the Declaration of Independence made in 1776. The Continental Congress of the thirteen American colonies had actually passed a resolution of independence from the British Empire on July 2nd, but subsequently debated the additional declaration which explained its decision. The American Revolution had already been underway since 1775, and continued to 1783 in victory for the new United States.
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Jenny Bland Beauchamp. She wrote one of the first articles on woman suffrage published in Texas.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbeaj
#OnThisDay in 1868, Titus H. Mundine was the 1st Texas legislator to propose the enfranchisement of women and African Americans.
"Every person, without distinction of sex, who shall have arrived at the age of twenty-one years...shall be deemed a qualified elector." -- Titus H. Mundine
Learn More:
Titus – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmuvf
1868-69 Constitutional Convention – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/mjc04
Woman Suffrage – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay in 1868, the 14th Amendment was ratified. It granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former and recently freed slaves. In addition, it forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on June 13, 1866 and ratified on July 9, 1868.
Resources:
National Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xiv
National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Mary McLeod Bethune (Birthday)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary MCLeod Bethune who contributed to the women’s suffrage movement through her activism and writing.
Learn more:
NPS: https://www.nps.gov/mamc/learn/historyculture/mary-mcleod-bethune.htm
Women‘s Vote: https://www.womensvote100.org/the-suff-buffs-blog/2020/5/4/mary-mcleod-bethune-true-democracy-and-the-fight-for-universal-suffrage?fbclid=IwAR2sHG_Gb3ue4UpAFdSYiWe95TNmK0HJE-_pnIiWUwYVp88PNlRd9Hu9SHg
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Ida Wells Barnett. Ida was a civil rights activist and founded the Alpha Suffrage Club in 1913. She criticized mainstream (white) suffrage organizations for their exclusion of women of color. During the 1913 Women‘s March on Washington, Wells and other African-American women were told to march at the back of the procession. Wells refused, waiting until the procession started and then joining the block of women that represented her state.
Learn more:
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fySmIinC0MU&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR3orBtlRs5Vhx0pCTMSgBTd6jU4wZ-xCXOv_9WVKweq8RGPZ8rWDuNR6kE
-- Hidden Figures: https://buff.ly/2TPhL88
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Time Mag: https://time.com/5792441/the-suffragists-100-women-of-the-year/
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://buff.ly/2Xd2mjQ
-- PBS: https://buff.ly/2Ag4b7c (1 hr 9 minutes in)
-- Ida‘s Writing; https://buff.ly/2Uv75vG
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Alice Dunbar Nelson. Alice was active in the emerging civil rights and woman suffrage movements. In 1915, she was the field organizer for the Middle Atlantic States in the campaign for women‘s suffrage. During World War I, Dunbar-Nelson served as a field representative of the Woman‘s Committee of the Council of National Defense.
Learn more:
-- University of Delaware Library: http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/findaids/dunbarne.html
-- Smithsonian: https://blog.library.si.edu/blog/2020/03/12/an-unsung-legacy-the-work-and-activism-of-alice-dunbar-nelson/#.XsnsXmhKhPY
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- Black History: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/dunbar-nelson-alice-ruth-moore-1875-1935/
#OnThisDay in 1848, the 1st women‘s rights convention was held in the US. It took place in Seneca Falls, New York. The meeting launched the women’s suffrage movement.
Learn more:
-- Constitutional Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/on-this-day-the-seneca-falls-convention-begins
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/july-19/
-- White House Archive: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/find-the-sentiments
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
#OnThisDay, Bush signs the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1964, which made discrimination based on race, religion, sex, national origin, and other characteristics illegal. In addition, unlike the CRA, the ADA also requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities and imposes accessibility requirements on public accommodations.
Celebration of signing of ADA
#OnThisDay, Bush signs a 25-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on Juyly 22, 2006.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lucy Burns. Lucy was an American suffragist and women‘s rights activist. She spent more time in prison because of her activism than any other American woman suffragist. She and Alice Paul were co-founders of the National Woman‘s Party.
Learn more:
National Parks Service: https://www.nps.gov/people/lucy-burns.htm
Watch Iron Jawed Angels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzoXTo4-hws
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mariana Thompson Folsom. Mariana was a leader in the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWS) and asked Lucy Stone in 1885 for assistance in establishing a state (Texas) suffrage society.
Learn more:
-- TSHA History: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffo43
-- TSHA Image: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/folsom-lecture.html
-- Unitarian Oral History: http://www.liveoakuu.org/services/rev-mariana-thompson-folsom-1845-1909/
-- Bullock Museum: https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/artifacts/what-is-feminine
-- TSL - Personal Diary Entry: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/mariana-diary.html
-- TSL - Letter from Lucy Stone: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/stone-folsom-1.html
#OnThisDay in 1965, Johnson signed the Voter Rights Act (VRA). The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
** UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” Consequently, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula. **
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
History: https://www.justice.gov/crt/history-federal-voting-rights-laws Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA87JWa0bEw
Video: https://storycorps.org/stories/ellie-dahmer-and-bettie-dahmer-170113/
Aug 6, 1965: Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights movement on August 6, 1965, and
#OnThisDay in 1965, Johnson signed the Voter Rights Act (VRA). In addition on this same day in 1975, Ford signs a 7-yr renewal. The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
** UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” Consequently, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula. **
Timeline:
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lucy Stone. Lucy was a leading suffragist who dedicated her life to fighting inequality. She was the first Massachusetts woman to earn a college degree. Lucy organized the first National Women’s Rights Convention in Worcester, Massachusetts, and she was a founding member of the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), which would later merge with the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucy-stone
-- Video: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d
-- History: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Charlotte Forten Grimké. Charlotte was a 3rd-generation suffragist and equal rights advocate. She is a reminder that we make progress by standing on the shoulders of others, and that it can take multiple generations to right wrongs.
** Granddaughter of Charlotte Vandine Forten **
** Daughter of Robert Bridges Forten **
** Niece of Margaret, Harriet, and Sarah Forten **
Learn more:
-- National History Center: http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai/identity/text3/charlottefortenjournal.pdf
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- NPS (19th Amendment): https://www.nps.gov/articles/african-american-women-and-the-nineteenth-amendment.htm
-- NPS (Voting Rights): https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Journals of Charlotte Forten Grimke: https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/3uHylBU24jMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PP1
-- Muse: https://muse.jhu.edu/chapter/1945821
-- Beltway Poetry: http://www.beltwaypoetry.com/poetry/poets/names/grimke-charlotte-forten/
#OnThisDay, 1920 the 19th Amendment was ratified, granting women the right to vote. This amendment prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex. The ratification was the culmination of the women‘s suffrage movement in the United States, which fought at both state and national levels to achieve the vote.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920.
Learn more:
-- National Women’s History Museum: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Annie Webb Blanton, teacher, suffragist, and the first woman in Texas elected to statewide office, was born Aug 19, 1870, in Houston.
In the July 1918 primary, when Texas women exercised their voting rights for the first time, Blanton defeated incumbent Walter F. Doughty and Brandon Trussell by a large margin. In November, her victory in the general election made her the first woman in Texas elected to statewide office. She served as state superintendent through 1922.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbl16
-- Humanities Texas https://www.humanitiestexas.org/programs/tx-originals/list/annie-webb-blanton
"The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote nationally on August 18, 1920, so why is Women’s Equality Day on August 26th each year?
The simple answer is that even when a constitutional amendment has been ratified it’s not official until it has been certified by the correct government official. In 1920, that official was U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby. On August 26, 1920, Colby signed a proclamation behind closed doors at 8 a.m. at his own house in Washington, D.C, ending a struggle for the vote that started a century earlier." -- Constitution Center
The first executive secretary of the League of Women Voters, Minnie Fisher Cunningham, was a Texan who, among many other notable achievements, worked for the passage of the 19th Amendment in Texas and nationally.
Learn more:
-- Alice Paul Org: https://www.alicepaul.org/2020-exhibition/
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/why-august-26-is-known-as-womans-equality-day
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/collections/women-of-protest/articles-and-essays/tactics-and-techniques-of-the-national-womans-party-suffrage-campaign/
-- NCSL: https://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/amending-the-u-s-constitution.aspx
Image: https://www.alicepaul.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/5_Suffragist_Cover_1920.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1962, the 24th Amendment, which prohibited the use or a poll tax as a condition for voting in federal elections, was passed by Congress. #SystemicRacism
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) to the states on August 27, 1962, and ratified on January 23, 1964.
“After nearly disappearing in the states, a repurposed poll tax returned as part of a successful effort to undermine the Fifteenth Amendment and reestablish limits on the franchise. Beginning in Florida in 1889, all the former Confederate States, and a few others, instituted a suite of changes to voting laws as a part of this effort. They introduced literacy tests and disqualified convicted felons from voting. They also resurrected poll taxes. The historical record is filled with racially derogatory statements from delegates at State constitutional conventions who believed poll taxes and other devices would suppress Black voter registration and turnout.”
“The Supreme Court repeatedly affirmed the constitutionality of poll taxes. In its 1937 opinion in Breedlove v. Suttles, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected a claim from a white Georgia voter that the poll tax violated the Equal Protection Clause. In 1951, it rejected a similar claim challenging Virginia’s poll tax in Butler v. Thompson.” -- Constitution Center #CheckAndBalances #3Branches
Resources:
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xxiv
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- US House: https://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/37045
-- Breedlove v. Suttles: https://perma.cc/6G6H-6U4T
-- Butler v. Thompson: https://perma.cc/V4JP-TYHY
#OnThisDay in 1963, approximately 250,000 people took part in The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Martin Luther King gave the closing address in front of the Lincoln Memorial:
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
Learn more:
-- King Institute: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/i-have-dream-address-delivered-march-washington-jobs-and-freedom
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=173&v=smEqnnklfYs&feature=emb_logo
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/10-fascinating-facts-about-the-i-have-a-dream-speech
-- Civil Rights Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/march_on_washington
#OnThisDay in 1983, the 68th Texas legislature passed HB718, which abolished the life-time voting ban on ex-felons, but included a 5-yr waiting period before ex-felons would become eligible to vote.
On Sept 1, 1997, the 75th Texas legislature passed HB1001 eliminated the 5-yr waiting period.
Learn more:
-- TSLL: https://guides.sll.texas.gov/reentry-resources/voting
-- 75th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/Sessionoverviews/summary/75soe.pdf#page=114 (pg. 114)
-- 68th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/sessionOverviews/summary/soe68.pdf#page=82 (pg. 77)
-- HB1001 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/75R/HB1001/HB1001_75R.pdf
-- HB718 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/68R/HB718/HB718_68R.pdf#page=23 (pg. 23)
-- HB718 Election Law Opinion: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- JSTOR: https://www.jstor.org/stable/29768353?read-now=1&seq=4#page_scan_tab_contents (pg. 82)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Myra Davis Hemmings. Hemmings was born in Gonzales, Texas. She was one of the founders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. as well as its first president. The sorority was founded at Howard University in Jan 1913 and its 1st public act was to participate in the Woman Suffrage Procession in Washington, D.C. in Mar of 1913.
Suffragist Mary Church Terrell lobbied on behalf of the Deltas to win them a place in the parade, where they were the only African American organization represented. #HiddenFigures
A Texas Historical Marker dedicated to Myra resides at the Myra Davis Hemmings Resource Center in Bexar County, TX.
Photo credit: San Antonio Alumnae Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Learn More:
-- @usgpo: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2013-01-24/html/CREC-2013-01-24-pt1-PgS292.htm
-- @TxHistComm: https://atlas.thc.texas.gov/Details/5507017358/print
-- @TxStHistAssoc: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fhe64
-- @dstinc1913: https://www.deltasigmatheta.org
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lulu Belle Madison White. Lulu Belle was a civil rights activist who worked to eliminate the white primary in the 1930s. In 1939, she became the president of the Houston chapter of the NAACP. After the SCOTUS ruling in 1944 that outlawed the white primary (Smith v. Allwright), she worked tirelessly to encourage voting and educate voters.
Learn more:
-- TSHA Handbook: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwh75
-- TSHA Honest Past (p. 337): https://join.tshaonline.org/ebook-offers/honest-past/SHQ-An-Honest-Past.pdf
-- WTH: https://www.womenintexashistory.org/audio/lulu-belle-madison-white
-- Humanities of TX: https://www.humanitiestexas.org/news/articles/craft-civil-rights
#OnThisDay in 1997, the 75th TX legislature, passed HB1001, which amended the Election Code to clarify the voting rights (eligibility) of fully discharged ex-felons, and it eliminated the 5-year waiting period established by HB718.
In 1983, the 68th Session of the TX Leg passed HB718, which abolished the life-time voting ban on ex-felons, but included a 5-year waiting period before ex-felons would become eligible to vote.
Learn more:
-- TXSLL: https://guides.sll.texas.gov/reentry-resources/voting
-- TXSOS: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- 75th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/Sessionoverviews/summary/75soe.pdf#page=114 (pg. 114)
-- 68th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/sessionOverviews/summary/soe68.pdf#page=82 (pg. 77)
-- HB1001 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/75R/HB1001/HB1001_75R.pdf
-- HB718 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/68R/HB718/HB718_68R.pdf#page=23 (pg. 23)
-- HB718 Election Law Opinion: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- JSTOR: https://www.jstor.org/stable/29768353?read-now=1&seq=4#page_scan_tab_contents (pg. 82)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Ann Richards. In 1976, Ann became the 1st woman elected to the Travis County Commissioners Court. In 1982, Ann became the 1st woman elected as Texas State Treasurer, which was the 1st time a woman had been elected to statewide office in Texas since Miriam Ferguson‘s successful gubernatorial race in 1932--breaking a 50-yr absence of women in statewide leadership. In 1990, Ann became the 2nd woman to serve as governor of Texas since Texas became a state in 1845.
Learn more:
-- https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fri62
This Labor Day we’re recognizing the contributions of laborers by taking a look back at the impact of labor unions on the women’s suffrage movement.
Did you know that middle and upper-class suffragists learned to use parades and picketing from working-class suffragists who were members of labor unions?
“Since the beginning of the women’s rights movement, women who devoted their lives to reform often were middle and upper-class women. Women who worked to support themselves and their families had less time and funds to devote to social movements.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, however, working women began supporting suffrage in greater numbers. They joined labor unions, held strikes for higher pay, and protested for better working conditions. Working women started seeing the vote as a way to gain more political power to further these causes.
Harriot Stanton Blatch, daughter of suffrage leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton, was among the first suffragists to recruit working women to support suffrage. She started collaborating with the Women’s Trade Union League, founded in 1905, to help women form unions and advocate for labor reforms. In 1907, she founded the Equality League of Self-Supporting Women (later called the Women’s Political Union) to attract working women to the suffrage movement. Blatch also wanted to integrate the more aggressive, militant tactics of labor activists—like parades through city streets and speakers on street corners—into the suffrage strategies to attract more publicity. Working women and their experience with the tactics of labor activists proved vital to winning the vote.” Allison Lange, Ph.D. https://www.loc.gov/resource/ggbain.02144/
Learn more:
-- Crusade for the Vote: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/working-women-movement
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/static/collections/women-of-protest/images/tactics.pdf
-- DOL: https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/history
JJoin us in celebrating the birthday of Jovita Idár. Idarwas born in 1885 and was an American journalist and civil rights activist who wrote about the challenges Mexican Americans faced in Texas. Her activism was influenced by the lynching of ethnic-Mexican men in South Texas during the early 20th century. She also used her platform as a journalist to support suffrage.
Learn more:
-- PBS (Unladylike): https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jovita-idar
-- TXWF: https://www.txwf.org/champions-for-change-jovita-idar-and-the-villareal-sisters/
-- Women‘s History: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/jovita-idar
-- TSHA Handbook: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fid03
-- TSHA Honest Past (p. 196): https://join.tshaonline.org/ebook-offers/honest-past/SHQ-An-Honest-Past.pdf
-- Humanities of Texas: https://www.humanitiestexas.org/programs/tx-originals/list/jovita-idar
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
Photo Credit: General Photographs, UTSA Special Collections (@UTSA)
#OnThisDay, Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1957 into law. The act established the Civil Rights Section of the Justice Department and empowered federal prosecutors to obtain court injunctions against interference with the right to vote. #CivilRights #VotingRights
This was the 1st civil rights legislation since Reconstruction (1875).
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
--Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/civil_rights_act_1957
--Eisenhower Library: https://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/383/Civil-Rights-Act-of-1957
--Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Photo credit: Photographs of Official Activities of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953 - 1961, US National Archives .https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7865612 (@USNatArchives)
Today is Constitution and Citizenship Day, so we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all recently naturalized American citizens. We hope an LWV volunteer was present at your naturalization ceremony to assist you with becoming a registered voter.
Learn more:
-- @LWVTexas: https://my.lwv.org/texas/register-vote
-- @librarycongress: https://www.loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/constitution-day.php
-- @uscis: https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/educators/constitution-day-and-citizenship-day
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Burnett Talbert. Mary was an American orator, civil rights activist, and suffragist. She believed that race and gender were unifying factors that could help resolve class issues. Talbert became one of the first women to join the NAACP after its founding in 1909.
#WomenInLeadership
Learn more:
-- https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/mary-burnett-talbert (https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/mary-burnett-talbert/)
-- https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/talbert-mary-b-1866-1923 (https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/talbert-mary-b-1866-1923/)
-- https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-burnett-talbert-september-17-1866-1923 (https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-burnett-talbert-september-17-1866-1923)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Church Terrell. Mary was a civil-rights activist who championed racial equality and women’s suffrage in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Learn more:
-- PBS (@unladylike2020): https://unladylike2020.com/profile/mary-church-terrell-2
-- Womens History (@womenshistory): https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mary-church-terrell
-- LOC (@libraryofcongress): https://crowd.loc.gov/campaigns/mary-church-terrell-advocate-for-african-americans-and-women
-- NPS (@NPS) - https://www.nps.gov/people/mary-church-terrell.htm
-- https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-church-terrell/
LGBT History Month is celebrated every October in United States since 1994. It was first proposed by Missouri high school history teacher Rodney Wilson, who chose October due to the establishment of National Coming Out Day in the late 1980s on October 11. October also marks the first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, which took place in 1979. In addition to LGBT History Month, LGBT Pride Month is also celebrated each year in June to commemorate the Stonewall Riots.
On Oct 3, 1965, Johnson signs the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1965, which amended the 1952 INA by including a provision stating: No person shall receive any preference or priority or be discriminated against in the issuance of an immigrant visa because of the person‘s race, sex, nationality, place of birth, or place of residence.
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act
Prevents immigration from Asia and establishes a quotas system
1952 - Truman vetoes McCarran-Walter Act (veto overridden by Congress)
Eliminates Asian exclusion and establishes a preference system for desirable ethnic groups
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Note: See https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline for a description of immigration laws before 1924
Resources:
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965
Coolidge’s INA Comments: https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/were-all-in-the-same-boat-now-coolidge-on-immigration
Truman’s INA Comments: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/public/Immigration_TrumanVeto.pdf
Johnson’s INA Comments:http://www.lbjlibrary.org/lyndon-baines-johnson/timeline/lbj-on-immigration
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Thomas Mundy Peterson. Thomas, on March 31, 1870 (one day after the ratification of the 15th Amendment) became the first Black American to vote in a U.S. election.
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian: https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2015.190
-- NJ State HIstory; https://nj.gov/state/historical/it-happened-here/ihhnj-er-peterson.pdf
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlC3fsW3rRs
"In 1977 participants at the United Nations International Conference on Discrimination against Indigenous Populations in the Americas proposed that Indigenous Peoples’ Day replace Columbus Day.Indigenous Peoples’ Day recognizes that Native people are the first inhabitants of the Americas, including the lands that later became the United States of America. And it urges Americans to rethink history." https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-indian/2019/10/11/indigenous-peoples-day-2019
The following states and the District of Columbia observe Native American or Indigenous Peoples’ Day, in place of or in addition to Columbus Day:
-- Alabama
-- Alaska
-- District of Columbia
-- Hawaii
-- Idaho
-- Maine
-- Michigan
-- Minnesota
-- New Mexico
-- North Carolina
-- Oklahoma
-- Oregon
-- South Dakota
-- Vermont
-- Wisconsin
The state of Texas does not currently observer Indiginous People day, but the following local jurisdiction have made the change:
-- City of Austin
-- City of Dallas
-- City of San Antonio
-- County of Bexar
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-indian/2019/10/11/indigenous-peoples-day-2019/:
-- PBS: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/npr/2019/10/14/769083847/columbus-day-or-indigenous-peoples-day/
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Ann Shadd Cary.
Learn more: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement/
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Eleanor Roosevelt born on this day in 1884.
After the League of Women Voters was founded in 1920 – the same year that Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for Vice President – she helped establish its policy agenda. As the League’s Vice President of Legislative Affairs, she lobbied for reforms in Congress and worked tirelessly to strengthen women’s role in politics, helping mobilize women voters through the League’s nonpartisan training and lobbying work.
Learn more:
-- LWV: https://www.lwv.org/blog/eleanor-roosevelt-first-lady-league-leader-pioneer
Photo Credit: LC-USZ62-25812, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (@librarycongress)
http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3c08091/
National Coming Out Day (NCOD) is an annual LGBTQ awareness day observed on October 11. The day commemorates the Oct. 11, 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, which included half a million participants.
Learn more:
-- HRC: https://www.hrc.org/resources/the-history-of-coming-out
-- APA: https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/coming-out-day
-- GLAAD: https://www.glaad.org/tags/national-coming-out-day
-- Archive: https://gaycenter.org/archive_item/march-on-washington-for-lesbian-and-gay-rights
-- Image: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc276218
#OnThisDay, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled on a bundle of five cases (known as the Civil Rights Cases), and in an 8-1 decision, the court found the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1875 to be unconstitutional.
The CRA of 1875 was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant and was enacted during Reconstruction in response to civil rights violations against African Americans. The act guaranteed equal treatment in public accommodations and transportation. It also outlawing race-based discrimination in jury duty/selection. The five cases heard by SCOTUS included suites brought forth by African Americans who were denied access to segregated facilities.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources: SCOTUS Ruling:
http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep109/usrep109003/usrep109003.pdf
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
The League of Women Voters of Texas, a nonpartisan political organization, was formed on October 19, 1919, at San Antonio, when the Texas Equal Suffrage Association was dissolved to reorganize for a new purposehttps://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wel05
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Christia Daniel Adair. Christia was an NAACP leader from Houston, worked for full suffrage and was one of the first black women to vote in a Democratic primary after the Supreme Court struck down Texas‘ white primary law in 1944. As executive secretary of the Houston NAACP for 12 years, she and others desegregated the Houston airport, public libraries, city buses, and department store dressing rooms. Despite official harassment, Adair and others rebuilt the Houston NAACP chapter, which grew to 10,000 members.
Learn more:
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fad19
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Nina Otero-Warren. Nina was a civil rights leader, a suffragist, and an advocate for bilingual education.
In 1917, Otero-Warren was selected by Alice Paul to head the New Mexico chapter of the Congressional Union (precursor to the National Woman’s Party). She insisted that suffrage literature be published in both English and Spanish, in order to reach the widest audience.
She was Superintendent of Public Schools in Santa Fe County from 1918 to 1929, working to improve the conditions in rural Hispano and Native American communities. Otero-Warren argued that both Spanish and English be allowed in schools, despite the federal mandate of English-only. Despite losing her political campaign to run for a seat in the US House of Representatives, she remained politically and socially active, and served as the Chairman of New Mexico’s Board of Health; an executive board member of the American Red Cross; and director of an adult literacy program in New Mexico for the Works Projects Administration.
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/people/nina-oter-warren.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Jessie Daniel Ames. Jessie was a suffragist and the founder and first president of the League of Women Voters of Texas.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fam06
Veterans Day, also known as Armistice Day or Rememberance Day in other countries which fought in the First World War, is commemorated on the 11th of November, marking the armistice signed between the Allies and Central Powers. The armistice came into effect at 11am: the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month in 1918. Formerly known as Armistice Day in the United States, the name was changed to Veterans Day in 1954 to honor all those who have served and continue to serve in the United States Armed Forces.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Elizabeth Cady Staton (1st generation suffragists). She was born in 1815 and was one of the speakers and organizers of the Seneca Falls Convention. Elizabeth was a co-founder of the National Woman Suffrage Associate (NWSA), which would later merge with the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
** Mother of Harriet Stanton Blatch (2nd generation suffragist) **
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucy-stone
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d (11 minutes in)
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
-- Seneca Falls Convention:
#OnThisDay, Bush signed the 1991 Civil Rights Act (CRA), which provided the right to trial by jury on discrimination claims. It also added provisions to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that expanded the rights of women and disabled persons. #CivilRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Johnson signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
Bush Library: https://bush41library.tamu.edu/archives/public-papers/3660
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005). Shirley was an educator, activist, and politician who achieved a number of historic 1sts
-- 1968 1st black woman elected to the Congress
-- 1972 1st woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination
-- 1972 1st African American to run for President of the US
Learn more: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/shirley-chisholm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Debra Anne Haaland. Debra and Sharice Davids were the first two Native American women elected to the U.S Congress. Haaland is a member of the Laguna Pueblo people.
Learn more:
-- National Geographic Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T_s36-1hms
-- US House: https://haaland.house.gov/about
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Patsy Takemoto Mink. Patsy was the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-women-got-vote-far-more-complex-story-history-textbooks-reveal-180971869/
-- House History: https://history.house.gov/People/detail/18329
-- NWHF: https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/patsy-takemoto-mink/
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/patsy-mink
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Titus Howard Mundine, who was the 1st Texas Legislator to propose enfranchisement of women and blacks.
"Every person, without distinction of sex, who shall have arrived at the age of twenty-one years...shall be deemed a qualified elector." -- Titus H. Mundine
Learn More:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=5124
-- Titus – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmuvf
-- Woman Suffrage – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Eliza Eubanks Peterson Johnson. Eliza was a suffragist and civil-rights activist.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fjohn
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
-- Austin Library: http://www.austinlibrary.com/ahc/suffrage/early.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Marie Louise Bottineau Baldwin. Marie was a suffragist and lawyer who worked as an advocate for the Ojibwa/Chippewa Nation in Minnesota and North Dakota.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- National Parks Service: https://www.nps.gov/people/marie-louise-bottineau-baldwin.htm
-- MNHS: https://www.mnhs.org/historycenter/activities/museum/votes-for-women/profiles/marie-baldwin
-- National Archive: https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2020/04/02/19th-amendment-at-100-mary-louise-bottineau-baldwin/
-- LWV: https://my.lwv.org/california/diablo-valley/meet-suffragist-marie-louise-bottineau-baldwin
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Ruza Wenclawska (also known as Rose Winslow). Rose was a Polish-American suffragist and trade union organizer. She was a member of the National Women‘s Party and fought for the rights of immigrant and working-class women. Along with Alice Paul, she participated in a hunger strike to bring attention to the suffrage movement.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/collections/women-of-protest/articles-and-essays/selected-leaders-of-the-national-womans-party/officers-and-national-organizers/
-- Turning Point: https://suffragistmemorial.org/rose-winslow-d-1977
-- Historical Snapshot: https://historicalsnaps.com/2018/03/19/rose-winslow-talks-about-her-hunger-strike
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Harriet Taylor Upton. Harriet was a founding member of the National League of Women Voters and the first woman to become a vice-chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d (53 mins in)
-- Upton House: http://www.uptonhouse.org/HTayor.html
-- Ohio History: https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Harriet_T._Upton
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Martha Goodwin Tunstall. Martha became the vice-president from Texas of the newly-formed National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA).
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ftuns
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Jane McCallum. Jane was the first vice president of the League of Women Voters of Texas. She had the longest term as the Secretary of State of Texas.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmc07
-- Texas Secretary as State: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/about/history.shtml
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charlotte Vandine Forten born in 1785.
-- 1st generation American suffragist
-- Mother of the Forten sisters: Margaret, Harriet, and Sarah (2nd generation suffragists)
-- Grandmother of Charlotte Forten Grimké (3rd generation suffragist)
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- Black Suffragette: http://www.blacksuffragette.com/friends
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Helen Edmunds Moore. Helen was a nurse, suffragist, and a member of the 41, 42, and 44th legislatures. In the 44 Legislature, she was the only woman.
Learn more:
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/moore-helen-edmunds
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Lucretia Coffin Mott. Lucretia was a suffragist and human rights activist. She was one of the organizers of the 1st Woman’s Rights Convention Seneca Falls, N.Y.
Learn more:
NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucretia-mott
PBS: Video: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/
NPS: https://www.nps.gov/wori/learn/historyculture/lucretia-mott.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Harriet Staton Blatch (2nd generation suffragists).
Voting rights was a family affair
** Daughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1st generation suffragist)
She founded the Equality League of Self-Supporting Women, later called the Women‘s Political Union, whose membership was based on working women, both professional and industrial. The Equality League initiated the practice of holding suffrage parades and organized the first open-air suffrage rallies in thirty years. As many as 25,000 people marched in these parades.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (28 minutes in)
#OnThisDay the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled on the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case and made a controversial decision that reversed existing campaign finance restrictions and enabled corporations and other outside groups to spend unlimited funds on elections. #DarkMoney
"Prevention of improper corporate influence in the electoral process...is a pillar of our modern democracy" -- LWV Amicus Brief #DarkMoney
"Voters are supposed to be at the center of our political process. For more than two centuries, America’s constitutional democracy has been moving in the direction of broader enfranchisement and more meaningful political participation by American citizens. After the Civil War, the 15th Amendment to the Constitution guaranteed the right to vote to citizens regardless of race or color. The 19th Amendment provided voting rights to women, the 24th to poor citizens and the 26th to young adults.
On the other hand, our Constitution does not reflect a similar solicitude for corporate participation; indeed our constitutional history reflects a growing concern over the influence of corporations, and the distinction between the legal protections afforded to living persons and corporations has been part of our constitutional law from the Founding." -- LWV Commentary on Citizens United
LWVUS Amicus Brief: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/Amicus_cfr.CitizenUnited.pdf
LWVUS Commentary on Citizens United: https://www.lwv.org/money-politics/league-commentary-citizens-united-v-fec-case-supreme-court
Brennan Institute: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/citizens-united-explained
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charles Curtis, of Kaw, Osage, and Pottawatomie ancestry. Curtis was sworn in as the U.S. Senator from Kansas. Charles was also the 1st person of color and 1st person of Native American ancestry to hold the office of vice president under President Hoover.
Learn more:
-- Senate History: https://www.senate.gov/about/officers-staff/vice-president/VP_Charles_Curtis.htm
-- Kansas Historical Society: https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/charles-curtis/12029
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Maud Wood Park. Park was the 1st president of the National League of Women Voters.
Learn more:
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/november-2015-suffragist-of-the-month/
-- Harvard: https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/schlesinger-library/collection/papers-maud-wood-park-in-womans-rights-collection
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=8
Black History Month is celebrated in the United States and Canada each February. Black History Month traces its origins to Negro History Week which was first created in 1926 with the week chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (February 12th) and Frederick Douglass (February 14th). An annual monthlong celebration of black history was later proposed by students and educators at Kent State University in 1969, and adopted one year later. By the mid-1970s, Black History Month was celebrated across the United States and officially recognized by US President Gerald Ford in 1976. Originally intended to celebrate black history and culture in the United States, Black History Month has since spread to Canada, as well as the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands, where it is celebrated in October.
#OnThisDay in 1870, the 15th Amendment, which granted black men the right to vote, was ratified. Unfortunately, Southern states continued to disenfranchise black voters through the use of poll taxes, literacy tests, threats of physical harm, etc. Therefore, the promise of the 15th Amendment was not fully realized until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965--almost a century later.
The amendment was passed (proposed) by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870.
Learn more:
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- LOC: http://www.loc.gov/rr//program/bib/ourdocs/15thamendment.html
-- Teaching resources: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-african-americans.html
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lawrence Aaron Nixon. Lawrence...
The Smith v. Allwright case ended the white primary, which suppressed the Black vote.
Learn More:
-- @TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fni10
-- @TxPolProject - White Primary: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Juanita Jewel Craft. Juanita and Lulu Belle White of Houston organized 182 branches of the NAACP in Texas over a period of eleven years. Following the Smith v. Allwright ruling, in 1944 Juanita became the first black woman in Dallas County to vote in the Democratic Party primary. In 1946, she was the first black woman deputized in the state to collect the poll tax. Juanita was also a member of the League of Women Voters of Texas.
The Smith v. Allwright U.S. case ended the white primary.
Learn More:
-- http://www.juanitacrafthouse.org/
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fcr59
-- TxPolProject - Smith v. Allwright: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Adella Hunt Logan.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Nellie May Quande. “In 1913, Nellie Quander, president of the nation‘s oldest Black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, wrote to Alice Paul, chair for a major upcoming Washington, D.C., parade, planned to attract national attention for the cause on the day before the inauguration of President Woodrow Wilson. "We do not wish to enter if we must meet with discrimination on account of race affiliation," Quander wrote. "Can you assign us to a desirable place in the college women‘s section?”
Learn more:
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/new-tactics-for-a-new-generation-1890-1915/new-tactics-and-renewed-confrontation/howard-university-sorority-seeks-assurances-of-nondiscrimination
-- Smithsonian: https://womenshistory.si.edu/news/2020/08/19suffragestories-countdown-stories-14-10
-- Facing History:
https://facingtoday.facinghistory.org/suffrage-and-sisterhood-the-origins-and-impact-of-black-sororities
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Fannie Barrier Williams. Fannie was an educator, political activist, and women’s rights advocate. In 1907, she was the only Black woman to eulogize Susan B. Anthony at the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) convention. Also, she helped found the NAACP in 1909.
Learn more:
-- BlackPast: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/williams-fannie-barrier-1855-1944/
-- ISU: https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/directory/frances-barrier-williams/
-- RRLC: https://rrlc.org/winningthevote/biographies/fannie-barrier-williams/
-- SPC: https://www.splcenter.org/news/2019/06/01/weekend-read-challenging-whitewashed-history-womens-suffrage/
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/more-to-the-movement/fannie-barrier-williams/
#OnThisDay in 1909, the NAACP was founded. The NAACP is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation.
Mission: To ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.
Learn more:
-- NAACP: https://naacp.org/nations-premier-civil-rights-organization/
-- TSHA: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/national-association-for-the-advancement-of-colored-people
-- UW: https://depts.washington.edu/moves/NAACP_intro.shtml
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Anna Howard Shaw.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (1 hr in)
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charlotta Spears Bass, who was born on this day in 1874. Charlotta was an educator, newspaper publisher, civil-rights and voting-rights activist. She was also the first Black woman to own and operate a newspaper in the United States and the first Black woman nominated for Vice President.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/people/charlottabass.htm
-- Black Past; https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/bass-charlotta-1879-1969/
-- South California Library: https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf6c60052d/
#OnThisDay in 1920, the League of Women Voters was founded. Carrie Chapman Catt shared the following about the founding: "Is the (League) political? Certainly, but not partisan. Its members are as free as other women to join and vote with the party of their choice. They make no pledge otherwise in joining the League."
Mission: Empowering voters. Defending democracy.
Learn more: https://www.lwv.org/league-women-voters-through-decades
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Susan B. Anthony (1st generation suffragists). She was born in 1820. Susan was a co-founder of the National Woman Suffrage Associate (NWSA), which would later merge with the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
**Susan died in 1906, 14 years before women were given the right to vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. **
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/susan-b-anthony
-- @susanbhouse: https://susanb.org/her-life/
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
-- Seneca Falls Convention:
#OnThisDay in 1929, LULAC was founded. LULAC is the oldest and largest continuously active Latino political association in the US.
Mission: To advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, housing, health and civil rights of the Hispanic population of the United States.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wel01
Join us commemorating the life of Frederick Douglass (1818 - 1895)."Frederick was one of the few men present at the woman‘s rights convention held at Seneca Falls, New York, in July 1848.
Learn more:
-- Blackpast: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/1888-frederick-douglass-woman-suffrage/
-- Smithsonian: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hidden-history-anna-murray-douglass-180968324/
#BHM
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Zitkala-Sa (Red Bird). "Zitkala-Ša joined the Society of American Indians, a group founded in 1911 with the purpose of preserving traditional Native American culture while also lobbying for full American citizenship."
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/people/zitkala-sa.htm
Photo: https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_S_NPG.79.26?destination=edan-search/default_search%3Freturn_all%3D1%26edan_q%3DZitkala%2520Sa
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Rosalie Gardiner Jones. In December of 1912, over 200 women joined Rosalie for parts of a 140-mile march from New York City to Albany to support women‘s suffrage. During the march, the women stopped to hold open-air meetings and distribute pamphlets in communities along the way.
Learn More:
-- PBS Doc: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (1 hr 16 mins in)
-- New York Heritage: https://nyheritage.org/exhibits/recognizing-womens-right-vote/%E2%80%9Cgeneral%E2%80%9D-rosalie-jones-and-suffrage-hikes
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/people/dr-general-rosalie-jones.htm
#OnThisDay in 1869, Congress passed (proposed) the 15th Amendment, which granted Black male citizens the right to vote.“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 race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
The amendment was passed (proposed) by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870.
Learn more:
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- LOC: http://www.loc.gov/rr//program/bib/ourdocs/15thamendment.html
-- Teaching resources: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-african-americans.html
#OnThisDay, President Ulysses S. Grant, signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1875. The CRA was enacted during the Reconstruction era in response to civil rights violations against African Americans. The act provided for equal treatment in public accommodations and transportation. It also outlawing race-based discrimination in jury service.
Over the ensuing years, African Americans began suing businesses that denied them access to segregated facilities. On Oct 15, 1883, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) heard a group of five cases (known as the Civil Rights Cases), and in an 8-1 decision, struck down the CRA of 1875 as unconstitutional.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resource:
-- US House of Rep: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1851-1900/The-Civil-Rights-Act-of-1875
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
-- Grant‘s Memoirs: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/4367/4367-h/4367-h.htm
Women‘s History Month celebrates the everyday contributions of women across the world to events in history and contemporary society. It is celebrated during March in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, in connection with International Women‘s Day on March 8th. Women‘s History Month traces its origins to the United States, where it was first designated in 1987. Since then the tradition has spread to other countries around the world.
The "Woman Suffrage Procession" was the first suffragist parade in Washington, DC. Organized by the suffragist Alice Paul for the National American Woman Suffrage Association, it saw thousands of suffragists marching down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC on Monday, March 3, 1913. Presaging the circumstances surrounding the 2017 Women‘s March just over 100 years later, the 1913 event was scheduled on the day before President Woodrow Wilson‘s inauguration to "march in a spirit of protest against the present political organization of society, from which women are excluded," as the official program stated. While studying in England, Paul had heard the British suffragist Christabel Pankhurst speak and joined the Women‘s Social and Political Union, being jailed a number of times in the process. She returned to the US in 1910 and continued to campaign for women‘s rights leading to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920.
Advocate of women‘s rights.
In February 1912 Brackenridge was elected president of the newly organized San Antonio Equal Franchise Society. The formation of this society stimulated interest throughout the state, and delegates from seven Texas cities met in San Antonio and organized the Texas Woman Suffrage Association in April 1913. Eleanor Brackenridge held the office of president for one year and then became honorary president.
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbr04
March 7, 1965: In the Selma to Montgomery March, around 600 civil rights marchers walk to Selma, Alabama to Montgomery—the state’s capital—in protest of black voter suppression. Local police block and brutally attack them. After successfully fighting in court for their right to march, Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders lead two more marches and finally reach Montgomery on March 25.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Anna Murray Douglass born in 1813. Anna was the wife of Frederick Douglas, but more than that, she was a participant in the activities necessary to ensure voting rights for all Americans.
Learn more:
-- @SmithsonianMagazine: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hidden-history-anna-murray-douglass-180968324/
-- @USAToday:https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/07/06/frederick-douglass-first-wife-anna-murray-made-his-work-possible/5382922002/
-- @librarycongress: https://www.loc.gov/item/mfd.02007/
International Women‘s Day traces its origins to the women‘s rights movement of the early 20th century, having been first proposed by German campaigner Clara Zetkin at an international conference in Copenhagen. The day is a celebration of the social, economic, political and cultural achievements of women worldwide. The annual campaign calls for gender parity and raises funds to support initiatives towards this goal.
Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) was never far from the struggle for equal rights and human liberation throughout her long life, from the work on the Underground Railroad for which she is famous, to her later years as an activist in the women‘s suffrage movement in the early 20th century. Born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia in 1849 before immediately returning to rescue her family. Tubman would make some 13 return trips to the South to liberate family, friends, and relatives - at great personal risk to herself - guiding them to freedom in the northern United States and British North America (present-day Canada) using a clandestine network of anti-slavery activists and safe houses to facilitate the journey. Tubman later helped the abolitionist John Brown recruit troops for his 1859 raid on Harper‘s Ferry, and helped lead multiple attacks on Confederate plantations and infrastructure during the Civil War. Toward the end of her life, Tubman joined the campaign for women‘s suffrage. With the struggle against slavery still in living memory, Tubman moved audiences around the country with tales of her heroic actions before and after the Civil War, offering these sacrifices as evidence and living proof that women deserved the same rights as men.
#OnThisDay in 1918, the Texas House (during the 36 legislative sessions) passed HB-105 by a vote of 83-34. The bill granted women the right to vote in (white) Texas Primaries.
The bill was passed by the Texas Senate on March 21, 1918 by a vote of 18-4.
Governor William P. Hobby signed the bill into law on March 26, 1918.
Learn more:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/whatsNew/client/index.cfm/2018/3/20/Votes-for-Women-The-100th-Anniversary-of-Texas-Womens-Suffrage
Bayard Rustin (1912-1987) was an American civil rights activist who worked as an influential organizer and behind-the-scenes adviser to many causes throughout the civil rights era. Rustin began his organizing career working alongside fellow activist A. Philip Randolph on the March on Washington Movement in the early 1940s, which campaigned for the desegregation of the US armed forces. Rustin later played a central organizing role in other key civil rights actions such as the Freedom Rides and the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Martin Luther King - whom Rustin had schooled on methods of non-violence and helped elevate to his leadership position in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference - gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Rustin continued his career as an activist following the passage of civil rights legislation in the mid-1960s, promoting the unionization of African American workers and working internationally to aid war refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia while raising awareness to the ongoing plight of Jews living in the Soviet Union. A gay man who chose to play a supporting role in the Civil Rights Movement due to public criticisms of his homosexuality, Rustin spent his final years working on behalf of LGBT causes during the 1980s.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Minnie Fisher Cunningham born in 1882. Minnie was the first Executive Secretary of the League of Women Voters. The Texas native was also the first female pharmacy student at the University of Texas and the first woman to run for the Texas Senate. Members of the Minnie Fisher Cunningham Society continue empowering voters and defending democracy into the future by naming the League in their wills for a bequest.
Learn More:
-- LWV: https://my.lwv.org/texas/leave-legacy-minnie-fisher-cunningham-society
-- Suffrage Petition: https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/tx-woman-suffrage-petition
--TSHA: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/cunningham-minnie-fisher
-- PBS: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/shows/2015/12/19/43918/texas-originals-minnie-fisher-cunningham/
#OnThisDay in 1918, the Texas Senate (during the 36 legislative sessions) passed HB-105 by a vote of 18-4. The bill granted women the right to vote in (white) Texas Primaries.
The bill was firsts passed in the TX House on March 15, 1918 by a vote of 84-34.
Governor William P. Hobby signed the bill into law on March 26, 1918.
Learn more:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/whatsNew/client/index.cfm/2018/3/20/Votes-for-Women-The-100th-Anniversary-of-Texas-Womens-Suffrage
The 21st of March is the anniversary of events in 1960 when police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid laws in Sharpeville, South Africa. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed an annual observation of the day in 1966.
"We must all work harder to repair the fissures and polarization that are so prevalent in our societies today. We must nurture mutual understanding and invest in making diversity a success. And we must counter and reject political figures who exploit differences for electoral gain." — UN Secretary-General António Guterres”
Learn more:
-- About End Racial Discrimination Day: https://www.un.org/en/observances/end-racism-day
-- History of the League and the UN: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/The%2520League%2520and%2520the%2520United%2520Nations.pdf
-- Role of the UN Observer: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/LWVUS%20United%20Nations%20Observer%20Role.pdf
-- Contact the UN Observers at unobserver@lwv.org.
Also World Poetry Day: https://www.un.org/en/events/poetryday/
#OnThisDay in 1972, Congress passed the ERA, but it remains 1 state short of ratification.
#OnThis day in 1971, the 26th Amendment was passed by Congress. This amendment was enacted in response to Vietnam War protests, which argued that soldiers who were old enough to fight for their country should be granted the right to vote.‘
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed to the states) on March 23, 1971, and ratified on July 1, 1971.
Resources:
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Today is Slavery Remembrance Day. “For over 400 years, more than 15 million men, women and children were the victims of the tragic transatlantic slave trade, one of the darkest chapters in human history.”
Learn about the Ark of Return, which is the permanent memorial designed by Rodney Leon (a decedent of a former slave) that sits on the grounds of the United Nations headquarters.
Resources:
-- About Slavery Remembrance Day: https://www.un.org/en/events/slaveryremembranceday
-- Ark of Return Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx-gnst3mC8
-- History of the League and the UN: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/The%2520League%2520and%2520the%2520United%2520Nations.pdf
-- Role of the UN Observer: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/LWVUS%20United%20Nations%20Observer%20Role.pdf
-- Contact the UN Observers at unobserver@lwv.org.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Virginia Louisa Minor, born in 1824. Virginia was the plaintiff in the Minor v. Happersett case that was unsuccessful in arguing that the 14th Amendment gave women the right to vote.
The Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) in 1874 ruled in a unanimous decision that the 14th Amendment did not guarantee women the right to vote.
The 19th Amendment overruled Minor v. Happersett by prohibiting discrimination in voting rights based on sex. #VotingRights
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/the-virginia-minor-case.htm
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Wilhelmina Kekelaokalaninui Widemann Dowsett.
Learn more:
-- https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelmina_Kekelaokalaninui_Widemann_Dowsett
#OnThisDay in 1875, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled in a unanimous decision that the 14th Amendment did not guarantee women the right to vote.
The 19th Amendment overruled Minor v. Happersett by prohibiting discrimination in voting rights based on sex.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/the-virginia-minor-case.htm
-- US Courts: https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/annual-observances/law-day
-- LOC: https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep088/usrep088162/usrep088162.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1961: Residents of Washington, D.C. were granted the right to vote in U.S. Presidential Elections. The 23rd Amendment extends the right to vote in presidential elections to citizens residing in the District of Columbia. The amendment grants the district electors in the Electoral College as though it were a state, though the district can never have more electors than the least-populous state.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed to the states) on June 16, 1960, and ratified March 29, 1961.
One of the most iconic labor organizers and civil rights activists in American history, Cesar Chavez (1927-1993) co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) with fellow organizer Dolores Huerta in 1962. Originally of Mexican-American origin, Chavez was a farm worker himself before turning to activism and securing official recognition for UFW as the collective bargaining agent for 50,000 field workers in California and Florida during the 1970s. Renowned for his grassroots approach to labor activism and Hispanic empowerment, Chavez is credited with popularizing the slogan "Si, se puede" ("Yes we can") and was awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 1994. In 2014 President Barack Obama proclaimed March 31 as a federal commemorative holiday in the United States, marking the date of Chavez‘s birth. Numerous American parks, streets, and schools throughout the country bear his name.
#On this day in 1944, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) decision in Smith v. Allwright ruled the so-called "white primary" unconstitutional. The case originated in 1940 when Houston dentist Lonnie E. Smith attempted to vote in the Democratic primary in Harris County and was denied a ballot.
The number of African Americans registered to vote in Texas increased from 30,000 in 1940 to 100,000 in 1947.
Learn more:
-- @TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wdw01
-- NAACP: https://www.naacpldf.org/case-issue/landmark-smith-v-allwright
-- UT: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
-- LOC: https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep321/usrep321649/usrep321649.pdf
Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was an American author, poet, dancer, actress and singer. She was active in the Civil Rights Movement and worked with Martin Luther King, James Baldwin, and Malcolm X. Prior to becoming a writer, Angelou spent much of her young life as a dancer, before turning to organizing and activism at the start of the 1960s. After spending three years as a journalist in Ghana, Angelou moved back to the United States in 1965 and collaborated closely with many of the leading civil rights figures of the time. Angelou‘s first breakthrough came in 1969 when she published her first autobiography "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," which brought global acclaim. Angelou would go on to spend the next 45 years as an internationally renowned lecturer, teacher, writer, composer, performer, and director, becoming one of America‘s literary and artistic legends.
#OnThisDay, Jeannette Pickering Rankin was sworn in as the 1st woman elected to Congress. Rankin was an American politician and women‘s rights advocate, and the first woman to hold federal office in the United States. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican from Montana in 1916, and again in 1940.
A suffragist during the Progressive Era, Rankin organized and lobbied for legislation enfranchising women in several states including Montana, New York, and North Dakota. During her victory speech following her first election to the House of Representatives, she recognized the power she held as the only woman able to vote in Congress saying, "I am deeply conscious of the responsibility resting upon me".[1] While in Congress, she introduced legislation similar to what would eventually became the 19th Constitutional Amendment, granting unrestricted voting rights to women nationwide. She championed the causes of women‘s rights and civil rights throughout a career that spanned more than six decades.
Learn more:
PBS - @unladylike2020: https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jeannette-rankin/
#OnThisDay 1893, ten Texas women, mostly members of the Woman‘s Christian Temperance Union, issued a call for a statewide woman suffrage convention. The Texas Equal Rights Association, the first such statewide organization, was chartered at the ensuing three-day convention in Dallas. Internal dissension plagued the TERA, which had been organized as a branch of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, and it ceased to operate by 1896. In 1903 Annette Finnigan helped organize a successor organization, the Texas Equal Suffrage Association, which helped lead the long and ultimately successful fight for woman suffrage. Texas women were finally granted the right to vote in primary elections in 1918, and in June 1919 Texas became the ninth state (and the first in the south) to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which extended full suffrage to women.
Learn more:
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vit02
#OnThisDay, congress overrode a veto by President Andrew Johnson and enacted into law the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1866, which defined citizenship and affirm that all citizens are equally protected by the law. The CRA of 1866 was enacted post Civil War to protect the civil rights of persons of African descent born in or brought to the US. #CivilRights
Congress passed the act on March 13, 1866.
President Andrew Johnson vetoed the act on March 27, 1866
Congress overrode the veto and enacted the CRA on April 9, 1866
Congress passed the bill to support the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
Johnson‘s Veto: https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/march-27-1866-veto-message-civil-rights-legislation
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Fannie Coralie Perkins (Francis Perkins), born on this day in1880. Fannie was a workers-rights advocate and the first woman to serve in a US president‘s cabinet. She served as Franklin D. Roosevelt‘s Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945, the longest-serving in that position. In addition, she was the first LGBTQ person to serve in the U.S. Cabinet.
Learn more:
-- FPC: https://francesperkinscenter.org/life-new/
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/lgbtqheritage/upload/lgbtqtheme-preservation.pdf
-- CU: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/digital/collections/nny/perkinsf/profile.html
-- NPR: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102959041
#OnThis Day, Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin. #CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (formed the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
-- Johnson Library: http://www.lbjlibrary.org/exhibits/civil-rights
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/summer/civil-rights-act-1.html
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Emancipation Day is an American holiday celebrated in the District of Columbia (Washington, DC) each year on April 16th. It marks the day US President Abraham Lincoln signed the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act in 1862, which granted freedom to more than 3,000 slaves in the nation‘s capital, nine months before Lincoln issued his broader Emancipation Proclamation freeing 3.5 million slaves in the rebel-held American South. Three years later, the United States ratified the 13th Amendment, which formally outlawed slavery. In 2005, Washington DC Mayor Anthony Williams signed legislation making Emancipation Day an official public holiday, which is also observed by the federal government.
#OnThisDay in 1954, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) extended constitutional rights to Mexican Americans in the landmark civil rights case Hernandez v. Texas.
Learn more: https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/artifacts/hernandez-v-texas-spotlight-050115
#OnThisDay, Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1960, which served to eliminate loopholes left by the CRA of 1957. It established federal inspection of voter-registration polls and addressed discriminatory laws and practices in the segregated South that disenfranchised blacks and Hispanics. #CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
--Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/collections/eisenhowercivilrightsfiles
--Eisenhower Library: https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/sites/default/files/research/subject-guides/pdf/civil-rights-guide-to-studies.pdf
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
#OnThisDay in 1882 Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The 1882 Act was the first US history to place broad restrictions on immigration.
Timeline:
1882 - Arthur signs Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
Prevents Chinese nationals from eligibility for US citizenship (scheduled to last 10 yrs)
1892 - Harrison signs the Geary Act
Renews Chinese Exclusion act of 1882 (extends for 10 additional years and in 1902 indefinitely extended)
1943 - Roosevelt signs the Magnuson Act
Repeals the Chinese Exclusion Act leaving a yearly limit of 105 Chinese and gives foreign-born Chinese the right to seek naturalization
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Resources:
National Archive Chinese Americans: https://www.archives.gov/research/chinese-americans/guide
Chinese Exclusion History: https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/APA/Historical-Essays/Exclusion-and-Empire/First-Arrivals/
Chinese Exclusion Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1866-1898/chinese-immigration
Congress‘ Apology for Chinese Exclusion: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2012-06-18/html/CREC-2012-06-18-pt1-PgH3715-2.htm
Video: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/chinese-exclusion-act/
#OnThisDay, the Texas Equal Rights Association (TERA), the first statewide female suffrage organization, was founded in the Grand Windsor in Dallas on May 10, 1893. The TERA was committed to securing voting and political rights for women on the same terms as men, including the right to hold political office and serve on juries.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vit02
#EqualRights #CivilRights #VotingRights
#OnThisDay in 1954, the Supreme Court of the US ruled in a unanimous decision that school segregation violated the Equal Protection and Due Process clauses of the 14th Amendment.
Brown v. Board of Education was a consolidation of five cases. The ruling effectively ending racial segregation in public schools. Many schools, however, remained segregated.
Learn more:
-- Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/brown_vs_boe
-- US Courts: https://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/history-brown-v-board-education-re-enactment
-- Library of Congress https://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep347/usrep347483/usrep347483.pdf
-- Video: https://www.loc.gov/item/mbrs01856600/
-- Image: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-brown.html
#OnThisDay in 1896, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled 7-1 that segregation was legal and constitutional as long as "facilities were equal"—the famous "separate but equal" segregation policy.
The Plessy v. Ferguson decision provided legal justification for segregation until it was overruled by Brown v. the Board of Education in 1954.
Resources:
Library of Congress: Plessy v. Ferguson: https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/plessy.html
Library of Congress: Brown v. Board of Education: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-brown.html
#OnThisDay in 1993 Clinton signed the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (also referred to as the Motor Voter Act). The bill advanced voting rights, including (but not limited to) requiring states to offer voter registration opportunities to eligible persons during driver’s license renewal.
Timeline:
1990 - LWV convenes a symposium to examine the role of negative campaigning in the decline in voter participation. The symposium leads to a comprehensive effort to return the voter to the center of the election process. LWV works with a coalition of partners to support legislation reforming voter registration.
1992 - Congress passes the NVRA of 1992
1992 - Bush vetoes the bill
1992 - Congress fails to override the veto
1993 - Congress passes the NVRA of 1993
1993 - Clinton signs the bill into law
Resources:
-- LWV 2018-2020 Impact report: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-04/LWV%202018-20%20Impact%20on%20Issues.pdf#page=15
-- LWV Celebrates NVRA 27 Anniversary: https://www.lwv.org/blog/honoring-27th-anniversary-national-voter-registration-act
-- Bush‘s comments regarding NVRA of 1992: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/message-the-senate-returning-without-approval-the-national-voter-registration-act-1992
-- Clinton‘s comment regarding NVRA of 1993: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-signing-the-national-voter-registration-act-1993
-- US Justice Department: https://www.justice.gov/crt/about-national-voter-registration-act
On May 24, Coolidge signed the Immigration Act of 1924 (also referred to as the Johnson-Reed Act), which implemented a national quota system that limited the number of immigrants allowed into the US, and it excluded immigrants from Asia.
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act
Prevents immigration from Asia and establishes a quotas system
1952 - Truman vetoes McCarran-Walter Act (veto overridden by Congress)
Eliminates Asian exclusion and establishes a preference system for desirable ethnic groups
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Note: See https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline for a description of immigration laws before 1924
Resources:
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965
Coolidge’s Comments regarding Immigration: https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/were-all-in-the-same-boat-now-coolidge-on-immigration
Truman’s Veto Comments: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/public/Immigration_TrumanVeto.pdf
Johnson’s INA Signing Comments:http://www.lbjlibrary.org/lyndon-baines-johnson/timeline/lbj-on-immigration
Images:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gQD4VFtai7I0K47-d3F58Ffp9wn0fNzh
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1bfzS8eAMFA89LTE_gU3VkTZyxH5qV9Y1
#OnThisDay in 1924, Coolidge signed the Indian Citizenship Act (also known as the Snyder Act), which granted all Native Americans citizenship and the right to vote regardless of tribal affiliation. As history has shown, having the right to vote does not always equate to having the ability to vote. Learn about hurdles that suppress the Native American vote: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/voting-rights/how-the-native-american-vote-continues-to-be-suppressed/
Resources:
Native American Voting Rights Act (Introduced 2019)
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1694/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22H.+R.+83%22%5D%7D&r=62&s=1
LWV Endorsement of Native American Voting Rights Act
https://www.lwv.org/expanding-voter-access/league-endorses-native-american-voting-rights-act-2019
Voting Rights for Native Americans: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-native-americans.html
https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/every-native-american-a-citizen/
Timeline https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline
https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-native-americans.html
#OnThisDay in 1919, Congress passed (proposed for ratification) the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. The amendment was ratified by the states on August 18, 1920.
http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
Learn more:
National Women’s History Museum: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Today marks the death of Harriet Forten Purvis (1810-1875). Typically, we ask you to join in the celebration of a birth, but Harriet’s birthday is unknown, but her contributions to the rights we enjoy today are worthy of remembrance. Improving the civil and voting rights of others was a family tradition for Harriet and her relatives:
** Daughter of Charlotte Valdine Forten (1st generation suffragist)
** Sister of Sarah Forten Purvis and Margaret Forten (2nd generation suffragists)
** Mother to Hattie Purvis (3rd generation suffragist)
** Aunt of Charlotte Forten Grimke (3rd generation suffragist)
** Wife of Robert Purvis Sr ** (instrumental in development of the Underground Railroad)
Learn more:
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/more-to-the-movement/harriet-forten-purvis/
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- Turning Point: https://suffragistmemorial.org/harriet-forten-purvis-1810-1875/
-- Women History: https://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2016/08/harriet-forten-purvis.html
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Jeannette Pickering Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress.
Learn more:
-- PBS - @unladylike2020: https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jeannette-rankin/
-- House History: https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/R/RANKIN,-Jeannette-(R000055)
Faslane Peace Camp is a permanent peace camp situated next to the Faslane Naval Base in Scotland. Set up on this date in 1982, the camp is the world‘s longest-running active demonstration site and was originally set up as part of the anti-nuclear weapons movements of the 1980s.
Join us in celebrating the birthday. Miriam was the 1st woman elected as Governor of Texas.
Learn more:
-- https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffe06
#OnThisDay in 1866, Congress passed (proposed) the 14th Amendment, which granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former and recently freed slaves. In addition, it forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) 0n June 13, 1866 and ratified July 9, 1868.
Resources:
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/lkj01
JUNETEENTH. On June 19 ("Juneteenth"), 1865, Union general Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and issued General Order Number 3, which read, "The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juneteenth
Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, is an American holiday that commemorates the June 19, 1865, announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. state of Texas, and more generally the emancipation of enslaved African Americans throughout the former Confederate States of America. Its name is a portmanteau of "June" and "nineteenth", the date of its celebration.[1][2] Juneteenth is recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in forty-five states.[3]
Today it is observed primarily in local celebrations. Traditions include public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, singing traditional songs such as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing", and reading of works by noted African-American writers such as Ralph Ellison and Maya Angelou.[4] Celebrations may include rodeos, street fairs, cookouts, family reunions, park parties, historical reenactments, or Miss Juneteenth contests.[5] The Mascogos, descendants of Black Seminoles, of Coahuila, Mexico also celebrate Juneteenth.[6]
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal of VRA
Nixon signs 5-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on June 22, 1970. The VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1919, the TX Leg meets in a special session to consider ratification of the 19th Amendment.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919. #100YearsStrong
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
-- Leg Reference Libary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/govdocs/William%20P%20Hobby/1919/36-2proc.pdf 01
#OnThisDay in 1919, the Texas House adopts a resolution to ratify the 19th Amendment.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay in 2013, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled 5-4 that Section 4(b) of the Voters Right Act (VRA) was unconstitutional because the coverage formula was outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable until Congress agrees on a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
Timeline:
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples under the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution. The product of a three-year court battle challenging state-level bans on same-sex marriage, the landmark decision by the Supreme Court in Obergefell v. Hodges requires all US states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, while recognising same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, officially making marriage equality the law of the land across the United States and its territories.
#OnThisDay in 1918, Hortense Sparks Ward became the first woman in Harris County history to register to vote. Born in Matagorda County in 1872, she married Houston lawyer William Henry Ward in 1908. In 1910 she became one of the first women admitted to the Texas state bar (after Edith Locke in 1902 and Alice Tiernan in 1909).
Ward worked tirelessly in support of women’s rights and penned moving newspaper essays and pamphlets for that cause. She was instrumental in the passage of the Married Woman’s Property Law of 1913 by the Texas Legislature, and she campaigned with suffragist Minnie Fisher Cunningham for enfranchisement.
Texas women won an important victory in 1918 when the legislature permitted them to vote in primary elections. In a short span of less than three weeks, 386,000 women across the state registered to vote, and Hortense Ward led the way.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwa83
#OnThisDay in 1952, Congress passed into law (overriding a veto by Truman) the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1952, which abolished racial restrictions for immigration and naturalization but kept the national origins quota system established in the Immigration act of 1924
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act: Prevented immigration from Asia, set quotas on the number of immigrants from the Eastern Hemisphere)
1952 - Truman vetoes (veto overridden by Congress) McCarran-Walter Act: Eliminated Asian exclusion and established a preference system that determined which ethnic groups were desirable immigrants
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act: Eliminated policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Learn more: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965/
#OnThisDay in 1919, the Texas Senate approved ratification of the 19th Amendment. Texas became the 9th state in the US and the 1st state in the South to approve ratification.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919. #100YearsStrong
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
Join us in commemorating the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, which became a watershed moment for gay rights. After Stonewall, gay-right groups formed in cities across American, Canada, Australia, and Europe. In June 1970, the first public gay-pride marches took place commemorating the one-year anniversary of the uprising. #PRIDE #CivilRights #Intersectional
Learn more:
--Time: https://buff.ly/35HzdQl
-- PBS: https://buff.ly/2PrCqeP
-- LOC: https://buff.ly/3heGM6w
-- Video of 1st Pride March: https://www.loc.gov/item/mbrs01991430/
Go here to see the LWVTX’s position on Equal Opportunity: https://buff.ly/2NlG5wL
In addition, see the position update report from the 2020 LWVTX convening to see how the League’s positions are evolving. https://buff.ly/2YFYb14
#OnThisDay, Reagan signs a 25-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on June 29, 1982. The renewal extended for 25 years the Section 5 preclearance provision and extended the requirement for bilingual elections for 10 years. The VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1971, the 26th Amendment was ratified, giving adults aged 18 through 21 the right to vote. The 26th Amendment was enacted in response to Vietnam War protestors who argued that soldiers who were old enough to fight/die for their country should be old enough to vote.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on March 23, 1971, and ratified on July 1, 1971.
Learn more:
-- National Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xxvi
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
#OnThis Day, Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It prohibits unequal application of voter registration requirements, and racial segregation in schools, employment, and public accommodations.
#CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
-- Johnson Library: http://www.lbjlibrary.org/exhibits/civil-rights
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/summer/civil-rights-act-1.html
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Join us celebrating the birthday of Gertrude Bustill Mosell. Gertrude wrote a weekly advice column, "Our Women‘s Department," which was the 1st women‘s column in the history of the African-American press. She fought for equal rights and encouraged women to join the suffragist movement.
Learn more:
-- Article: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
-- Book: https://books.google.com/books?id=CHx5tY6wQSMC&pg=PA37&lpg=PA37&dq=Gertrude+Bustill+Mossell&source=bl&ots=W1sLIooEOO&sig=ACfU3U1M6Q9DfnX2OJmLRn4pJBdGJaT7yQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi1hL-J18zpAhURC6wKHbR1CXc4FBDoATAFegQICRAB#v=onepage&q=Gertrude%20Bustill%20Mossell&f=false
-- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Bustill_Mossell
-- Penn University Archive: https://archives.upenn.edu/collections/finding-aid/upt50m913
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/african-american-women-and-the-nineteenth-amendment.htm
The 4th of July marks the birth of the United States of America as a nation, recalling the Declaration of Independence made in 1776. The Continental Congress of the thirteen American colonies had actually passed a resolution of independence from the British Empire on July 2nd, but subsequently debated the additional declaration which explained its decision. The American Revolution had already been underway since 1775, and continued to 1783 in victory for the new United States.
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Jenny Bland Beauchamp. She wrote one of the first articles on woman suffrage published in Texas.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbeaj
#OnThisDay in 1868, Titus H. Mundine was the 1st Texas legislator to propose the enfranchisement of women and African Americans.
"Every person, without distinction of sex, who shall have arrived at the age of twenty-one years...shall be deemed a qualified elector." -- Titus H. Mundine
Learn More:
Titus – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmuvf
1868-69 Constitutional Convention – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/mjc04
Woman Suffrage – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay in 1868, the 14th Amendment was ratified. It granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former and recently freed slaves. In addition, it forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on June 13, 1866 and ratified on July 9, 1868.
Resources:
National Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xiv
National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Mary McLeod Bethune (Birthday)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary MCLeod Bethune who contributed to the women’s suffrage movement through her activism and writing.
Learn more:
NPS: https://www.nps.gov/mamc/learn/historyculture/mary-mcleod-bethune.htm
Women‘s Vote: https://www.womensvote100.org/the-suff-buffs-blog/2020/5/4/mary-mcleod-bethune-true-democracy-and-the-fight-for-universal-suffrage?fbclid=IwAR2sHG_Gb3ue4UpAFdSYiWe95TNmK0HJE-_pnIiWUwYVp88PNlRd9Hu9SHg
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Ida Wells Barnett. Ida was a civil rights activist and founded the Alpha Suffrage Club in 1913. She criticized mainstream (white) suffrage organizations for their exclusion of women of color. During the 1913 Women‘s March on Washington, Wells and other African-American women were told to march at the back of the procession. Wells refused, waiting until the procession started and then joining the block of women that represented her state.
Learn more:
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fySmIinC0MU&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR3orBtlRs5Vhx0pCTMSgBTd6jU4wZ-xCXOv_9WVKweq8RGPZ8rWDuNR6kE
-- Hidden Figures: https://buff.ly/2TPhL88
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Time Mag: https://time.com/5792441/the-suffragists-100-women-of-the-year/
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://buff.ly/2Xd2mjQ
-- PBS: https://buff.ly/2Ag4b7c (1 hr 9 minutes in)
-- Ida‘s Writing; https://buff.ly/2Uv75vG
#OnThisDay in 1848, the 1st women‘s rights convention was held in the US. It took place in Seneca Falls, New York. The meeting launched the women’s suffrage movement.
Learn more:
-- Constitutional Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/on-this-day-the-seneca-falls-convention-begins
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/july-19/
-- White House Archive: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/find-the-sentiments
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Alice Dunbar Nelson. Alice was active in the emerging civil rights and woman suffrage movements. In 1915, she was the field organizer for the Middle Atlantic States in the campaign for women‘s suffrage. During World War I, Dunbar-Nelson served as a field representative of the Woman‘s Committee of the Council of National Defense.
Learn more:
-- University of Delaware Library: http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/findaids/dunbarne.html
-- Smithsonian: https://blog.library.si.edu/blog/2020/03/12/an-unsung-legacy-the-work-and-activism-of-alice-dunbar-nelson/#.XsnsXmhKhPY
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- Black History: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/dunbar-nelson-alice-ruth-moore-1875-1935/
#OnThisDay, Bush signs the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1964, which made discrimination based on race, religion, sex, national origin, and other characteristics illegal. In addition, unlike the CRA, the ADA also requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities and imposes accessibility requirements on public accommodations.
Celebration of signing of ADA
#OnThisDay, Bush signs a 25-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on Juyly 22, 2006.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lucy Burns. Lucy was an American suffragist and women‘s rights activist. She spent more time in prison because of her activism than any other American woman suffragist. She and Alice Paul were co-founders of the National Woman‘s Party.
Learn more:
National Parks Service: https://www.nps.gov/people/lucy-burns.htm
Watch Iron Jawed Angels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzoXTo4-hws
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mariana Thompson Folsom. Mariana was a leader in the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWS) and asked Lucy Stone in 1885 for assistance in establishing a state (Texas) suffrage society.
Learn more:
-- TSHA History: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffo43
-- TSHA Image: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/folsom-lecture.html
-- Unitarian Oral History: http://www.liveoakuu.org/services/rev-mariana-thompson-folsom-1845-1909/
-- Bullock Museum: https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/artifacts/what-is-feminine
-- TSL - Personal Diary Entry: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/mariana-diary.html
-- TSL - Letter from Lucy Stone: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/stone-folsom-1.html
#OnThisDay in 1965, Johnson signed the Voter Rights Act (VRA). In addition on this same day in 1975, Ford signs a 7-yr renewal. The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
** UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” Consequently, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula. **
Timeline:
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1965, Johnson signed the Voter Rights Act (VRA). The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
** UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” Consequently, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula. **
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
History: https://www.justice.gov/crt/history-federal-voting-rights-laws Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA87JWa0bEw
Video: https://storycorps.org/stories/ellie-dahmer-and-bettie-dahmer-170113/
Aug 6, 1965: Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights movement on August 6, 1965, and
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lucy Stone. Lucy was a leading suffragist who dedicated her life to fighting inequality. She was the first Massachusetts woman to earn a college degree. Lucy organized the first National Women’s Rights Convention in Worcester, Massachusetts, and she was a founding member of the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), which would later merge with the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucy-stone
-- Video: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d
-- History: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Charlotte Forten Grimké. Charlotte was a 3rd-generation suffragist and equal rights advocate. She is a reminder that we make progress by standing on the shoulders of others, and that it can take multiple generations to right wrongs.
** Granddaughter of Charlotte Vandine Forten **
** Daughter of Robert Bridges Forten **
** Niece of Margaret, Harriet, and Sarah Forten **
Learn more:
-- National History Center: http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai/identity/text3/charlottefortenjournal.pdf
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- NPS (19th Amendment): https://www.nps.gov/articles/african-american-women-and-the-nineteenth-amendment.htm
-- NPS (Voting Rights): https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Journals of Charlotte Forten Grimke: https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/3uHylBU24jMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PP1
-- Muse: https://muse.jhu.edu/chapter/1945821
-- Beltway Poetry: http://www.beltwaypoetry.com/poetry/poets/names/grimke-charlotte-forten/
#OnThisDay, 1920 the 19th Amendment was ratified, granting women the right to vote. This amendment prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex. The ratification was the culmination of the women‘s suffrage movement in the United States, which fought at both state and national levels to achieve the vote.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920.
Learn more:
-- National Women’s History Museum: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Annie Webb Blanton, teacher, suffragist, and the first woman in Texas elected to statewide office, was born Aug 19, 1870, in Houston.
In the July 1918 primary, when Texas women exercised their voting rights for the first time, Blanton defeated incumbent Walter F. Doughty and Brandon Trussell by a large margin. In November, her victory in the general election made her the first woman in Texas elected to statewide office. She served as state superintendent through 1922.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbl16
-- Humanities Texas https://www.humanitiestexas.org/programs/tx-originals/list/annie-webb-blanton
"The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote nationally on August 18, 1920, so why is Women’s Equality Day on August 26th each year?
The simple answer is that even when a constitutional amendment has been ratified it’s not official until it has been certified by the correct government official. In 1920, that official was U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby. On August 26, 1920, Colby signed a proclamation behind closed doors at 8 a.m. at his own house in Washington, D.C, ending a struggle for the vote that started a century earlier." -- Constitution Center
The first executive secretary of the League of Women Voters, Minnie Fisher Cunningham, was a Texan who, among many other notable achievements, worked for the passage of the 19th Amendment in Texas and nationally.
Learn more:
-- Alice Paul Org: https://www.alicepaul.org/2020-exhibition/
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/why-august-26-is-known-as-womans-equality-day
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/collections/women-of-protest/articles-and-essays/tactics-and-techniques-of-the-national-womans-party-suffrage-campaign/
-- NCSL: https://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/amending-the-u-s-constitution.aspx
Image: https://www.alicepaul.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/5_Suffragist_Cover_1920.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1962, the 24th Amendment, which prohibited the use or a poll tax as a condition for voting in federal elections, was passed by Congress. #SystemicRacism
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) to the states on August 27, 1962, and ratified on January 23, 1964.
“After nearly disappearing in the states, a repurposed poll tax returned as part of a successful effort to undermine the Fifteenth Amendment and reestablish limits on the franchise. Beginning in Florida in 1889, all the former Confederate States, and a few others, instituted a suite of changes to voting laws as a part of this effort. They introduced literacy tests and disqualified convicted felons from voting. They also resurrected poll taxes. The historical record is filled with racially derogatory statements from delegates at State constitutional conventions who believed poll taxes and other devices would suppress Black voter registration and turnout.”
“The Supreme Court repeatedly affirmed the constitutionality of poll taxes. In its 1937 opinion in Breedlove v. Suttles, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected a claim from a white Georgia voter that the poll tax violated the Equal Protection Clause. In 1951, it rejected a similar claim challenging Virginia’s poll tax in Butler v. Thompson.” -- Constitution Center #CheckAndBalances #3Branches
Resources:
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xxiv
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- US House: https://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/37045
-- Breedlove v. Suttles: https://perma.cc/6G6H-6U4T
-- Butler v. Thompson: https://perma.cc/V4JP-TYHY
#OnThisDay in 1963, approximately 250,000 people took part in The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Martin Luther King gave the closing address in front of the Lincoln Memorial:
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
Learn more:
-- King Institute: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/i-have-dream-address-delivered-march-washington-jobs-and-freedom
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=173&v=smEqnnklfYs&feature=emb_logo
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/10-fascinating-facts-about-the-i-have-a-dream-speech
-- Civil Rights Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/march_on_washington
#OnThisDay in 1983, the 68th Texas legislature passed HB718, which abolished the life-time voting ban on ex-felons, but included a 5-yr waiting period before ex-felons would become eligible to vote.
On Sept 1, 1997, the 75th Texas legislature passed HB1001 eliminated the 5-yr waiting period.
Learn more:
-- TSLL: https://guides.sll.texas.gov/reentry-resources/voting
-- 75th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/Sessionoverviews/summary/75soe.pdf#page=114 (pg. 114)
-- 68th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/sessionOverviews/summary/soe68.pdf#page=82 (pg. 77)
-- HB1001 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/75R/HB1001/HB1001_75R.pdf
-- HB718 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/68R/HB718/HB718_68R.pdf#page=23 (pg. 23)
-- HB718 Election Law Opinion: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- JSTOR: https://www.jstor.org/stable/29768353?read-now=1&seq=4#page_scan_tab_contents (pg. 82)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Myra Davis Hemmings. Hemmings was born in Gonzales, Texas. She was one of the founders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. as well as its first president. The sorority was founded at Howard University in Jan 1913 and its 1st public act was to participate in the Woman Suffrage Procession in Washington, D.C. in Mar of 1913.
Suffragist Mary Church Terrell lobbied on behalf of the Deltas to win them a place in the parade, where they were the only African American organization represented. #HiddenFigures
A Texas Historical Marker dedicated to Myra resides at the Myra Davis Hemmings Resource Center in Bexar County, TX.
Photo credit: San Antonio Alumnae Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Learn More:
-- @usgpo: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2013-01-24/html/CREC-2013-01-24-pt1-PgS292.htm
-- @TxHistComm: https://atlas.thc.texas.gov/Details/5507017358/print
-- @TxStHistAssoc: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fhe64
-- @dstinc1913: https://www.deltasigmatheta.org
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lulu Belle Madison White. Lulu Belle was a civil rights activist who worked to eliminate the white primary in the 1930s. In 1939, she became the president of the Houston chapter of the NAACP. After the SCOTUS ruling in 1944 that outlawed the white primary (Smith v. Allwright), she worked tirelessly to encourage voting and educate voters.
Learn more:
-- TSHA Handbook: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwh75
-- TSHA Honest Past (p. 337): https://join.tshaonline.org/ebook-offers/honest-past/SHQ-An-Honest-Past.pdf
-- WTH: https://www.womenintexashistory.org/audio/lulu-belle-madison-white
-- Humanities of TX: https://www.humanitiestexas.org/news/articles/craft-civil-rights
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Ann Richards. In 1976, Ann became the 1st woman elected to the Travis County Commissioners Court. In 1982, Ann became the 1st woman elected as Texas State Treasurer, which was the 1st time a woman had been elected to statewide office in Texas since Miriam Ferguson‘s successful gubernatorial race in 1932--breaking a 50-yr absence of women in statewide leadership. In 1990, Ann became the 2nd woman to serve as governor of Texas since Texas became a state in 1845.
Learn more:
-- https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fri62
#OnThisDay in 1997, the 75th TX legislature, passed HB1001, which amended the Election Code to clarify the voting rights (eligibility) of fully discharged ex-felons, and it eliminated the 5-year waiting period established by HB718.
In 1983, the 68th Session of the TX Leg passed HB718, which abolished the life-time voting ban on ex-felons, but included a 5-year waiting period before ex-felons would become eligible to vote.
Learn more:
-- TXSLL: https://guides.sll.texas.gov/reentry-resources/voting
-- TXSOS: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- 75th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/Sessionoverviews/summary/75soe.pdf#page=114 (pg. 114)
-- 68th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/sessionOverviews/summary/soe68.pdf#page=82 (pg. 77)
-- HB1001 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/75R/HB1001/HB1001_75R.pdf
-- HB718 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/68R/HB718/HB718_68R.pdf#page=23 (pg. 23)
-- HB718 Election Law Opinion: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- JSTOR: https://www.jstor.org/stable/29768353?read-now=1&seq=4#page_scan_tab_contents (pg. 82)
This Labor Day we’re recognizing the contributions of laborers by taking a look back at the impact of labor unions on the women’s suffrage movement.
Did you know that middle and upper-class suffragists learned to use parades and picketing from working-class suffragists who were members of labor unions?
“Since the beginning of the women’s rights movement, women who devoted their lives to reform often were middle and upper-class women. Women who worked to support themselves and their families had less time and funds to devote to social movements.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, however, working women began supporting suffrage in greater numbers. They joined labor unions, held strikes for higher pay, and protested for better working conditions. Working women started seeing the vote as a way to gain more political power to further these causes.
Harriot Stanton Blatch, daughter of suffrage leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton, was among the first suffragists to recruit working women to support suffrage. She started collaborating with the Women’s Trade Union League, founded in 1905, to help women form unions and advocate for labor reforms. In 1907, she founded the Equality League of Self-Supporting Women (later called the Women’s Political Union) to attract working women to the suffrage movement. Blatch also wanted to integrate the more aggressive, militant tactics of labor activists—like parades through city streets and speakers on street corners—into the suffrage strategies to attract more publicity. Working women and their experience with the tactics of labor activists proved vital to winning the vote.” Allison Lange, Ph.D. https://www.loc.gov/resource/ggbain.02144/
Learn more:
-- Crusade for the Vote: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/working-women-movement
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/static/collections/women-of-protest/images/tactics.pdf
-- DOL: https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/history
JJoin us in celebrating the birthday of Jovita Idár. Idarwas born in 1885 and was an American journalist and civil rights activist who wrote about the challenges Mexican Americans faced in Texas. Her activism was influenced by the lynching of ethnic-Mexican men in South Texas during the early 20th century. She also used her platform as a journalist to support suffrage.
Learn more:
-- PBS (Unladylike): https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jovita-idar
-- TXWF: https://www.txwf.org/champions-for-change-jovita-idar-and-the-villareal-sisters/
-- Women‘s History: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/jovita-idar
-- TSHA Handbook: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fid03
-- TSHA Honest Past (p. 196): https://join.tshaonline.org/ebook-offers/honest-past/SHQ-An-Honest-Past.pdf
-- Humanities of Texas: https://www.humanitiestexas.org/programs/tx-originals/list/jovita-idar
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
Photo Credit: General Photographs, UTSA Special Collections (@UTSA)
#OnThisDay, Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1957 into law. The act established the Civil Rights Section of the Justice Department and empowered federal prosecutors to obtain court injunctions against interference with the right to vote. #CivilRights #VotingRights
This was the 1st civil rights legislation since Reconstruction (1875).
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
--Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/civil_rights_act_1957
--Eisenhower Library: https://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/383/Civil-Rights-Act-of-1957
--Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Photo credit: Photographs of Official Activities of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953 - 1961, US National Archives .https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7865612 (@USNatArchives)
Today is Constitution and Citizenship Day, so we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all recently naturalized American citizens. We hope an LWV volunteer was present at your naturalization ceremony to assist you with becoming a registered voter.
Learn more:
-- @LWVTexas: https://my.lwv.org/texas/register-vote
-- @librarycongress: https://www.loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/constitution-day.php
-- @uscis: https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/educators/constitution-day-and-citizenship-day
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Burnett Talbert. Mary was an American orator, civil rights activist, and suffragist. She believed that race and gender were unifying factors that could help resolve class issues. Talbert became one of the first women to join the NAACP after its founding in 1909.
#WomenInLeadership
Learn more:
-- https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/mary-burnett-talbert (https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/mary-burnett-talbert/)
-- https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/talbert-mary-b-1866-1923 (https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/talbert-mary-b-1866-1923/)
-- https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-burnett-talbert-september-17-1866-1923 (https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-burnett-talbert-september-17-1866-1923)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Church Terrell. Mary was a civil-rights activist who championed racial equality and women’s suffrage in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Learn more:
-- PBS (@unladylike2020): https://unladylike2020.com/profile/mary-church-terrell-2
-- Womens History (@womenshistory): https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mary-church-terrell
-- LOC (@libraryofcongress): https://crowd.loc.gov/campaigns/mary-church-terrell-advocate-for-african-americans-and-women
-- NPS (@NPS) - https://www.nps.gov/people/mary-church-terrell.htm
-- https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-church-terrell/
LGBT History Month is celebrated every October in United States since 1994. It was first proposed by Missouri high school history teacher Rodney Wilson, who chose October due to the establishment of National Coming Out Day in the late 1980s on October 11. October also marks the first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, which took place in 1979. In addition to LGBT History Month, LGBT Pride Month is also celebrated each year in June to commemorate the Stonewall Riots.
On Oct 3, 1965, Johnson signs the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1965, which amended the 1952 INA by including a provision stating: No person shall receive any preference or priority or be discriminated against in the issuance of an immigrant visa because of the person‘s race, sex, nationality, place of birth, or place of residence.
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act
Prevents immigration from Asia and establishes a quotas system
1952 - Truman vetoes McCarran-Walter Act (veto overridden by Congress)
Eliminates Asian exclusion and establishes a preference system for desirable ethnic groups
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Note: See https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline for a description of immigration laws before 1924
Resources:
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965
Coolidge’s INA Comments: https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/were-all-in-the-same-boat-now-coolidge-on-immigration
Truman’s INA Comments: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/public/Immigration_TrumanVeto.pdf
Johnson’s INA Comments:http://www.lbjlibrary.org/lyndon-baines-johnson/timeline/lbj-on-immigration
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Thomas Mundy Peterson. Thomas, on March 31, 1870 (one day after the ratification of the 15th Amendment) became the first Black American to vote in a U.S. election.
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian: https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2015.190
-- NJ State HIstory; https://nj.gov/state/historical/it-happened-here/ihhnj-er-peterson.pdf
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlC3fsW3rRs
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Ann Shadd Cary.
Learn more: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement/
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Eleanor Roosevelt born on this day in 1884.
After the League of Women Voters was founded in 1920 – the same year that Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for Vice President – she helped establish its policy agenda. As the League’s Vice President of Legislative Affairs, she lobbied for reforms in Congress and worked tirelessly to strengthen women’s role in politics, helping mobilize women voters through the League’s nonpartisan training and lobbying work.
Learn more:
-- LWV: https://www.lwv.org/blog/eleanor-roosevelt-first-lady-league-leader-pioneer
Photo Credit: LC-USZ62-25812, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (@librarycongress)
http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3c08091/
National Coming Out Day (NCOD) is an annual LGBTQ awareness day observed on October 11. The day commemorates the Oct. 11, 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, which included half a million participants.
Learn more:
-- HRC: https://www.hrc.org/resources/the-history-of-coming-out
-- APA: https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/coming-out-day
-- GLAAD: https://www.glaad.org/tags/national-coming-out-day
-- Archive: https://gaycenter.org/archive_item/march-on-washington-for-lesbian-and-gay-rights
-- Image: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc276218
"In 1977 participants at the United Nations International Conference on Discrimination against Indigenous Populations in the Americas proposed that Indigenous Peoples’ Day replace Columbus Day.Indigenous Peoples’ Day recognizes that Native people are the first inhabitants of the Americas, including the lands that later became the United States of America. And it urges Americans to rethink history." https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-indian/2019/10/11/indigenous-peoples-day-2019
The following states and the District of Columbia observe Native American or Indigenous Peoples’ Day, in place of or in addition to Columbus Day:
-- Alabama
-- Alaska
-- District of Columbia
-- Hawaii
-- Idaho
-- Maine
-- Michigan
-- Minnesota
-- New Mexico
-- North Carolina
-- Oklahoma
-- Oregon
-- South Dakota
-- Vermont
-- Wisconsin
The state of Texas does not currently observer Indiginous People day, but the following local jurisdiction have made the change:
-- City of Austin
-- City of Dallas
-- City of San Antonio
-- County of Bexar
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-indian/2019/10/11/indigenous-peoples-day-2019/:
-- PBS: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/npr/2019/10/14/769083847/columbus-day-or-indigenous-peoples-day/
#OnThisDay, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled on a bundle of five cases (known as the Civil Rights Cases), and in an 8-1 decision, the court found the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1875 to be unconstitutional.
The CRA of 1875 was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant and was enacted during Reconstruction in response to civil rights violations against African Americans. The act guaranteed equal treatment in public accommodations and transportation. It also outlawing race-based discrimination in jury duty/selection. The five cases heard by SCOTUS included suites brought forth by African Americans who were denied access to segregated facilities.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources: SCOTUS Ruling:
http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep109/usrep109003/usrep109003.pdf
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
The League of Women Voters of Texas, a nonpartisan political organization, was formed on October 19, 1919, at San Antonio, when the Texas Equal Suffrage Association was dissolved to reorganize for a new purposehttps://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wel05
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Christia Daniel Adair. Christia was an NAACP leader from Houston, worked for full suffrage and was one of the first black women to vote in a Democratic primary after the Supreme Court struck down Texas‘ white primary law in 1944. As executive secretary of the Houston NAACP for 12 years, she and others desegregated the Houston airport, public libraries, city buses, and department store dressing rooms. Despite official harassment, Adair and others rebuilt the Houston NAACP chapter, which grew to 10,000 members.
Learn more:
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fad19
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Nina Otero-Warren. Nina was a civil rights leader, a suffragist, and an advocate for bilingual education.
In 1917, Otero-Warren was selected by Alice Paul to head the New Mexico chapter of the Congressional Union (precursor to the National Woman’s Party). She insisted that suffrage literature be published in both English and Spanish, in order to reach the widest audience.
She was Superintendent of Public Schools in Santa Fe County from 1918 to 1929, working to improve the conditions in rural Hispano and Native American communities. Otero-Warren argued that both Spanish and English be allowed in schools, despite the federal mandate of English-only. Despite losing her political campaign to run for a seat in the US House of Representatives, she remained politically and socially active, and served as the Chairman of New Mexico’s Board of Health; an executive board member of the American Red Cross; and director of an adult literacy program in New Mexico for the Works Projects Administration.
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/people/nina-oter-warren.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Jessie Daniel Ames. Jessie was a suffragist and the founder and first president of the League of Women Voters of Texas.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fam06
Veterans Day, also known as Armistice Day or Rememberance Day in other countries which fought in the First World War, is commemorated on the 11th of November, marking the armistice signed between the Allies and Central Powers. The armistice came into effect at 11am: the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month in 1918. Formerly known as Armistice Day in the United States, the name was changed to Veterans Day in 1954 to honor all those who have served and continue to serve in the United States Armed Forces.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Elizabeth Cady Staton (1st generation suffragists). She was born in 1815 and was one of the speakers and organizers of the Seneca Falls Convention. Elizabeth was a co-founder of the National Woman Suffrage Associate (NWSA), which would later merge with the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
** Mother of Harriet Stanton Blatch (2nd generation suffragist) **
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucy-stone
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d (11 minutes in)
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
-- Seneca Falls Convention:
#OnThisDay, Bush signed the 1991 Civil Rights Act (CRA), which provided the right to trial by jury on discrimination claims. It also added provisions to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that expanded the rights of women and disabled persons. #CivilRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Johnson signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
Bush Library: https://bush41library.tamu.edu/archives/public-papers/3660
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005). Shirley was an educator, activist, and politician who achieved a number of historic 1sts
-- 1968 1st black woman elected to the Congress
-- 1972 1st woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination
-- 1972 1st African American to run for President of the US
Learn more: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/shirley-chisholm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Debra Anne Haaland. Debra and Sharice Davids were the first two Native American women elected to the U.S Congress. Haaland is a member of the Laguna Pueblo people.
Learn more:
-- National Geographic Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T_s36-1hms
-- US House: https://haaland.house.gov/about
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Patsy Takemoto Mink. Patsy was the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-women-got-vote-far-more-complex-story-history-textbooks-reveal-180971869/
-- House History: https://history.house.gov/People/detail/18329
-- NWHF: https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/patsy-takemoto-mink/
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/patsy-mink
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Titus Howard Mundine, who was the 1st Texas Legislator to propose enfranchisement of women and blacks.
"Every person, without distinction of sex, who shall have arrived at the age of twenty-one years...shall be deemed a qualified elector." -- Titus H. Mundine
Learn More:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=5124
-- Titus – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmuvf
-- Woman Suffrage – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Eliza Eubanks Peterson Johnson. Eliza was a suffragist and civil-rights activist.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fjohn
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
-- Austin Library: http://www.austinlibrary.com/ahc/suffrage/early.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Marie Louise Bottineau Baldwin. Marie was a suffragist and lawyer who worked as an advocate for the Ojibwa/Chippewa Nation in Minnesota and North Dakota.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- National Parks Service: https://www.nps.gov/people/marie-louise-bottineau-baldwin.htm
-- MNHS: https://www.mnhs.org/historycenter/activities/museum/votes-for-women/profiles/marie-baldwin
-- National Archive: https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2020/04/02/19th-amendment-at-100-mary-louise-bottineau-baldwin/
-- LWV: https://my.lwv.org/california/diablo-valley/meet-suffragist-marie-louise-bottineau-baldwin
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Ruza Wenclawska (also known as Rose Winslow). Rose was a Polish-American suffragist and trade union organizer. She was a member of the National Women‘s Party and fought for the rights of immigrant and working-class women. Along with Alice Paul, she participated in a hunger strike to bring attention to the suffrage movement.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/collections/women-of-protest/articles-and-essays/selected-leaders-of-the-national-womans-party/officers-and-national-organizers/
-- Turning Point: https://suffragistmemorial.org/rose-winslow-d-1977
-- Historical Snapshot: https://historicalsnaps.com/2018/03/19/rose-winslow-talks-about-her-hunger-strike
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Harriet Taylor Upton. Harriet was a founding member of the National League of Women Voters and the first woman to become a vice-chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d (53 mins in)
-- Upton House: http://www.uptonhouse.org/HTayor.html
-- Ohio History: https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Harriet_T._Upton
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Martha Goodwin Tunstall. Martha became the vice-president from Texas of the newly-formed National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA).
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ftuns
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Jane McCallum. Jane was the first vice president of the League of Women Voters of Texas. She had the longest term as the Secretary of State of Texas.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmc07
-- Texas Secretary as State: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/about/history.shtml
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charlotte Vandine Forten born in 1785.
-- 1st generation American suffragist
-- Mother of the Forten sisters: Margaret, Harriet, and Sarah (2nd generation suffragists)
-- Grandmother of Charlotte Forten Grimké (3rd generation suffragist)
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- Black Suffragette: http://www.blacksuffragette.com/friends
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Lucretia Coffin Mott. Lucretia was a suffragist and human rights activist. She was one of the organizers of the 1st Woman’s Rights Convention Seneca Falls, N.Y.
Learn more:
NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucretia-mott
PBS: Video: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/
NPS: https://www.nps.gov/wori/learn/historyculture/lucretia-mott.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Helen Edmunds Moore. Helen was a nurse, suffragist, and a member of the 41, 42, and 44th legislatures. In the 44 Legislature, she was the only woman.
Learn more:
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/moore-helen-edmunds
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Harriet Staton Blatch (2nd generation suffragists).
Voting rights was a family affair
** Daughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1st generation suffragist)
She founded the Equality League of Self-Supporting Women, later called the Women‘s Political Union, whose membership was based on working women, both professional and industrial. The Equality League initiated the practice of holding suffrage parades and organized the first open-air suffrage rallies in thirty years. As many as 25,000 people marched in these parades.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (28 minutes in)
#OnThisDay the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled on the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case and made a controversial decision that reversed existing campaign finance restrictions and enabled corporations and other outside groups to spend unlimited funds on elections. #DarkMoney
"Prevention of improper corporate influence in the electoral process...is a pillar of our modern democracy" -- LWV Amicus Brief #DarkMoney
"Voters are supposed to be at the center of our political process. For more than two centuries, America’s constitutional democracy has been moving in the direction of broader enfranchisement and more meaningful political participation by American citizens. After the Civil War, the 15th Amendment to the Constitution guaranteed the right to vote to citizens regardless of race or color. The 19th Amendment provided voting rights to women, the 24th to poor citizens and the 26th to young adults.
On the other hand, our Constitution does not reflect a similar solicitude for corporate participation; indeed our constitutional history reflects a growing concern over the influence of corporations, and the distinction between the legal protections afforded to living persons and corporations has been part of our constitutional law from the Founding." -- LWV Commentary on Citizens United
LWVUS Amicus Brief: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/Amicus_cfr.CitizenUnited.pdf
LWVUS Commentary on Citizens United: https://www.lwv.org/money-politics/league-commentary-citizens-united-v-fec-case-supreme-court
Brennan Institute: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/citizens-united-explained
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charles Curtis, of Kaw, Osage, and Pottawatomie ancestry. Curtis was sworn in as the U.S. Senator from Kansas. Charles was also the 1st person of color and 1st person of Native American ancestry to hold the office of vice president under President Hoover.
Learn more:
-- Senate History: https://www.senate.gov/about/officers-staff/vice-president/VP_Charles_Curtis.htm
-- Kansas Historical Society: https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/charles-curtis/12029
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Maud Wood Park. Park was the 1st president of the National League of Women Voters.
Learn more:
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/november-2015-suffragist-of-the-month/
-- Harvard: https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/schlesinger-library/collection/papers-maud-wood-park-in-womans-rights-collection
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=8
Black History Month is celebrated in the United States and Canada each February. Black History Month traces its origins to Negro History Week which was first created in 1926 with the week chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (February 12th) and Frederick Douglass (February 14th). An annual monthlong celebration of black history was later proposed by students and educators at Kent State University in 1969, and adopted one year later. By the mid-1970s, Black History Month was celebrated across the United States and officially recognized by US President Gerald Ford in 1976. Originally intended to celebrate black history and culture in the United States, Black History Month has since spread to Canada, as well as the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands, where it is celebrated in October.
#OnThisDay in 1870, the 15th Amendment, which granted black men the right to vote, was ratified. Unfortunately, Southern states continued to disenfranchise black voters through the use of poll taxes, literacy tests, threats of physical harm, etc. Therefore, the promise of the 15th Amendment was not fully realized until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965--almost a century later.
The amendment was passed (proposed) by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870.
Learn more:
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- LOC: http://www.loc.gov/rr//program/bib/ourdocs/15thamendment.html
-- Teaching resources: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-african-americans.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Juanita Jewel Craft. Juanita and Lulu Belle White of Houston organized 182 branches of the NAACP in Texas over a period of eleven years. Following the Smith v. Allwright ruling, in 1944 Juanita became the first black woman in Dallas County to vote in the Democratic Party primary. In 1946, she was the first black woman deputized in the state to collect the poll tax. Juanita was also a member of the League of Women Voters of Texas.
The Smith v. Allwright U.S. case ended the white primary.
Learn More:
-- http://www.juanitacrafthouse.org/
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fcr59
-- TxPolProject - Smith v. Allwright: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lawrence Aaron Nixon. Lawrence...
The Smith v. Allwright case ended the white primary, which suppressed the Black vote.
Learn More:
-- @TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fni10
-- @TxPolProject - White Primary: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Adella Hunt Logan.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Nellie May Quande. “In 1913, Nellie Quander, president of the nation‘s oldest Black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, wrote to Alice Paul, chair for a major upcoming Washington, D.C., parade, planned to attract national attention for the cause on the day before the inauguration of President Woodrow Wilson. "We do not wish to enter if we must meet with discrimination on account of race affiliation," Quander wrote. "Can you assign us to a desirable place in the college women‘s section?”
Learn more:
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/new-tactics-for-a-new-generation-1890-1915/new-tactics-and-renewed-confrontation/howard-university-sorority-seeks-assurances-of-nondiscrimination
-- Smithsonian: https://womenshistory.si.edu/news/2020/08/19suffragestories-countdown-stories-14-10
-- Facing History:
https://facingtoday.facinghistory.org/suffrage-and-sisterhood-the-origins-and-impact-of-black-sororities
#OnThisDay in 1909, the NAACP was founded. The NAACP is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation.
Mission: To ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.
Learn more:
-- NAACP: https://naacp.org/nations-premier-civil-rights-organization/
-- TSHA: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/national-association-for-the-advancement-of-colored-people
-- UW: https://depts.washington.edu/moves/NAACP_intro.shtml
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Fannie Barrier Williams. Fannie was an educator, political activist, and women’s rights advocate. In 1907, she was the only Black woman to eulogize Susan B. Anthony at the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) convention. Also, she helped found the NAACP in 1909.
Learn more:
-- BlackPast: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/williams-fannie-barrier-1855-1944/
-- ISU: https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/directory/frances-barrier-williams/
-- RRLC: https://rrlc.org/winningthevote/biographies/fannie-barrier-williams/
-- SPC: https://www.splcenter.org/news/2019/06/01/weekend-read-challenging-whitewashed-history-womens-suffrage/
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/more-to-the-movement/fannie-barrier-williams/
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Anna Howard Shaw.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (1 hr in)
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charlotta Spears Bass, who was born on this day in 1874. Charlotta was an educator, newspaper publisher, civil-rights and voting-rights activist. She was also the first Black woman to own and operate a newspaper in the United States and the first Black woman nominated for Vice President.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/people/charlottabass.htm
-- Black Past; https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/bass-charlotta-1879-1969/
-- South California Library: https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf6c60052d/
#OnThisDay in 1920, the League of Women Voters was founded. Carrie Chapman Catt shared the following about the founding: "Is the (League) political? Certainly, but not partisan. Its members are as free as other women to join and vote with the party of their choice. They make no pledge otherwise in joining the League."
Mission: Empowering voters. Defending democracy.
Learn more: https://www.lwv.org/league-women-voters-through-decades
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Susan B. Anthony (1st generation suffragists). She was born in 1820. Susan was a co-founder of the National Woman Suffrage Associate (NWSA), which would later merge with the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
**Susan died in 1906, 14 years before women were given the right to vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. **
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/susan-b-anthony
-- @susanbhouse: https://susanb.org/her-life/
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
-- Seneca Falls Convention:
#OnThisDay in 1929, LULAC was founded. LULAC is the oldest and largest continuously active Latino political association in the US.
Mission: To advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, housing, health and civil rights of the Hispanic population of the United States.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wel01
Join us commemorating the life of Frederick Douglass (1818 - 1895)."Frederick was one of the few men present at the woman‘s rights convention held at Seneca Falls, New York, in July 1848.
Learn more:
-- Blackpast: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/1888-frederick-douglass-woman-suffrage/
-- Smithsonian: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hidden-history-anna-murray-douglass-180968324/
#BHM
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Zitkala-Sa (Red Bird). "Zitkala-Ša joined the Society of American Indians, a group founded in 1911 with the purpose of preserving traditional Native American culture while also lobbying for full American citizenship."
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/people/zitkala-sa.htm
Photo: https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_S_NPG.79.26?destination=edan-search/default_search%3Freturn_all%3D1%26edan_q%3DZitkala%2520Sa
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Rosalie Gardiner Jones. In December of 1912, over 200 women joined Rosalie for parts of a 140-mile march from New York City to Albany to support women‘s suffrage. During the march, the women stopped to hold open-air meetings and distribute pamphlets in communities along the way.
Learn More:
-- PBS Doc: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (1 hr 16 mins in)
-- New York Heritage: https://nyheritage.org/exhibits/recognizing-womens-right-vote/%E2%80%9Cgeneral%E2%80%9D-rosalie-jones-and-suffrage-hikes
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/people/dr-general-rosalie-jones.htm
#OnThisDay in 1869, Congress passed (proposed) the 15th Amendment, which granted Black male citizens the right to vote.“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 race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
The amendment was passed (proposed) by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870.
Learn more:
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- LOC: http://www.loc.gov/rr//program/bib/ourdocs/15thamendment.html
-- Teaching resources: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-african-americans.html
Women‘s History Month celebrates the everyday contributions of women across the world to events in history and contemporary society. It is celebrated during March in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, in connection with International Women‘s Day on March 8th. Women‘s History Month traces its origins to the United States, where it was first designated in 1987. Since then the tradition has spread to other countries around the world.
#OnThisDay, President Ulysses S. Grant, signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1875. The CRA was enacted during the Reconstruction era in response to civil rights violations against African Americans. The act provided for equal treatment in public accommodations and transportation. It also outlawing race-based discrimination in jury service.
Over the ensuing years, African Americans began suing businesses that denied them access to segregated facilities. On Oct 15, 1883, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) heard a group of five cases (known as the Civil Rights Cases), and in an 8-1 decision, struck down the CRA of 1875 as unconstitutional.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resource:
-- US House of Rep: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1851-1900/The-Civil-Rights-Act-of-1875
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
-- Grant‘s Memoirs: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/4367/4367-h/4367-h.htm
The "Woman Suffrage Procession" was the first suffragist parade in Washington, DC. Organized by the suffragist Alice Paul for the National American Woman Suffrage Association, it saw thousands of suffragists marching down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC on Monday, March 3, 1913. Presaging the circumstances surrounding the 2017 Women‘s March just over 100 years later, the 1913 event was scheduled on the day before President Woodrow Wilson‘s inauguration to "march in a spirit of protest against the present political organization of society, from which women are excluded," as the official program stated. While studying in England, Paul had heard the British suffragist Christabel Pankhurst speak and joined the Women‘s Social and Political Union, being jailed a number of times in the process. She returned to the US in 1910 and continued to campaign for women‘s rights leading to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920.
Advocate of women‘s rights.
In February 1912 Brackenridge was elected president of the newly organized San Antonio Equal Franchise Society. The formation of this society stimulated interest throughout the state, and delegates from seven Texas cities met in San Antonio and organized the Texas Woman Suffrage Association in April 1913. Eleanor Brackenridge held the office of president for one year and then became honorary president.
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbr04
March 7, 1965: In the Selma to Montgomery March, around 600 civil rights marchers walk to Selma, Alabama to Montgomery—the state’s capital—in protest of black voter suppression. Local police block and brutally attack them. After successfully fighting in court for their right to march, Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders lead two more marches and finally reach Montgomery on March 25.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Anna Murray Douglass born in 1813. Anna was the wife of Frederick Douglas, but more than that, she was a participant in the activities necessary to ensure voting rights for all Americans.
Learn more:
-- @SmithsonianMagazine: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hidden-history-anna-murray-douglass-180968324/
-- @USAToday:https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/07/06/frederick-douglass-first-wife-anna-murray-made-his-work-possible/5382922002/
-- @librarycongress: https://www.loc.gov/item/mfd.02007/
International Women‘s Day traces its origins to the women‘s rights movement of the early 20th century, having been first proposed by German campaigner Clara Zetkin at an international conference in Copenhagen. The day is a celebration of the social, economic, political and cultural achievements of women worldwide. The annual campaign calls for gender parity and raises funds to support initiatives towards this goal.
Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) was never far from the struggle for equal rights and human liberation throughout her long life, from the work on the Underground Railroad for which she is famous, to her later years as an activist in the women‘s suffrage movement in the early 20th century. Born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia in 1849 before immediately returning to rescue her family. Tubman would make some 13 return trips to the South to liberate family, friends, and relatives - at great personal risk to herself - guiding them to freedom in the northern United States and British North America (present-day Canada) using a clandestine network of anti-slavery activists and safe houses to facilitate the journey. Tubman later helped the abolitionist John Brown recruit troops for his 1859 raid on Harper‘s Ferry, and helped lead multiple attacks on Confederate plantations and infrastructure during the Civil War. Toward the end of her life, Tubman joined the campaign for women‘s suffrage. With the struggle against slavery still in living memory, Tubman moved audiences around the country with tales of her heroic actions before and after the Civil War, offering these sacrifices as evidence and living proof that women deserved the same rights as men.
#OnThisDay in 1918, the Texas House (during the 36 legislative sessions) passed HB-105 by a vote of 83-34. The bill granted women the right to vote in (white) Texas Primaries.
The bill was passed by the Texas Senate on March 21, 1918 by a vote of 18-4.
Governor William P. Hobby signed the bill into law on March 26, 1918.
Learn more:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/whatsNew/client/index.cfm/2018/3/20/Votes-for-Women-The-100th-Anniversary-of-Texas-Womens-Suffrage
Bayard Rustin (1912-1987) was an American civil rights activist who worked as an influential organizer and behind-the-scenes adviser to many causes throughout the civil rights era. Rustin began his organizing career working alongside fellow activist A. Philip Randolph on the March on Washington Movement in the early 1940s, which campaigned for the desegregation of the US armed forces. Rustin later played a central organizing role in other key civil rights actions such as the Freedom Rides and the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Martin Luther King - whom Rustin had schooled on methods of non-violence and helped elevate to his leadership position in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference - gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Rustin continued his career as an activist following the passage of civil rights legislation in the mid-1960s, promoting the unionization of African American workers and working internationally to aid war refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia while raising awareness to the ongoing plight of Jews living in the Soviet Union. A gay man who chose to play a supporting role in the Civil Rights Movement due to public criticisms of his homosexuality, Rustin spent his final years working on behalf of LGBT causes during the 1980s.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Minnie Fisher Cunningham born in 1882. Minnie was the first Executive Secretary of the League of Women Voters. The Texas native was also the first female pharmacy student at the University of Texas and the first woman to run for the Texas Senate. Members of the Minnie Fisher Cunningham Society continue empowering voters and defending democracy into the future by naming the League in their wills for a bequest.
Learn More:
-- LWV: https://my.lwv.org/texas/leave-legacy-minnie-fisher-cunningham-society
-- Suffrage Petition: https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/tx-woman-suffrage-petition
--TSHA: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/cunningham-minnie-fisher
-- PBS: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/shows/2015/12/19/43918/texas-originals-minnie-fisher-cunningham/
The 21st of March is the anniversary of events in 1960 when police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid laws in Sharpeville, South Africa. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed an annual observation of the day in 1966.
"We must all work harder to repair the fissures and polarization that are so prevalent in our societies today. We must nurture mutual understanding and invest in making diversity a success. And we must counter and reject political figures who exploit differences for electoral gain." — UN Secretary-General António Guterres”
Learn more:
-- About End Racial Discrimination Day: https://www.un.org/en/observances/end-racism-day
-- History of the League and the UN: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/The%2520League%2520and%2520the%2520United%2520Nations.pdf
-- Role of the UN Observer: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/LWVUS%20United%20Nations%20Observer%20Role.pdf
-- Contact the UN Observers at unobserver@lwv.org.
Also World Poetry Day: https://www.un.org/en/events/poetryday/
#OnThisDay in 1918, the Texas Senate (during the 36 legislative sessions) passed HB-105 by a vote of 18-4. The bill granted women the right to vote in (white) Texas Primaries.
The bill was firsts passed in the TX House on March 15, 1918 by a vote of 84-34.
Governor William P. Hobby signed the bill into law on March 26, 1918.
Learn more:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/whatsNew/client/index.cfm/2018/3/20/Votes-for-Women-The-100th-Anniversary-of-Texas-Womens-Suffrage
#OnThisDay in 1972, Congress passed the ERA, but it remains 1 state short of ratification.
#OnThis day in 1971, the 26th Amendment was passed by Congress. This amendment was enacted in response to Vietnam War protests, which argued that soldiers who were old enough to fight for their country should be granted the right to vote.‘
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed to the states) on March 23, 1971, and ratified on July 1, 1971.
Resources:
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Today is Slavery Remembrance Day. “For over 400 years, more than 15 million men, women and children were the victims of the tragic transatlantic slave trade, one of the darkest chapters in human history.”
Learn about the Ark of Return, which is the permanent memorial designed by Rodney Leon (a decedent of a former slave) that sits on the grounds of the United Nations headquarters.
Resources:
-- About Slavery Remembrance Day: https://www.un.org/en/events/slaveryremembranceday
-- Ark of Return Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx-gnst3mC8
-- History of the League and the UN: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/The%2520League%2520and%2520the%2520United%2520Nations.pdf
-- Role of the UN Observer: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/LWVUS%20United%20Nations%20Observer%20Role.pdf
-- Contact the UN Observers at unobserver@lwv.org.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Virginia Louisa Minor, born in 1824. Virginia was the plaintiff in the Minor v. Happersett case that was unsuccessful in arguing that the 14th Amendment gave women the right to vote.
The Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) in 1874 ruled in a unanimous decision that the 14th Amendment did not guarantee women the right to vote.
The 19th Amendment overruled Minor v. Happersett by prohibiting discrimination in voting rights based on sex. #VotingRights
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/the-virginia-minor-case.htm
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Wilhelmina Kekelaokalaninui Widemann Dowsett.
Learn more:
-- https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelmina_Kekelaokalaninui_Widemann_Dowsett
#OnThisDay in 1961: Residents of Washington, D.C. were granted the right to vote in U.S. Presidential Elections. The 23rd Amendment extends the right to vote in presidential elections to citizens residing in the District of Columbia. The amendment grants the district electors in the Electoral College as though it were a state, though the district can never have more electors than the least-populous state.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed to the states) on June 16, 1960, and ratified March 29, 1961.
#OnThisDay in 1875, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled in a unanimous decision that the 14th Amendment did not guarantee women the right to vote.
The 19th Amendment overruled Minor v. Happersett by prohibiting discrimination in voting rights based on sex.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/the-virginia-minor-case.htm
-- US Courts: https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/annual-observances/law-day
-- LOC: https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep088/usrep088162/usrep088162.pdf
One of the most iconic labor organizers and civil rights activists in American history, Cesar Chavez (1927-1993) co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) with fellow organizer Dolores Huerta in 1962. Originally of Mexican-American origin, Chavez was a farm worker himself before turning to activism and securing official recognition for UFW as the collective bargaining agent for 50,000 field workers in California and Florida during the 1970s. Renowned for his grassroots approach to labor activism and Hispanic empowerment, Chavez is credited with popularizing the slogan "Si, se puede" ("Yes we can") and was awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 1994. In 2014 President Barack Obama proclaimed March 31 as a federal commemorative holiday in the United States, marking the date of Chavez‘s birth. Numerous American parks, streets, and schools throughout the country bear his name.
#On this day in 1944, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) decision in Smith v. Allwright ruled the so-called "white primary" unconstitutional. The case originated in 1940 when Houston dentist Lonnie E. Smith attempted to vote in the Democratic primary in Harris County and was denied a ballot.
The number of African Americans registered to vote in Texas increased from 30,000 in 1940 to 100,000 in 1947.
Learn more:
-- @TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wdw01
-- NAACP: https://www.naacpldf.org/case-issue/landmark-smith-v-allwright
-- UT: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
-- LOC: https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep321/usrep321649/usrep321649.pdf
Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was an American author, poet, dancer, actress and singer. She was active in the Civil Rights Movement and worked with Martin Luther King, James Baldwin, and Malcolm X. Prior to becoming a writer, Angelou spent much of her young life as a dancer, before turning to organizing and activism at the start of the 1960s. After spending three years as a journalist in Ghana, Angelou moved back to the United States in 1965 and collaborated closely with many of the leading civil rights figures of the time. Angelou‘s first breakthrough came in 1969 when she published her first autobiography "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," which brought global acclaim. Angelou would go on to spend the next 45 years as an internationally renowned lecturer, teacher, writer, composer, performer, and director, becoming one of America‘s literary and artistic legends.
#OnThisDay, Jeannette Pickering Rankin was sworn in as the 1st woman elected to Congress. Rankin was an American politician and women‘s rights advocate, and the first woman to hold federal office in the United States. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican from Montana in 1916, and again in 1940.
A suffragist during the Progressive Era, Rankin organized and lobbied for legislation enfranchising women in several states including Montana, New York, and North Dakota. During her victory speech following her first election to the House of Representatives, she recognized the power she held as the only woman able to vote in Congress saying, "I am deeply conscious of the responsibility resting upon me".[1] While in Congress, she introduced legislation similar to what would eventually became the 19th Constitutional Amendment, granting unrestricted voting rights to women nationwide. She championed the causes of women‘s rights and civil rights throughout a career that spanned more than six decades.
Learn more:
PBS - @unladylike2020: https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jeannette-rankin/
#OnThisDay 1893, ten Texas women, mostly members of the Woman‘s Christian Temperance Union, issued a call for a statewide woman suffrage convention. The Texas Equal Rights Association, the first such statewide organization, was chartered at the ensuing three-day convention in Dallas. Internal dissension plagued the TERA, which had been organized as a branch of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, and it ceased to operate by 1896. In 1903 Annette Finnigan helped organize a successor organization, the Texas Equal Suffrage Association, which helped lead the long and ultimately successful fight for woman suffrage. Texas women were finally granted the right to vote in primary elections in 1918, and in June 1919 Texas became the ninth state (and the first in the south) to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which extended full suffrage to women.
Learn more:
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vit02
#OnThisDay, congress overrode a veto by President Andrew Johnson and enacted into law the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1866, which defined citizenship and affirm that all citizens are equally protected by the law. The CRA of 1866 was enacted post Civil War to protect the civil rights of persons of African descent born in or brought to the US. #CivilRights
Congress passed the act on March 13, 1866.
President Andrew Johnson vetoed the act on March 27, 1866
Congress overrode the veto and enacted the CRA on April 9, 1866
Congress passed the bill to support the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
Johnson‘s Veto: https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/march-27-1866-veto-message-civil-rights-legislation
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Fannie Coralie Perkins (Francis Perkins), born on this day in1880. Fannie was a workers-rights advocate and the first woman to serve in a US president‘s cabinet. She served as Franklin D. Roosevelt‘s Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945, the longest-serving in that position. In addition, she was the first LGBTQ person to serve in the U.S. Cabinet.
Learn more:
-- FPC: https://francesperkinscenter.org/life-new/
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/lgbtqheritage/upload/lgbtqtheme-preservation.pdf
-- CU: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/digital/collections/nny/perkinsf/profile.html
-- NPR: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102959041
#OnThis Day, Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin. #CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (formed the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
-- Johnson Library: http://www.lbjlibrary.org/exhibits/civil-rights
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/summer/civil-rights-act-1.html
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Emancipation Day is an American holiday celebrated in the District of Columbia (Washington, DC) each year on April 16th. It marks the day US President Abraham Lincoln signed the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act in 1862, which granted freedom to more than 3,000 slaves in the nation‘s capital, nine months before Lincoln issued his broader Emancipation Proclamation freeing 3.5 million slaves in the rebel-held American South. Three years later, the United States ratified the 13th Amendment, which formally outlawed slavery. In 2005, Washington DC Mayor Anthony Williams signed legislation making Emancipation Day an official public holiday, which is also observed by the federal government.
#OnThisDay in 1954, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) extended constitutional rights to Mexican Americans in the landmark civil rights case Hernandez v. Texas.
Learn more: https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/artifacts/hernandez-v-texas-spotlight-050115
#OnThisDay in 1882 Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The 1882 Act was the first US history to place broad restrictions on immigration.
Timeline:
1882 - Arthur signs Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
Prevents Chinese nationals from eligibility for US citizenship (scheduled to last 10 yrs)
1892 - Harrison signs the Geary Act
Renews Chinese Exclusion act of 1882 (extends for 10 additional years and in 1902 indefinitely extended)
1943 - Roosevelt signs the Magnuson Act
Repeals the Chinese Exclusion Act leaving a yearly limit of 105 Chinese and gives foreign-born Chinese the right to seek naturalization
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Resources:
National Archive Chinese Americans: https://www.archives.gov/research/chinese-americans/guide
Chinese Exclusion History: https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/APA/Historical-Essays/Exclusion-and-Empire/First-Arrivals/
Chinese Exclusion Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1866-1898/chinese-immigration
Congress‘ Apology for Chinese Exclusion: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2012-06-18/html/CREC-2012-06-18-pt1-PgH3715-2.htm
Video: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/chinese-exclusion-act/
#OnThisDay, Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1960, which served to eliminate loopholes left by the CRA of 1957. It established federal inspection of voter-registration polls and addressed discriminatory laws and practices in the segregated South that disenfranchised blacks and Hispanics. #CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
--Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/collections/eisenhowercivilrightsfiles
--Eisenhower Library: https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/sites/default/files/research/subject-guides/pdf/civil-rights-guide-to-studies.pdf
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
#OnThisDay, the Texas Equal Rights Association (TERA), the first statewide female suffrage organization, was founded in the Grand Windsor in Dallas on May 10, 1893. The TERA was committed to securing voting and political rights for women on the same terms as men, including the right to hold political office and serve on juries.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vit02
#EqualRights #CivilRights #VotingRights
#OnThisDay in 1954, the Supreme Court of the US ruled in a unanimous decision that school segregation violated the Equal Protection and Due Process clauses of the 14th Amendment.
Brown v. Board of Education was a consolidation of five cases. The ruling effectively ending racial segregation in public schools. Many schools, however, remained segregated.
Learn more:
-- Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/brown_vs_boe
-- US Courts: https://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/history-brown-v-board-education-re-enactment
-- Library of Congress https://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep347/usrep347483/usrep347483.pdf
-- Video: https://www.loc.gov/item/mbrs01856600/
-- Image: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-brown.html
#OnThisDay in 1896, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled 7-1 that segregation was legal and constitutional as long as "facilities were equal"—the famous "separate but equal" segregation policy.
The Plessy v. Ferguson decision provided legal justification for segregation until it was overruled by Brown v. the Board of Education in 1954.
Resources:
Library of Congress: Plessy v. Ferguson: https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/plessy.html
Library of Congress: Brown v. Board of Education: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-brown.html
#OnThisDay in 1993 Clinton signed the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (also referred to as the Motor Voter Act). The bill advanced voting rights, including (but not limited to) requiring states to offer voter registration opportunities to eligible persons during driver’s license renewal.
Timeline:
1990 - LWV convenes a symposium to examine the role of negative campaigning in the decline in voter participation. The symposium leads to a comprehensive effort to return the voter to the center of the election process. LWV works with a coalition of partners to support legislation reforming voter registration.
1992 - Congress passes the NVRA of 1992
1992 - Bush vetoes the bill
1992 - Congress fails to override the veto
1993 - Congress passes the NVRA of 1993
1993 - Clinton signs the bill into law
Resources:
-- LWV 2018-2020 Impact report: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-04/LWV%202018-20%20Impact%20on%20Issues.pdf#page=15
-- LWV Celebrates NVRA 27 Anniversary: https://www.lwv.org/blog/honoring-27th-anniversary-national-voter-registration-act
-- Bush‘s comments regarding NVRA of 1992: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/message-the-senate-returning-without-approval-the-national-voter-registration-act-1992
-- Clinton‘s comment regarding NVRA of 1993: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-signing-the-national-voter-registration-act-1993
-- US Justice Department: https://www.justice.gov/crt/about-national-voter-registration-act
On May 24, Coolidge signed the Immigration Act of 1924 (also referred to as the Johnson-Reed Act), which implemented a national quota system that limited the number of immigrants allowed into the US, and it excluded immigrants from Asia.
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act
Prevents immigration from Asia and establishes a quotas system
1952 - Truman vetoes McCarran-Walter Act (veto overridden by Congress)
Eliminates Asian exclusion and establishes a preference system for desirable ethnic groups
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Note: See https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline for a description of immigration laws before 1924
Resources:
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965
Coolidge’s Comments regarding Immigration: https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/were-all-in-the-same-boat-now-coolidge-on-immigration
Truman’s Veto Comments: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/public/Immigration_TrumanVeto.pdf
Johnson’s INA Signing Comments:http://www.lbjlibrary.org/lyndon-baines-johnson/timeline/lbj-on-immigration
Images:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gQD4VFtai7I0K47-d3F58Ffp9wn0fNzh
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1bfzS8eAMFA89LTE_gU3VkTZyxH5qV9Y1
#OnThisDay in 1924, Coolidge signed the Indian Citizenship Act (also known as the Snyder Act), which granted all Native Americans citizenship and the right to vote regardless of tribal affiliation. As history has shown, having the right to vote does not always equate to having the ability to vote. Learn about hurdles that suppress the Native American vote: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/voting-rights/how-the-native-american-vote-continues-to-be-suppressed/
Resources:
Native American Voting Rights Act (Introduced 2019)
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1694/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22H.+R.+83%22%5D%7D&r=62&s=1
LWV Endorsement of Native American Voting Rights Act
https://www.lwv.org/expanding-voter-access/league-endorses-native-american-voting-rights-act-2019
Voting Rights for Native Americans: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-native-americans.html
https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/every-native-american-a-citizen/
Timeline https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline
https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-native-americans.html
#OnThisDay in 1919, Congress passed (proposed for ratification) the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. The amendment was ratified by the states on August 18, 1920.
http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
Learn more:
National Women’s History Museum: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Today marks the death of Harriet Forten Purvis (1810-1875). Typically, we ask you to join in the celebration of a birth, but Harriet’s birthday is unknown, but her contributions to the rights we enjoy today are worthy of remembrance. Improving the civil and voting rights of others was a family tradition for Harriet and her relatives:
** Daughter of Charlotte Valdine Forten (1st generation suffragist)
** Sister of Sarah Forten Purvis and Margaret Forten (2nd generation suffragists)
** Mother to Hattie Purvis (3rd generation suffragist)
** Aunt of Charlotte Forten Grimke (3rd generation suffragist)
** Wife of Robert Purvis Sr ** (instrumental in development of the Underground Railroad)
Learn more:
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/more-to-the-movement/harriet-forten-purvis/
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- Turning Point: https://suffragistmemorial.org/harriet-forten-purvis-1810-1875/
-- Women History: https://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2016/08/harriet-forten-purvis.html
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Jeannette Pickering Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress.
Learn more:
-- PBS - @unladylike2020: https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jeannette-rankin/
-- House History: https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/R/RANKIN,-Jeannette-(R000055)
Faslane Peace Camp is a permanent peace camp situated next to the Faslane Naval Base in Scotland. Set up on this date in 1982, the camp is the world‘s longest-running active demonstration site and was originally set up as part of the anti-nuclear weapons movements of the 1980s.
#OnThisDay in 1866, Congress passed (proposed) the 14th Amendment, which granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former and recently freed slaves. In addition, it forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) 0n June 13, 1866 and ratified July 9, 1868.
Resources:
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Join us in celebrating the birthday. Miriam was the 1st woman elected as Governor of Texas.
Learn more:
-- https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffe06
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/lkj01
JUNETEENTH. On June 19 ("Juneteenth"), 1865, Union general Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and issued General Order Number 3, which read, "The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juneteenth
Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, is an American holiday that commemorates the June 19, 1865, announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. state of Texas, and more generally the emancipation of enslaved African Americans throughout the former Confederate States of America. Its name is a portmanteau of "June" and "nineteenth", the date of its celebration.[1][2] Juneteenth is recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in forty-five states.[3]
Today it is observed primarily in local celebrations. Traditions include public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, singing traditional songs such as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing", and reading of works by noted African-American writers such as Ralph Ellison and Maya Angelou.[4] Celebrations may include rodeos, street fairs, cookouts, family reunions, park parties, historical reenactments, or Miss Juneteenth contests.[5] The Mascogos, descendants of Black Seminoles, of Coahuila, Mexico also celebrate Juneteenth.[6]
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal of VRA
Nixon signs 5-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on June 22, 1970. The VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1919, the TX Leg meets in a special session to consider ratification of the 19th Amendment.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919. #100YearsStrong
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
-- Leg Reference Libary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/govdocs/William%20P%20Hobby/1919/36-2proc.pdf 01
#OnThisDay in 1919, the Texas House adopts a resolution to ratify the 19th Amendment.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay in 2013, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled 5-4 that Section 4(b) of the Voters Right Act (VRA) was unconstitutional because the coverage formula was outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable until Congress agrees on a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
Timeline:
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples under the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution. The product of a three-year court battle challenging state-level bans on same-sex marriage, the landmark decision by the Supreme Court in Obergefell v. Hodges requires all US states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, while recognising same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, officially making marriage equality the law of the land across the United States and its territories.
#OnThisDay in 1918, Hortense Sparks Ward became the first woman in Harris County history to register to vote. Born in Matagorda County in 1872, she married Houston lawyer William Henry Ward in 1908. In 1910 she became one of the first women admitted to the Texas state bar (after Edith Locke in 1902 and Alice Tiernan in 1909).
Ward worked tirelessly in support of women’s rights and penned moving newspaper essays and pamphlets for that cause. She was instrumental in the passage of the Married Woman’s Property Law of 1913 by the Texas Legislature, and she campaigned with suffragist Minnie Fisher Cunningham for enfranchisement.
Texas women won an important victory in 1918 when the legislature permitted them to vote in primary elections. In a short span of less than three weeks, 386,000 women across the state registered to vote, and Hortense Ward led the way.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwa83
#OnThisDay in 1952, Congress passed into law (overriding a veto by Truman) the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1952, which abolished racial restrictions for immigration and naturalization but kept the national origins quota system established in the Immigration act of 1924
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act: Prevented immigration from Asia, set quotas on the number of immigrants from the Eastern Hemisphere)
1952 - Truman vetoes (veto overridden by Congress) McCarran-Walter Act: Eliminated Asian exclusion and established a preference system that determined which ethnic groups were desirable immigrants
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act: Eliminated policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Learn more: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965/
Join us in commemorating the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, which became a watershed moment for gay rights. After Stonewall, gay-right groups formed in cities across American, Canada, Australia, and Europe. In June 1970, the first public gay-pride marches took place commemorating the one-year anniversary of the uprising. #PRIDE #CivilRights #Intersectional
Learn more:
--Time: https://buff.ly/35HzdQl
-- PBS: https://buff.ly/2PrCqeP
-- LOC: https://buff.ly/3heGM6w
-- Video of 1st Pride March: https://www.loc.gov/item/mbrs01991430/
Go here to see the LWVTX’s position on Equal Opportunity: https://buff.ly/2NlG5wL
In addition, see the position update report from the 2020 LWVTX convening to see how the League’s positions are evolving. https://buff.ly/2YFYb14
#OnThisDay in 1919, the Texas Senate approved ratification of the 19th Amendment. Texas became the 9th state in the US and the 1st state in the South to approve ratification.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919. #100YearsStrong
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay, Reagan signs a 25-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on June 29, 1982. The renewal extended for 25 years the Section 5 preclearance provision and extended the requirement for bilingual elections for 10 years. The VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1971, the 26th Amendment was ratified, giving adults aged 18 through 21 the right to vote. The 26th Amendment was enacted in response to Vietnam War protestors who argued that soldiers who were old enough to fight/die for their country should be old enough to vote.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on March 23, 1971, and ratified on July 1, 1971.
Learn more:
-- National Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xxvi
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
#OnThis Day, Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It prohibits unequal application of voter registration requirements, and racial segregation in schools, employment, and public accommodations.
#CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
-- Johnson Library: http://www.lbjlibrary.org/exhibits/civil-rights
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/summer/civil-rights-act-1.html
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Join us celebrating the birthday of Gertrude Bustill Mosell. Gertrude wrote a weekly advice column, "Our Women‘s Department," which was the 1st women‘s column in the history of the African-American press. She fought for equal rights and encouraged women to join the suffragist movement.
Learn more:
-- Article: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
-- Book: https://books.google.com/books?id=CHx5tY6wQSMC&pg=PA37&lpg=PA37&dq=Gertrude+Bustill+Mossell&source=bl&ots=W1sLIooEOO&sig=ACfU3U1M6Q9DfnX2OJmLRn4pJBdGJaT7yQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi1hL-J18zpAhURC6wKHbR1CXc4FBDoATAFegQICRAB#v=onepage&q=Gertrude%20Bustill%20Mossell&f=false
-- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Bustill_Mossell
-- Penn University Archive: https://archives.upenn.edu/collections/finding-aid/upt50m913
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/african-american-women-and-the-nineteenth-amendment.htm
The 4th of July marks the birth of the United States of America as a nation, recalling the Declaration of Independence made in 1776. The Continental Congress of the thirteen American colonies had actually passed a resolution of independence from the British Empire on July 2nd, but subsequently debated the additional declaration which explained its decision. The American Revolution had already been underway since 1775, and continued to 1783 in victory for the new United States.
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Jenny Bland Beauchamp. She wrote one of the first articles on woman suffrage published in Texas.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbeaj
#OnThisDay in 1868, Titus H. Mundine was the 1st Texas legislator to propose the enfranchisement of women and African Americans.
"Every person, without distinction of sex, who shall have arrived at the age of twenty-one years...shall be deemed a qualified elector." -- Titus H. Mundine
Learn More:
Titus – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmuvf
1868-69 Constitutional Convention – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/mjc04
Woman Suffrage – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay in 1868, the 14th Amendment was ratified. It granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former and recently freed slaves. In addition, it forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on June 13, 1866 and ratified on July 9, 1868.
Resources:
National Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xiv
National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Mary McLeod Bethune (Birthday)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary MCLeod Bethune who contributed to the women’s suffrage movement through her activism and writing.
Learn more:
NPS: https://www.nps.gov/mamc/learn/historyculture/mary-mcleod-bethune.htm
Women‘s Vote: https://www.womensvote100.org/the-suff-buffs-blog/2020/5/4/mary-mcleod-bethune-true-democracy-and-the-fight-for-universal-suffrage?fbclid=IwAR2sHG_Gb3ue4UpAFdSYiWe95TNmK0HJE-_pnIiWUwYVp88PNlRd9Hu9SHg
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Ida Wells Barnett. Ida was a civil rights activist and founded the Alpha Suffrage Club in 1913. She criticized mainstream (white) suffrage organizations for their exclusion of women of color. During the 1913 Women‘s March on Washington, Wells and other African-American women were told to march at the back of the procession. Wells refused, waiting until the procession started and then joining the block of women that represented her state.
Learn more:
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fySmIinC0MU&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR3orBtlRs5Vhx0pCTMSgBTd6jU4wZ-xCXOv_9WVKweq8RGPZ8rWDuNR6kE
-- Hidden Figures: https://buff.ly/2TPhL88
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Time Mag: https://time.com/5792441/the-suffragists-100-women-of-the-year/
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://buff.ly/2Xd2mjQ
-- PBS: https://buff.ly/2Ag4b7c (1 hr 9 minutes in)
-- Ida‘s Writing; https://buff.ly/2Uv75vG
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Alice Dunbar Nelson. Alice was active in the emerging civil rights and woman suffrage movements. In 1915, she was the field organizer for the Middle Atlantic States in the campaign for women‘s suffrage. During World War I, Dunbar-Nelson served as a field representative of the Woman‘s Committee of the Council of National Defense.
Learn more:
-- University of Delaware Library: http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/findaids/dunbarne.html
-- Smithsonian: https://blog.library.si.edu/blog/2020/03/12/an-unsung-legacy-the-work-and-activism-of-alice-dunbar-nelson/#.XsnsXmhKhPY
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- Black History: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/dunbar-nelson-alice-ruth-moore-1875-1935/
#OnThisDay in 1848, the 1st women‘s rights convention was held in the US. It took place in Seneca Falls, New York. The meeting launched the women’s suffrage movement.
Learn more:
-- Constitutional Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/on-this-day-the-seneca-falls-convention-begins
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/july-19/
-- White House Archive: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/find-the-sentiments
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
Celebration of signing of ADA
#OnThisDay, Bush signs the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1964, which made discrimination based on race, religion, sex, national origin, and other characteristics illegal. In addition, unlike the CRA, the ADA also requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities and imposes accessibility requirements on public accommodations.
#OnThisDay, Bush signs a 25-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on Juyly 22, 2006.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lucy Burns. Lucy was an American suffragist and women‘s rights activist. She spent more time in prison because of her activism than any other American woman suffragist. She and Alice Paul were co-founders of the National Woman‘s Party.
Learn more:
National Parks Service: https://www.nps.gov/people/lucy-burns.htm
Watch Iron Jawed Angels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzoXTo4-hws
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mariana Thompson Folsom. Mariana was a leader in the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWS) and asked Lucy Stone in 1885 for assistance in establishing a state (Texas) suffrage society.
Learn more:
-- TSHA History: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffo43
-- TSHA Image: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/folsom-lecture.html
-- Unitarian Oral History: http://www.liveoakuu.org/services/rev-mariana-thompson-folsom-1845-1909/
-- Bullock Museum: https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/artifacts/what-is-feminine
-- TSL - Personal Diary Entry: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/mariana-diary.html
-- TSL - Letter from Lucy Stone: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/stone-folsom-1.html
#OnThisDay in 1965, Johnson signed the Voter Rights Act (VRA). In addition on this same day in 1975, Ford signs a 7-yr renewal. The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
** UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” Consequently, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula. **
Timeline:
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1965, Johnson signed the Voter Rights Act (VRA). The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
** UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” Consequently, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula. **
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
History: https://www.justice.gov/crt/history-federal-voting-rights-laws Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA87JWa0bEw
Video: https://storycorps.org/stories/ellie-dahmer-and-bettie-dahmer-170113/
Aug 6, 1965: Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights movement on August 6, 1965, and
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lucy Stone. Lucy was a leading suffragist who dedicated her life to fighting inequality. She was the first Massachusetts woman to earn a college degree. Lucy organized the first National Women’s Rights Convention in Worcester, Massachusetts, and she was a founding member of the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), which would later merge with the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucy-stone
-- Video: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d
-- History: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Charlotte Forten Grimké. Charlotte was a 3rd-generation suffragist and equal rights advocate. She is a reminder that we make progress by standing on the shoulders of others, and that it can take multiple generations to right wrongs.
** Granddaughter of Charlotte Vandine Forten **
** Daughter of Robert Bridges Forten **
** Niece of Margaret, Harriet, and Sarah Forten **
Learn more:
-- National History Center: http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai/identity/text3/charlottefortenjournal.pdf
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- NPS (19th Amendment): https://www.nps.gov/articles/african-american-women-and-the-nineteenth-amendment.htm
-- NPS (Voting Rights): https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Journals of Charlotte Forten Grimke: https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/3uHylBU24jMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PP1
-- Muse: https://muse.jhu.edu/chapter/1945821
-- Beltway Poetry: http://www.beltwaypoetry.com/poetry/poets/names/grimke-charlotte-forten/
#OnThisDay, 1920 the 19th Amendment was ratified, granting women the right to vote. This amendment prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex. The ratification was the culmination of the women‘s suffrage movement in the United States, which fought at both state and national levels to achieve the vote.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920.
Learn more:
-- National Women’s History Museum: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Annie Webb Blanton, teacher, suffragist, and the first woman in Texas elected to statewide office, was born Aug 19, 1870, in Houston.
In the July 1918 primary, when Texas women exercised their voting rights for the first time, Blanton defeated incumbent Walter F. Doughty and Brandon Trussell by a large margin. In November, her victory in the general election made her the first woman in Texas elected to statewide office. She served as state superintendent through 1922.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbl16
-- Humanities Texas https://www.humanitiestexas.org/programs/tx-originals/list/annie-webb-blanton
"The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote nationally on August 18, 1920, so why is Women’s Equality Day on August 26th each year?
The simple answer is that even when a constitutional amendment has been ratified it’s not official until it has been certified by the correct government official. In 1920, that official was U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby. On August 26, 1920, Colby signed a proclamation behind closed doors at 8 a.m. at his own house in Washington, D.C, ending a struggle for the vote that started a century earlier." -- Constitution Center
The first executive secretary of the League of Women Voters, Minnie Fisher Cunningham, was a Texan who, among many other notable achievements, worked for the passage of the 19th Amendment in Texas and nationally.
Learn more:
-- Alice Paul Org: https://www.alicepaul.org/2020-exhibition/
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/why-august-26-is-known-as-womans-equality-day
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/collections/women-of-protest/articles-and-essays/tactics-and-techniques-of-the-national-womans-party-suffrage-campaign/
-- NCSL: https://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/amending-the-u-s-constitution.aspx
Image: https://www.alicepaul.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/5_Suffragist_Cover_1920.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1962, the 24th Amendment, which prohibited the use or a poll tax as a condition for voting in federal elections, was passed by Congress. #SystemicRacism
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) to the states on August 27, 1962, and ratified on January 23, 1964.
“After nearly disappearing in the states, a repurposed poll tax returned as part of a successful effort to undermine the Fifteenth Amendment and reestablish limits on the franchise. Beginning in Florida in 1889, all the former Confederate States, and a few others, instituted a suite of changes to voting laws as a part of this effort. They introduced literacy tests and disqualified convicted felons from voting. They also resurrected poll taxes. The historical record is filled with racially derogatory statements from delegates at State constitutional conventions who believed poll taxes and other devices would suppress Black voter registration and turnout.”
“The Supreme Court repeatedly affirmed the constitutionality of poll taxes. In its 1937 opinion in Breedlove v. Suttles, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected a claim from a white Georgia voter that the poll tax violated the Equal Protection Clause. In 1951, it rejected a similar claim challenging Virginia’s poll tax in Butler v. Thompson.” -- Constitution Center #CheckAndBalances #3Branches
Resources:
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xxiv
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- US House: https://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/37045
-- Breedlove v. Suttles: https://perma.cc/6G6H-6U4T
-- Butler v. Thompson: https://perma.cc/V4JP-TYHY
#OnThisDay in 1963, approximately 250,000 people took part in The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Martin Luther King gave the closing address in front of the Lincoln Memorial:
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
Learn more:
-- King Institute: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/i-have-dream-address-delivered-march-washington-jobs-and-freedom
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=173&v=smEqnnklfYs&feature=emb_logo
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/10-fascinating-facts-about-the-i-have-a-dream-speech
-- Civil Rights Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/march_on_washington
#OnThisDay in 1983, the 68th Texas legislature passed HB718, which abolished the life-time voting ban on ex-felons, but included a 5-yr waiting period before ex-felons would become eligible to vote.
On Sept 1, 1997, the 75th Texas legislature passed HB1001 eliminated the 5-yr waiting period.
Learn more:
-- TSLL: https://guides.sll.texas.gov/reentry-resources/voting
-- 75th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/Sessionoverviews/summary/75soe.pdf#page=114 (pg. 114)
-- 68th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/sessionOverviews/summary/soe68.pdf#page=82 (pg. 77)
-- HB1001 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/75R/HB1001/HB1001_75R.pdf
-- HB718 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/68R/HB718/HB718_68R.pdf#page=23 (pg. 23)
-- HB718 Election Law Opinion: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- JSTOR: https://www.jstor.org/stable/29768353?read-now=1&seq=4#page_scan_tab_contents (pg. 82)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Myra Davis Hemmings. Hemmings was born in Gonzales, Texas. She was one of the founders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. as well as its first president. The sorority was founded at Howard University in Jan 1913 and its 1st public act was to participate in the Woman Suffrage Procession in Washington, D.C. in Mar of 1913.
Suffragist Mary Church Terrell lobbied on behalf of the Deltas to win them a place in the parade, where they were the only African American organization represented. #HiddenFigures
A Texas Historical Marker dedicated to Myra resides at the Myra Davis Hemmings Resource Center in Bexar County, TX.
Photo credit: San Antonio Alumnae Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Learn More:
-- @usgpo: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2013-01-24/html/CREC-2013-01-24-pt1-PgS292.htm
-- @TxHistComm: https://atlas.thc.texas.gov/Details/5507017358/print
-- @TxStHistAssoc: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fhe64
-- @dstinc1913: https://www.deltasigmatheta.org
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lulu Belle Madison White. Lulu Belle was a civil rights activist who worked to eliminate the white primary in the 1930s. In 1939, she became the president of the Houston chapter of the NAACP. After the SCOTUS ruling in 1944 that outlawed the white primary (Smith v. Allwright), she worked tirelessly to encourage voting and educate voters.
Learn more:
-- TSHA Handbook: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwh75
-- TSHA Honest Past (p. 337): https://join.tshaonline.org/ebook-offers/honest-past/SHQ-An-Honest-Past.pdf
-- WTH: https://www.womenintexashistory.org/audio/lulu-belle-madison-white
-- Humanities of TX: https://www.humanitiestexas.org/news/articles/craft-civil-rights
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Ann Richards. In 1976, Ann became the 1st woman elected to the Travis County Commissioners Court. In 1982, Ann became the 1st woman elected as Texas State Treasurer, which was the 1st time a woman had been elected to statewide office in Texas since Miriam Ferguson‘s successful gubernatorial race in 1932--breaking a 50-yr absence of women in statewide leadership. In 1990, Ann became the 2nd woman to serve as governor of Texas since Texas became a state in 1845.
Learn more:
-- https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fri62
#OnThisDay in 1997, the 75th TX legislature, passed HB1001, which amended the Election Code to clarify the voting rights (eligibility) of fully discharged ex-felons, and it eliminated the 5-year waiting period established by HB718.
In 1983, the 68th Session of the TX Leg passed HB718, which abolished the life-time voting ban on ex-felons, but included a 5-year waiting period before ex-felons would become eligible to vote.
Learn more:
-- TXSLL: https://guides.sll.texas.gov/reentry-resources/voting
-- TXSOS: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- 75th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/Sessionoverviews/summary/75soe.pdf#page=114 (pg. 114)
-- 68th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/sessionOverviews/summary/soe68.pdf#page=82 (pg. 77)
-- HB1001 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/75R/HB1001/HB1001_75R.pdf
-- HB718 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/68R/HB718/HB718_68R.pdf#page=23 (pg. 23)
-- HB718 Election Law Opinion: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- JSTOR: https://www.jstor.org/stable/29768353?read-now=1&seq=4#page_scan_tab_contents (pg. 82)
This Labor Day we’re recognizing the contributions of laborers by taking a look back at the impact of labor unions on the women’s suffrage movement.
Did you know that middle and upper-class suffragists learned to use parades and picketing from working-class suffragists who were members of labor unions?
“Since the beginning of the women’s rights movement, women who devoted their lives to reform often were middle and upper-class women. Women who worked to support themselves and their families had less time and funds to devote to social movements.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, however, working women began supporting suffrage in greater numbers. They joined labor unions, held strikes for higher pay, and protested for better working conditions. Working women started seeing the vote as a way to gain more political power to further these causes.
Harriot Stanton Blatch, daughter of suffrage leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton, was among the first suffragists to recruit working women to support suffrage. She started collaborating with the Women’s Trade Union League, founded in 1905, to help women form unions and advocate for labor reforms. In 1907, she founded the Equality League of Self-Supporting Women (later called the Women’s Political Union) to attract working women to the suffrage movement. Blatch also wanted to integrate the more aggressive, militant tactics of labor activists—like parades through city streets and speakers on street corners—into the suffrage strategies to attract more publicity. Working women and their experience with the tactics of labor activists proved vital to winning the vote.” Allison Lange, Ph.D. https://www.loc.gov/resource/ggbain.02144/
Learn more:
-- Crusade for the Vote: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/working-women-movement
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/static/collections/women-of-protest/images/tactics.pdf
-- DOL: https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/history
JJoin us in celebrating the birthday of Jovita Idár. Idarwas born in 1885 and was an American journalist and civil rights activist who wrote about the challenges Mexican Americans faced in Texas. Her activism was influenced by the lynching of ethnic-Mexican men in South Texas during the early 20th century. She also used her platform as a journalist to support suffrage.
Learn more:
-- PBS (Unladylike): https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jovita-idar
-- TXWF: https://www.txwf.org/champions-for-change-jovita-idar-and-the-villareal-sisters/
-- Women‘s History: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/jovita-idar
-- TSHA Handbook: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fid03
-- TSHA Honest Past (p. 196): https://join.tshaonline.org/ebook-offers/honest-past/SHQ-An-Honest-Past.pdf
-- Humanities of Texas: https://www.humanitiestexas.org/programs/tx-originals/list/jovita-idar
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
Photo Credit: General Photographs, UTSA Special Collections (@UTSA)
#OnThisDay, Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1957 into law. The act established the Civil Rights Section of the Justice Department and empowered federal prosecutors to obtain court injunctions against interference with the right to vote. #CivilRights #VotingRights
This was the 1st civil rights legislation since Reconstruction (1875).
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
--Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/civil_rights_act_1957
--Eisenhower Library: https://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/383/Civil-Rights-Act-of-1957
--Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Photo credit: Photographs of Official Activities of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953 - 1961, US National Archives .https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7865612 (@USNatArchives)
Today is Constitution and Citizenship Day, so we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all recently naturalized American citizens. We hope an LWV volunteer was present at your naturalization ceremony to assist you with becoming a registered voter.
Learn more:
-- @LWVTexas: https://my.lwv.org/texas/register-vote
-- @librarycongress: https://www.loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/constitution-day.php
-- @uscis: https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/educators/constitution-day-and-citizenship-day
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Burnett Talbert. Mary was an American orator, civil rights activist, and suffragist. She believed that race and gender were unifying factors that could help resolve class issues. Talbert became one of the first women to join the NAACP after its founding in 1909.
#WomenInLeadership
Learn more:
-- https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/mary-burnett-talbert (https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/mary-burnett-talbert/)
-- https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/talbert-mary-b-1866-1923 (https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/talbert-mary-b-1866-1923/)
-- https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-burnett-talbert-september-17-1866-1923 (https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-burnett-talbert-september-17-1866-1923)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Church Terrell. Mary was a civil-rights activist who championed racial equality and women’s suffrage in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Learn more:
-- PBS (@unladylike2020): https://unladylike2020.com/profile/mary-church-terrell-2
-- Womens History (@womenshistory): https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mary-church-terrell
-- LOC (@libraryofcongress): https://crowd.loc.gov/campaigns/mary-church-terrell-advocate-for-african-americans-and-women
-- NPS (@NPS) - https://www.nps.gov/people/mary-church-terrell.htm
-- https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-church-terrell/
LGBT History Month is celebrated every October in United States since 1994. It was first proposed by Missouri high school history teacher Rodney Wilson, who chose October due to the establishment of National Coming Out Day in the late 1980s on October 11. October also marks the first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, which took place in 1979. In addition to LGBT History Month, LGBT Pride Month is also celebrated each year in June to commemorate the Stonewall Riots.
On Oct 3, 1965, Johnson signs the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1965, which amended the 1952 INA by including a provision stating: No person shall receive any preference or priority or be discriminated against in the issuance of an immigrant visa because of the person‘s race, sex, nationality, place of birth, or place of residence.
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act
Prevents immigration from Asia and establishes a quotas system
1952 - Truman vetoes McCarran-Walter Act (veto overridden by Congress)
Eliminates Asian exclusion and establishes a preference system for desirable ethnic groups
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Note: See https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline for a description of immigration laws before 1924
Resources:
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965
Coolidge’s INA Comments: https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/were-all-in-the-same-boat-now-coolidge-on-immigration
Truman’s INA Comments: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/public/Immigration_TrumanVeto.pdf
Johnson’s INA Comments:http://www.lbjlibrary.org/lyndon-baines-johnson/timeline/lbj-on-immigration
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Thomas Mundy Peterson. Thomas, on March 31, 1870 (one day after the ratification of the 15th Amendment) became the first Black American to vote in a U.S. election.
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian: https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2015.190
-- NJ State HIstory; https://nj.gov/state/historical/it-happened-here/ihhnj-er-peterson.pdf
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlC3fsW3rRs
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Ann Shadd Cary.
Learn more: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement/
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Eleanor Roosevelt born on this day in 1884.
After the League of Women Voters was founded in 1920 – the same year that Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for Vice President – she helped establish its policy agenda. As the League’s Vice President of Legislative Affairs, she lobbied for reforms in Congress and worked tirelessly to strengthen women’s role in politics, helping mobilize women voters through the League’s nonpartisan training and lobbying work.
Learn more:
-- LWV: https://www.lwv.org/blog/eleanor-roosevelt-first-lady-league-leader-pioneer
Photo Credit: LC-USZ62-25812, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (@librarycongress)
http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3c08091/
National Coming Out Day (NCOD) is an annual LGBTQ awareness day observed on October 11. The day commemorates the Oct. 11, 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, which included half a million participants.
Learn more:
-- HRC: https://www.hrc.org/resources/the-history-of-coming-out
-- APA: https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/coming-out-day
-- GLAAD: https://www.glaad.org/tags/national-coming-out-day
-- Archive: https://gaycenter.org/archive_item/march-on-washington-for-lesbian-and-gay-rights
-- Image: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc276218
"In 1977 participants at the United Nations International Conference on Discrimination against Indigenous Populations in the Americas proposed that Indigenous Peoples’ Day replace Columbus Day.Indigenous Peoples’ Day recognizes that Native people are the first inhabitants of the Americas, including the lands that later became the United States of America. And it urges Americans to rethink history." https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-indian/2019/10/11/indigenous-peoples-day-2019
The following states and the District of Columbia observe Native American or Indigenous Peoples’ Day, in place of or in addition to Columbus Day:
-- Alabama
-- Alaska
-- District of Columbia
-- Hawaii
-- Idaho
-- Maine
-- Michigan
-- Minnesota
-- New Mexico
-- North Carolina
-- Oklahoma
-- Oregon
-- South Dakota
-- Vermont
-- Wisconsin
The state of Texas does not currently observer Indiginous People day, but the following local jurisdiction have made the change:
-- City of Austin
-- City of Dallas
-- City of San Antonio
-- County of Bexar
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-indian/2019/10/11/indigenous-peoples-day-2019/:
-- PBS: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/npr/2019/10/14/769083847/columbus-day-or-indigenous-peoples-day/
#OnThisDay, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled on a bundle of five cases (known as the Civil Rights Cases), and in an 8-1 decision, the court found the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1875 to be unconstitutional.
The CRA of 1875 was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant and was enacted during Reconstruction in response to civil rights violations against African Americans. The act guaranteed equal treatment in public accommodations and transportation. It also outlawing race-based discrimination in jury duty/selection. The five cases heard by SCOTUS included suites brought forth by African Americans who were denied access to segregated facilities.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources: SCOTUS Ruling:
http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep109/usrep109003/usrep109003.pdf
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
The League of Women Voters of Texas, a nonpartisan political organization, was formed on October 19, 1919, at San Antonio, when the Texas Equal Suffrage Association was dissolved to reorganize for a new purposehttps://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wel05
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Christia Daniel Adair. Christia was an NAACP leader from Houston, worked for full suffrage and was one of the first black women to vote in a Democratic primary after the Supreme Court struck down Texas‘ white primary law in 1944. As executive secretary of the Houston NAACP for 12 years, she and others desegregated the Houston airport, public libraries, city buses, and department store dressing rooms. Despite official harassment, Adair and others rebuilt the Houston NAACP chapter, which grew to 10,000 members.
Learn more:
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fad19
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Nina Otero-Warren. Nina was a civil rights leader, a suffragist, and an advocate for bilingual education.
In 1917, Otero-Warren was selected by Alice Paul to head the New Mexico chapter of the Congressional Union (precursor to the National Woman’s Party). She insisted that suffrage literature be published in both English and Spanish, in order to reach the widest audience.
She was Superintendent of Public Schools in Santa Fe County from 1918 to 1929, working to improve the conditions in rural Hispano and Native American communities. Otero-Warren argued that both Spanish and English be allowed in schools, despite the federal mandate of English-only. Despite losing her political campaign to run for a seat in the US House of Representatives, she remained politically and socially active, and served as the Chairman of New Mexico’s Board of Health; an executive board member of the American Red Cross; and director of an adult literacy program in New Mexico for the Works Projects Administration.
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/people/nina-oter-warren.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Jessie Daniel Ames. Jessie was a suffragist and the founder and first president of the League of Women Voters of Texas.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fam06
Veterans Day, also known as Armistice Day or Rememberance Day in other countries which fought in the First World War, is commemorated on the 11th of November, marking the armistice signed between the Allies and Central Powers. The armistice came into effect at 11am: the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month in 1918. Formerly known as Armistice Day in the United States, the name was changed to Veterans Day in 1954 to honor all those who have served and continue to serve in the United States Armed Forces.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Elizabeth Cady Staton (1st generation suffragists). She was born in 1815 and was one of the speakers and organizers of the Seneca Falls Convention. Elizabeth was a co-founder of the National Woman Suffrage Associate (NWSA), which would later merge with the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
** Mother of Harriet Stanton Blatch (2nd generation suffragist) **
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucy-stone
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d (11 minutes in)
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
-- Seneca Falls Convention:
#OnThisDay, Bush signed the 1991 Civil Rights Act (CRA), which provided the right to trial by jury on discrimination claims. It also added provisions to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that expanded the rights of women and disabled persons. #CivilRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Johnson signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
Bush Library: https://bush41library.tamu.edu/archives/public-papers/3660
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005). Shirley was an educator, activist, and politician who achieved a number of historic 1sts
-- 1968 1st black woman elected to the Congress
-- 1972 1st woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination
-- 1972 1st African American to run for President of the US
Learn more: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/shirley-chisholm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Debra Anne Haaland. Debra and Sharice Davids were the first two Native American women elected to the U.S Congress. Haaland is a member of the Laguna Pueblo people.
Learn more:
-- National Geographic Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T_s36-1hms
-- US House: https://haaland.house.gov/about
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Patsy Takemoto Mink. Patsy was the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-women-got-vote-far-more-complex-story-history-textbooks-reveal-180971869/
-- House History: https://history.house.gov/People/detail/18329
-- NWHF: https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/patsy-takemoto-mink/
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/patsy-mink
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Titus Howard Mundine, who was the 1st Texas Legislator to propose enfranchisement of women and blacks.
"Every person, without distinction of sex, who shall have arrived at the age of twenty-one years...shall be deemed a qualified elector." -- Titus H. Mundine
Learn More:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=5124
-- Titus – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmuvf
-- Woman Suffrage – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Eliza Eubanks Peterson Johnson. Eliza was a suffragist and civil-rights activist.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fjohn
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
-- Austin Library: http://www.austinlibrary.com/ahc/suffrage/early.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Marie Louise Bottineau Baldwin. Marie was a suffragist and lawyer who worked as an advocate for the Ojibwa/Chippewa Nation in Minnesota and North Dakota.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- National Parks Service: https://www.nps.gov/people/marie-louise-bottineau-baldwin.htm
-- MNHS: https://www.mnhs.org/historycenter/activities/museum/votes-for-women/profiles/marie-baldwin
-- National Archive: https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2020/04/02/19th-amendment-at-100-mary-louise-bottineau-baldwin/
-- LWV: https://my.lwv.org/california/diablo-valley/meet-suffragist-marie-louise-bottineau-baldwin
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Ruza Wenclawska (also known as Rose Winslow). Rose was a Polish-American suffragist and trade union organizer. She was a member of the National Women‘s Party and fought for the rights of immigrant and working-class women. Along with Alice Paul, she participated in a hunger strike to bring attention to the suffrage movement.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/collections/women-of-protest/articles-and-essays/selected-leaders-of-the-national-womans-party/officers-and-national-organizers/
-- Turning Point: https://suffragistmemorial.org/rose-winslow-d-1977
-- Historical Snapshot: https://historicalsnaps.com/2018/03/19/rose-winslow-talks-about-her-hunger-strike
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Harriet Taylor Upton. Harriet was a founding member of the National League of Women Voters and the first woman to become a vice-chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d (53 mins in)
-- Upton House: http://www.uptonhouse.org/HTayor.html
-- Ohio History: https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Harriet_T._Upton
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Martha Goodwin Tunstall. Martha became the vice-president from Texas of the newly-formed National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA).
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ftuns
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Jane McCallum. Jane was the first vice president of the League of Women Voters of Texas. She had the longest term as the Secretary of State of Texas.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmc07
-- Texas Secretary as State: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/about/history.shtml
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charlotte Vandine Forten born in 1785.
-- 1st generation American suffragist
-- Mother of the Forten sisters: Margaret, Harriet, and Sarah (2nd generation suffragists)
-- Grandmother of Charlotte Forten Grimké (3rd generation suffragist)
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- Black Suffragette: http://www.blacksuffragette.com/friends
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Lucretia Coffin Mott. Lucretia was a suffragist and human rights activist. She was one of the organizers of the 1st Woman’s Rights Convention Seneca Falls, N.Y.
Learn more:
NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucretia-mott
PBS: Video: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/
NPS: https://www.nps.gov/wori/learn/historyculture/lucretia-mott.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Helen Edmunds Moore. Helen was a nurse, suffragist, and a member of the 41, 42, and 44th legislatures. In the 44 Legislature, she was the only woman.
Learn more:
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/moore-helen-edmunds
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Harriet Staton Blatch (2nd generation suffragists).
Voting rights was a family affair
** Daughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1st generation suffragist)
She founded the Equality League of Self-Supporting Women, later called the Women‘s Political Union, whose membership was based on working women, both professional and industrial. The Equality League initiated the practice of holding suffrage parades and organized the first open-air suffrage rallies in thirty years. As many as 25,000 people marched in these parades.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (28 minutes in)
#OnThisDay the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled on the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case and made a controversial decision that reversed existing campaign finance restrictions and enabled corporations and other outside groups to spend unlimited funds on elections. #DarkMoney
"Prevention of improper corporate influence in the electoral process...is a pillar of our modern democracy" -- LWV Amicus Brief #DarkMoney
"Voters are supposed to be at the center of our political process. For more than two centuries, America’s constitutional democracy has been moving in the direction of broader enfranchisement and more meaningful political participation by American citizens. After the Civil War, the 15th Amendment to the Constitution guaranteed the right to vote to citizens regardless of race or color. The 19th Amendment provided voting rights to women, the 24th to poor citizens and the 26th to young adults.
On the other hand, our Constitution does not reflect a similar solicitude for corporate participation; indeed our constitutional history reflects a growing concern over the influence of corporations, and the distinction between the legal protections afforded to living persons and corporations has been part of our constitutional law from the Founding." -- LWV Commentary on Citizens United
LWVUS Amicus Brief: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/Amicus_cfr.CitizenUnited.pdf
LWVUS Commentary on Citizens United: https://www.lwv.org/money-politics/league-commentary-citizens-united-v-fec-case-supreme-court
Brennan Institute: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/citizens-united-explained
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charles Curtis, of Kaw, Osage, and Pottawatomie ancestry. Curtis was sworn in as the U.S. Senator from Kansas. Charles was also the 1st person of color and 1st person of Native American ancestry to hold the office of vice president under President Hoover.
Learn more:
-- Senate History: https://www.senate.gov/about/officers-staff/vice-president/VP_Charles_Curtis.htm
-- Kansas Historical Society: https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/charles-curtis/12029
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Maud Wood Park. Park was the 1st president of the National League of Women Voters.
Learn more:
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/november-2015-suffragist-of-the-month/
-- Harvard: https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/schlesinger-library/collection/papers-maud-wood-park-in-womans-rights-collection
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=8
Black History Month is celebrated in the United States and Canada each February. Black History Month traces its origins to Negro History Week which was first created in 1926 with the week chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (February 12th) and Frederick Douglass (February 14th). An annual monthlong celebration of black history was later proposed by students and educators at Kent State University in 1969, and adopted one year later. By the mid-1970s, Black History Month was celebrated across the United States and officially recognized by US President Gerald Ford in 1976. Originally intended to celebrate black history and culture in the United States, Black History Month has since spread to Canada, as well as the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands, where it is celebrated in October.
#OnThisDay in 1870, the 15th Amendment, which granted black men the right to vote, was ratified. Unfortunately, Southern states continued to disenfranchise black voters through the use of poll taxes, literacy tests, threats of physical harm, etc. Therefore, the promise of the 15th Amendment was not fully realized until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965--almost a century later.
The amendment was passed (proposed) by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870.
Learn more:
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- LOC: http://www.loc.gov/rr//program/bib/ourdocs/15thamendment.html
-- Teaching resources: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-african-americans.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Juanita Jewel Craft. Juanita and Lulu Belle White of Houston organized 182 branches of the NAACP in Texas over a period of eleven years. Following the Smith v. Allwright ruling, in 1944 Juanita became the first black woman in Dallas County to vote in the Democratic Party primary. In 1946, she was the first black woman deputized in the state to collect the poll tax. Juanita was also a member of the League of Women Voters of Texas.
The Smith v. Allwright U.S. case ended the white primary.
Learn More:
-- http://www.juanitacrafthouse.org/
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fcr59
-- TxPolProject - Smith v. Allwright: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lawrence Aaron Nixon. Lawrence...
The Smith v. Allwright case ended the white primary, which suppressed the Black vote.
Learn More:
-- @TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fni10
-- @TxPolProject - White Primary: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Adella Hunt Logan.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Nellie May Quande. “In 1913, Nellie Quander, president of the nation‘s oldest Black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, wrote to Alice Paul, chair for a major upcoming Washington, D.C., parade, planned to attract national attention for the cause on the day before the inauguration of President Woodrow Wilson. "We do not wish to enter if we must meet with discrimination on account of race affiliation," Quander wrote. "Can you assign us to a desirable place in the college women‘s section?”
Learn more:
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/new-tactics-for-a-new-generation-1890-1915/new-tactics-and-renewed-confrontation/howard-university-sorority-seeks-assurances-of-nondiscrimination
-- Smithsonian: https://womenshistory.si.edu/news/2020/08/19suffragestories-countdown-stories-14-10
-- Facing History:
https://facingtoday.facinghistory.org/suffrage-and-sisterhood-the-origins-and-impact-of-black-sororities
#OnThisDay in 1909, the NAACP was founded. The NAACP is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation.
Mission: To ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.
Learn more:
-- NAACP: https://naacp.org/nations-premier-civil-rights-organization/
-- TSHA: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/national-association-for-the-advancement-of-colored-people
-- UW: https://depts.washington.edu/moves/NAACP_intro.shtml
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Fannie Barrier Williams. Fannie was an educator, political activist, and women’s rights advocate. In 1907, she was the only Black woman to eulogize Susan B. Anthony at the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) convention. Also, she helped found the NAACP in 1909.
Learn more:
-- BlackPast: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/williams-fannie-barrier-1855-1944/
-- ISU: https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/directory/frances-barrier-williams/
-- RRLC: https://rrlc.org/winningthevote/biographies/fannie-barrier-williams/
-- SPC: https://www.splcenter.org/news/2019/06/01/weekend-read-challenging-whitewashed-history-womens-suffrage/
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/more-to-the-movement/fannie-barrier-williams/
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Anna Howard Shaw.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (1 hr in)
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charlotta Spears Bass, who was born on this day in 1874. Charlotta was an educator, newspaper publisher, civil-rights and voting-rights activist. She was also the first Black woman to own and operate a newspaper in the United States and the first Black woman nominated for Vice President.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/people/charlottabass.htm
-- Black Past; https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/bass-charlotta-1879-1969/
-- South California Library: https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf6c60052d/
#OnThisDay in 1920, the League of Women Voters was founded. Carrie Chapman Catt shared the following about the founding: "Is the (League) political? Certainly, but not partisan. Its members are as free as other women to join and vote with the party of their choice. They make no pledge otherwise in joining the League."
Mission: Empowering voters. Defending democracy.
Learn more: https://www.lwv.org/league-women-voters-through-decades
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Susan B. Anthony (1st generation suffragists). She was born in 1820. Susan was a co-founder of the National Woman Suffrage Associate (NWSA), which would later merge with the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
**Susan died in 1906, 14 years before women were given the right to vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. **
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/susan-b-anthony
-- @susanbhouse: https://susanb.org/her-life/
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
-- Seneca Falls Convention:
#OnThisDay in 1929, LULAC was founded. LULAC is the oldest and largest continuously active Latino political association in the US.
Mission: To advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, housing, health and civil rights of the Hispanic population of the United States.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wel01
Join us commemorating the life of Frederick Douglass (1818 - 1895)."Frederick was one of the few men present at the woman‘s rights convention held at Seneca Falls, New York, in July 1848.
Learn more:
-- Blackpast: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/1888-frederick-douglass-woman-suffrage/
-- Smithsonian: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hidden-history-anna-murray-douglass-180968324/
#BHM
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Zitkala-Sa (Red Bird). "Zitkala-Ša joined the Society of American Indians, a group founded in 1911 with the purpose of preserving traditional Native American culture while also lobbying for full American citizenship."
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/people/zitkala-sa.htm
Photo: https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_S_NPG.79.26?destination=edan-search/default_search%3Freturn_all%3D1%26edan_q%3DZitkala%2520Sa
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Rosalie Gardiner Jones. In December of 1912, over 200 women joined Rosalie for parts of a 140-mile march from New York City to Albany to support women‘s suffrage. During the march, the women stopped to hold open-air meetings and distribute pamphlets in communities along the way.
Learn More:
-- PBS Doc: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (1 hr 16 mins in)
-- New York Heritage: https://nyheritage.org/exhibits/recognizing-womens-right-vote/%E2%80%9Cgeneral%E2%80%9D-rosalie-jones-and-suffrage-hikes
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/people/dr-general-rosalie-jones.htm
#OnThisDay in 1869, Congress passed (proposed) the 15th Amendment, which granted Black male citizens the right to vote.“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 race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
The amendment was passed (proposed) by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870.
Learn more:
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- LOC: http://www.loc.gov/rr//program/bib/ourdocs/15thamendment.html
-- Teaching resources: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-african-americans.html
Women‘s History Month celebrates the everyday contributions of women across the world to events in history and contemporary society. It is celebrated during March in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, in connection with International Women‘s Day on March 8th. Women‘s History Month traces its origins to the United States, where it was first designated in 1987. Since then the tradition has spread to other countries around the world.
#OnThisDay, President Ulysses S. Grant, signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1875. The CRA was enacted during the Reconstruction era in response to civil rights violations against African Americans. The act provided for equal treatment in public accommodations and transportation. It also outlawing race-based discrimination in jury service.
Over the ensuing years, African Americans began suing businesses that denied them access to segregated facilities. On Oct 15, 1883, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) heard a group of five cases (known as the Civil Rights Cases), and in an 8-1 decision, struck down the CRA of 1875 as unconstitutional.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resource:
-- US House of Rep: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1851-1900/The-Civil-Rights-Act-of-1875
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
-- Grant‘s Memoirs: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/4367/4367-h/4367-h.htm
The "Woman Suffrage Procession" was the first suffragist parade in Washington, DC. Organized by the suffragist Alice Paul for the National American Woman Suffrage Association, it saw thousands of suffragists marching down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC on Monday, March 3, 1913. Presaging the circumstances surrounding the 2017 Women‘s March just over 100 years later, the 1913 event was scheduled on the day before President Woodrow Wilson‘s inauguration to "march in a spirit of protest against the present political organization of society, from which women are excluded," as the official program stated. While studying in England, Paul had heard the British suffragist Christabel Pankhurst speak and joined the Women‘s Social and Political Union, being jailed a number of times in the process. She returned to the US in 1910 and continued to campaign for women‘s rights leading to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920.
Advocate of women‘s rights.
In February 1912 Brackenridge was elected president of the newly organized San Antonio Equal Franchise Society. The formation of this society stimulated interest throughout the state, and delegates from seven Texas cities met in San Antonio and organized the Texas Woman Suffrage Association in April 1913. Eleanor Brackenridge held the office of president for one year and then became honorary president.
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbr04
March 7, 1965: In the Selma to Montgomery March, around 600 civil rights marchers walk to Selma, Alabama to Montgomery—the state’s capital—in protest of black voter suppression. Local police block and brutally attack them. After successfully fighting in court for their right to march, Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders lead two more marches and finally reach Montgomery on March 25.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Anna Murray Douglass born in 1813. Anna was the wife of Frederick Douglas, but more than that, she was a participant in the activities necessary to ensure voting rights for all Americans.
Learn more:
-- @SmithsonianMagazine: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hidden-history-anna-murray-douglass-180968324/
-- @USAToday:https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/07/06/frederick-douglass-first-wife-anna-murray-made-his-work-possible/5382922002/
-- @librarycongress: https://www.loc.gov/item/mfd.02007/
International Women‘s Day traces its origins to the women‘s rights movement of the early 20th century, having been first proposed by German campaigner Clara Zetkin at an international conference in Copenhagen. The day is a celebration of the social, economic, political and cultural achievements of women worldwide. The annual campaign calls for gender parity and raises funds to support initiatives towards this goal.
Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) was never far from the struggle for equal rights and human liberation throughout her long life, from the work on the Underground Railroad for which she is famous, to her later years as an activist in the women‘s suffrage movement in the early 20th century. Born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia in 1849 before immediately returning to rescue her family. Tubman would make some 13 return trips to the South to liberate family, friends, and relatives - at great personal risk to herself - guiding them to freedom in the northern United States and British North America (present-day Canada) using a clandestine network of anti-slavery activists and safe houses to facilitate the journey. Tubman later helped the abolitionist John Brown recruit troops for his 1859 raid on Harper‘s Ferry, and helped lead multiple attacks on Confederate plantations and infrastructure during the Civil War. Toward the end of her life, Tubman joined the campaign for women‘s suffrage. With the struggle against slavery still in living memory, Tubman moved audiences around the country with tales of her heroic actions before and after the Civil War, offering these sacrifices as evidence and living proof that women deserved the same rights as men.
#OnThisDay in 1918, the Texas House (during the 36 legislative sessions) passed HB-105 by a vote of 83-34. The bill granted women the right to vote in (white) Texas Primaries.
The bill was passed by the Texas Senate on March 21, 1918 by a vote of 18-4.
Governor William P. Hobby signed the bill into law on March 26, 1918.
Learn more:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/whatsNew/client/index.cfm/2018/3/20/Votes-for-Women-The-100th-Anniversary-of-Texas-Womens-Suffrage
Bayard Rustin (1912-1987) was an American civil rights activist who worked as an influential organizer and behind-the-scenes adviser to many causes throughout the civil rights era. Rustin began his organizing career working alongside fellow activist A. Philip Randolph on the March on Washington Movement in the early 1940s, which campaigned for the desegregation of the US armed forces. Rustin later played a central organizing role in other key civil rights actions such as the Freedom Rides and the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Martin Luther King - whom Rustin had schooled on methods of non-violence and helped elevate to his leadership position in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference - gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Rustin continued his career as an activist following the passage of civil rights legislation in the mid-1960s, promoting the unionization of African American workers and working internationally to aid war refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia while raising awareness to the ongoing plight of Jews living in the Soviet Union. A gay man who chose to play a supporting role in the Civil Rights Movement due to public criticisms of his homosexuality, Rustin spent his final years working on behalf of LGBT causes during the 1980s.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Minnie Fisher Cunningham born in 1882. Minnie was the first Executive Secretary of the League of Women Voters. The Texas native was also the first female pharmacy student at the University of Texas and the first woman to run for the Texas Senate. Members of the Minnie Fisher Cunningham Society continue empowering voters and defending democracy into the future by naming the League in their wills for a bequest.
Learn More:
-- LWV: https://my.lwv.org/texas/leave-legacy-minnie-fisher-cunningham-society
-- Suffrage Petition: https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/tx-woman-suffrage-petition
--TSHA: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/cunningham-minnie-fisher
-- PBS: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/shows/2015/12/19/43918/texas-originals-minnie-fisher-cunningham/
The 21st of March is the anniversary of events in 1960 when police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid laws in Sharpeville, South Africa. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed an annual observation of the day in 1966.
"We must all work harder to repair the fissures and polarization that are so prevalent in our societies today. We must nurture mutual understanding and invest in making diversity a success. And we must counter and reject political figures who exploit differences for electoral gain." — UN Secretary-General António Guterres”
Learn more:
-- About End Racial Discrimination Day: https://www.un.org/en/observances/end-racism-day
-- History of the League and the UN: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/The%2520League%2520and%2520the%2520United%2520Nations.pdf
-- Role of the UN Observer: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/LWVUS%20United%20Nations%20Observer%20Role.pdf
-- Contact the UN Observers at unobserver@lwv.org.
Also World Poetry Day: https://www.un.org/en/events/poetryday/
#OnThisDay in 1918, the Texas Senate (during the 36 legislative sessions) passed HB-105 by a vote of 18-4. The bill granted women the right to vote in (white) Texas Primaries.
The bill was firsts passed in the TX House on March 15, 1918 by a vote of 84-34.
Governor William P. Hobby signed the bill into law on March 26, 1918.
Learn more:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/whatsNew/client/index.cfm/2018/3/20/Votes-for-Women-The-100th-Anniversary-of-Texas-Womens-Suffrage
#OnThisDay in 1972, Congress passed the ERA, but it remains 1 state short of ratification.
#OnThis day in 1971, the 26th Amendment was passed by Congress. This amendment was enacted in response to Vietnam War protests, which argued that soldiers who were old enough to fight for their country should be granted the right to vote.‘
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed to the states) on March 23, 1971, and ratified on July 1, 1971.
Resources:
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Today is Slavery Remembrance Day. “For over 400 years, more than 15 million men, women and children were the victims of the tragic transatlantic slave trade, one of the darkest chapters in human history.”
Learn about the Ark of Return, which is the permanent memorial designed by Rodney Leon (a decedent of a former slave) that sits on the grounds of the United Nations headquarters.
Resources:
-- About Slavery Remembrance Day: https://www.un.org/en/events/slaveryremembranceday
-- Ark of Return Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx-gnst3mC8
-- History of the League and the UN: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/The%2520League%2520and%2520the%2520United%2520Nations.pdf
-- Role of the UN Observer: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/LWVUS%20United%20Nations%20Observer%20Role.pdf
-- Contact the UN Observers at unobserver@lwv.org.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Virginia Louisa Minor, born in 1824. Virginia was the plaintiff in the Minor v. Happersett case that was unsuccessful in arguing that the 14th Amendment gave women the right to vote.
The Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) in 1874 ruled in a unanimous decision that the 14th Amendment did not guarantee women the right to vote.
The 19th Amendment overruled Minor v. Happersett by prohibiting discrimination in voting rights based on sex. #VotingRights
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/the-virginia-minor-case.htm
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Wilhelmina Kekelaokalaninui Widemann Dowsett.
Learn more:
-- https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelmina_Kekelaokalaninui_Widemann_Dowsett
#OnThisDay in 1961: Residents of Washington, D.C. were granted the right to vote in U.S. Presidential Elections. The 23rd Amendment extends the right to vote in presidential elections to citizens residing in the District of Columbia. The amendment grants the district electors in the Electoral College as though it were a state, though the district can never have more electors than the least-populous state.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed to the states) on June 16, 1960, and ratified March 29, 1961.
#OnThisDay in 1875, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled in a unanimous decision that the 14th Amendment did not guarantee women the right to vote.
The 19th Amendment overruled Minor v. Happersett by prohibiting discrimination in voting rights based on sex.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/the-virginia-minor-case.htm
-- US Courts: https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/annual-observances/law-day
-- LOC: https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep088/usrep088162/usrep088162.pdf
One of the most iconic labor organizers and civil rights activists in American history, Cesar Chavez (1927-1993) co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) with fellow organizer Dolores Huerta in 1962. Originally of Mexican-American origin, Chavez was a farm worker himself before turning to activism and securing official recognition for UFW as the collective bargaining agent for 50,000 field workers in California and Florida during the 1970s. Renowned for his grassroots approach to labor activism and Hispanic empowerment, Chavez is credited with popularizing the slogan "Si, se puede" ("Yes we can") and was awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 1994. In 2014 President Barack Obama proclaimed March 31 as a federal commemorative holiday in the United States, marking the date of Chavez‘s birth. Numerous American parks, streets, and schools throughout the country bear his name.
#On this day in 1944, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) decision in Smith v. Allwright ruled the so-called "white primary" unconstitutional. The case originated in 1940 when Houston dentist Lonnie E. Smith attempted to vote in the Democratic primary in Harris County and was denied a ballot.
The number of African Americans registered to vote in Texas increased from 30,000 in 1940 to 100,000 in 1947.
Learn more:
-- @TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wdw01
-- NAACP: https://www.naacpldf.org/case-issue/landmark-smith-v-allwright
-- UT: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
-- LOC: https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep321/usrep321649/usrep321649.pdf
Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was an American author, poet, dancer, actress and singer. She was active in the Civil Rights Movement and worked with Martin Luther King, James Baldwin, and Malcolm X. Prior to becoming a writer, Angelou spent much of her young life as a dancer, before turning to organizing and activism at the start of the 1960s. After spending three years as a journalist in Ghana, Angelou moved back to the United States in 1965 and collaborated closely with many of the leading civil rights figures of the time. Angelou‘s first breakthrough came in 1969 when she published her first autobiography "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," which brought global acclaim. Angelou would go on to spend the next 45 years as an internationally renowned lecturer, teacher, writer, composer, performer, and director, becoming one of America‘s literary and artistic legends.
#OnThisDay, Jeannette Pickering Rankin was sworn in as the 1st woman elected to Congress. Rankin was an American politician and women‘s rights advocate, and the first woman to hold federal office in the United States. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican from Montana in 1916, and again in 1940.
A suffragist during the Progressive Era, Rankin organized and lobbied for legislation enfranchising women in several states including Montana, New York, and North Dakota. During her victory speech following her first election to the House of Representatives, she recognized the power she held as the only woman able to vote in Congress saying, "I am deeply conscious of the responsibility resting upon me".[1] While in Congress, she introduced legislation similar to what would eventually became the 19th Constitutional Amendment, granting unrestricted voting rights to women nationwide. She championed the causes of women‘s rights and civil rights throughout a career that spanned more than six decades.
Learn more:
PBS - @unladylike2020: https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jeannette-rankin/
#OnThisDay 1893, ten Texas women, mostly members of the Woman‘s Christian Temperance Union, issued a call for a statewide woman suffrage convention. The Texas Equal Rights Association, the first such statewide organization, was chartered at the ensuing three-day convention in Dallas. Internal dissension plagued the TERA, which had been organized as a branch of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, and it ceased to operate by 1896. In 1903 Annette Finnigan helped organize a successor organization, the Texas Equal Suffrage Association, which helped lead the long and ultimately successful fight for woman suffrage. Texas women were finally granted the right to vote in primary elections in 1918, and in June 1919 Texas became the ninth state (and the first in the south) to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which extended full suffrage to women.
Learn more:
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vit02
#OnThisDay, congress overrode a veto by President Andrew Johnson and enacted into law the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1866, which defined citizenship and affirm that all citizens are equally protected by the law. The CRA of 1866 was enacted post Civil War to protect the civil rights of persons of African descent born in or brought to the US. #CivilRights
Congress passed the act on March 13, 1866.
President Andrew Johnson vetoed the act on March 27, 1866
Congress overrode the veto and enacted the CRA on April 9, 1866
Congress passed the bill to support the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
Johnson‘s Veto: https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/march-27-1866-veto-message-civil-rights-legislation
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Fannie Coralie Perkins (Francis Perkins), born on this day in1880. Fannie was a workers-rights advocate and the first woman to serve in a US president‘s cabinet. She served as Franklin D. Roosevelt‘s Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945, the longest-serving in that position. In addition, she was the first LGBTQ person to serve in the U.S. Cabinet.
Learn more:
-- FPC: https://francesperkinscenter.org/life-new/
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/lgbtqheritage/upload/lgbtqtheme-preservation.pdf
-- CU: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/digital/collections/nny/perkinsf/profile.html
-- NPR: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102959041
#OnThis Day, Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin. #CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (formed the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
-- Johnson Library: http://www.lbjlibrary.org/exhibits/civil-rights
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/summer/civil-rights-act-1.html
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Emancipation Day is an American holiday celebrated in the District of Columbia (Washington, DC) each year on April 16th. It marks the day US President Abraham Lincoln signed the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act in 1862, which granted freedom to more than 3,000 slaves in the nation‘s capital, nine months before Lincoln issued his broader Emancipation Proclamation freeing 3.5 million slaves in the rebel-held American South. Three years later, the United States ratified the 13th Amendment, which formally outlawed slavery. In 2005, Washington DC Mayor Anthony Williams signed legislation making Emancipation Day an official public holiday, which is also observed by the federal government.
#OnThisDay in 1954, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) extended constitutional rights to Mexican Americans in the landmark civil rights case Hernandez v. Texas.
Learn more: https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/artifacts/hernandez-v-texas-spotlight-050115
#OnThisDay in 1882 Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The 1882 Act was the first US history to place broad restrictions on immigration.
Timeline:
1882 - Arthur signs Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
Prevents Chinese nationals from eligibility for US citizenship (scheduled to last 10 yrs)
1892 - Harrison signs the Geary Act
Renews Chinese Exclusion act of 1882 (extends for 10 additional years and in 1902 indefinitely extended)
1943 - Roosevelt signs the Magnuson Act
Repeals the Chinese Exclusion Act leaving a yearly limit of 105 Chinese and gives foreign-born Chinese the right to seek naturalization
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Resources:
National Archive Chinese Americans: https://www.archives.gov/research/chinese-americans/guide
Chinese Exclusion History: https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/APA/Historical-Essays/Exclusion-and-Empire/First-Arrivals/
Chinese Exclusion Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1866-1898/chinese-immigration
Congress‘ Apology for Chinese Exclusion: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2012-06-18/html/CREC-2012-06-18-pt1-PgH3715-2.htm
Video: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/chinese-exclusion-act/
#OnThisDay, Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1960, which served to eliminate loopholes left by the CRA of 1957. It established federal inspection of voter-registration polls and addressed discriminatory laws and practices in the segregated South that disenfranchised blacks and Hispanics. #CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
--Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/collections/eisenhowercivilrightsfiles
--Eisenhower Library: https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/sites/default/files/research/subject-guides/pdf/civil-rights-guide-to-studies.pdf
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
#OnThisDay, the Texas Equal Rights Association (TERA), the first statewide female suffrage organization, was founded in the Grand Windsor in Dallas on May 10, 1893. The TERA was committed to securing voting and political rights for women on the same terms as men, including the right to hold political office and serve on juries.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vit02
#EqualRights #CivilRights #VotingRights
#OnThisDay in 1954, the Supreme Court of the US ruled in a unanimous decision that school segregation violated the Equal Protection and Due Process clauses of the 14th Amendment.
Brown v. Board of Education was a consolidation of five cases. The ruling effectively ending racial segregation in public schools. Many schools, however, remained segregated.
Learn more:
-- Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/brown_vs_boe
-- US Courts: https://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/history-brown-v-board-education-re-enactment
-- Library of Congress https://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep347/usrep347483/usrep347483.pdf
-- Video: https://www.loc.gov/item/mbrs01856600/
-- Image: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-brown.html
#OnThisDay in 1896, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled 7-1 that segregation was legal and constitutional as long as "facilities were equal"—the famous "separate but equal" segregation policy.
The Plessy v. Ferguson decision provided legal justification for segregation until it was overruled by Brown v. the Board of Education in 1954.
Resources:
Library of Congress: Plessy v. Ferguson: https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/plessy.html
Library of Congress: Brown v. Board of Education: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-brown.html
#OnThisDay in 1993 Clinton signed the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (also referred to as the Motor Voter Act). The bill advanced voting rights, including (but not limited to) requiring states to offer voter registration opportunities to eligible persons during driver’s license renewal.
Timeline:
1990 - LWV convenes a symposium to examine the role of negative campaigning in the decline in voter participation. The symposium leads to a comprehensive effort to return the voter to the center of the election process. LWV works with a coalition of partners to support legislation reforming voter registration.
1992 - Congress passes the NVRA of 1992
1992 - Bush vetoes the bill
1992 - Congress fails to override the veto
1993 - Congress passes the NVRA of 1993
1993 - Clinton signs the bill into law
Resources:
-- LWV 2018-2020 Impact report: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-04/LWV%202018-20%20Impact%20on%20Issues.pdf#page=15
-- LWV Celebrates NVRA 27 Anniversary: https://www.lwv.org/blog/honoring-27th-anniversary-national-voter-registration-act
-- Bush‘s comments regarding NVRA of 1992: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/message-the-senate-returning-without-approval-the-national-voter-registration-act-1992
-- Clinton‘s comment regarding NVRA of 1993: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-signing-the-national-voter-registration-act-1993
-- US Justice Department: https://www.justice.gov/crt/about-national-voter-registration-act
On May 24, Coolidge signed the Immigration Act of 1924 (also referred to as the Johnson-Reed Act), which implemented a national quota system that limited the number of immigrants allowed into the US, and it excluded immigrants from Asia.
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act
Prevents immigration from Asia and establishes a quotas system
1952 - Truman vetoes McCarran-Walter Act (veto overridden by Congress)
Eliminates Asian exclusion and establishes a preference system for desirable ethnic groups
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Note: See https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline for a description of immigration laws before 1924
Resources:
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965
Coolidge’s Comments regarding Immigration: https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/were-all-in-the-same-boat-now-coolidge-on-immigration
Truman’s Veto Comments: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/public/Immigration_TrumanVeto.pdf
Johnson’s INA Signing Comments:http://www.lbjlibrary.org/lyndon-baines-johnson/timeline/lbj-on-immigration
Images:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gQD4VFtai7I0K47-d3F58Ffp9wn0fNzh
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1bfzS8eAMFA89LTE_gU3VkTZyxH5qV9Y1
#OnThisDay in 1924, Coolidge signed the Indian Citizenship Act (also known as the Snyder Act), which granted all Native Americans citizenship and the right to vote regardless of tribal affiliation. As history has shown, having the right to vote does not always equate to having the ability to vote. Learn about hurdles that suppress the Native American vote: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/voting-rights/how-the-native-american-vote-continues-to-be-suppressed/
Resources:
Native American Voting Rights Act (Introduced 2019)
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1694/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22H.+R.+83%22%5D%7D&r=62&s=1
LWV Endorsement of Native American Voting Rights Act
https://www.lwv.org/expanding-voter-access/league-endorses-native-american-voting-rights-act-2019
Voting Rights for Native Americans: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-native-americans.html
https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/every-native-american-a-citizen/
Timeline https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline
https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-native-americans.html
#OnThisDay in 1919, Congress passed (proposed for ratification) the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. The amendment was ratified by the states on August 18, 1920.
http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
Learn more:
National Women’s History Museum: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Today marks the death of Harriet Forten Purvis (1810-1875). Typically, we ask you to join in the celebration of a birth, but Harriet’s birthday is unknown, but her contributions to the rights we enjoy today are worthy of remembrance. Improving the civil and voting rights of others was a family tradition for Harriet and her relatives:
** Daughter of Charlotte Valdine Forten (1st generation suffragist)
** Sister of Sarah Forten Purvis and Margaret Forten (2nd generation suffragists)
** Mother to Hattie Purvis (3rd generation suffragist)
** Aunt of Charlotte Forten Grimke (3rd generation suffragist)
** Wife of Robert Purvis Sr ** (instrumental in development of the Underground Railroad)
Learn more:
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/more-to-the-movement/harriet-forten-purvis/
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- Turning Point: https://suffragistmemorial.org/harriet-forten-purvis-1810-1875/
-- Women History: https://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2016/08/harriet-forten-purvis.html
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Jeannette Pickering Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress.
Learn more:
-- PBS - @unladylike2020: https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jeannette-rankin/
-- House History: https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/R/RANKIN,-Jeannette-(R000055)
Faslane Peace Camp is a permanent peace camp situated next to the Faslane Naval Base in Scotland. Set up on this date in 1982, the camp is the world‘s longest-running active demonstration site and was originally set up as part of the anti-nuclear weapons movements of the 1980s.
#OnThisDay in 1866, Congress passed (proposed) the 14th Amendment, which granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former and recently freed slaves. In addition, it forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) 0n June 13, 1866 and ratified July 9, 1868.
Resources:
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Join us in celebrating the birthday. Miriam was the 1st woman elected as Governor of Texas.
Learn more:
-- https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffe06
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/lkj01
JUNETEENTH. On June 19 ("Juneteenth"), 1865, Union general Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and issued General Order Number 3, which read, "The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juneteenth
Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, is an American holiday that commemorates the June 19, 1865, announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. state of Texas, and more generally the emancipation of enslaved African Americans throughout the former Confederate States of America. Its name is a portmanteau of "June" and "nineteenth", the date of its celebration.[1][2] Juneteenth is recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in forty-five states.[3]
Today it is observed primarily in local celebrations. Traditions include public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, singing traditional songs such as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing", and reading of works by noted African-American writers such as Ralph Ellison and Maya Angelou.[4] Celebrations may include rodeos, street fairs, cookouts, family reunions, park parties, historical reenactments, or Miss Juneteenth contests.[5] The Mascogos, descendants of Black Seminoles, of Coahuila, Mexico also celebrate Juneteenth.[6]
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal of VRA
Nixon signs 5-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on June 22, 1970. The VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1919, the TX Leg meets in a special session to consider ratification of the 19th Amendment.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919. #100YearsStrong
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
-- Leg Reference Libary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/govdocs/William%20P%20Hobby/1919/36-2proc.pdf 01
#OnThisDay in 1919, the Texas House adopts a resolution to ratify the 19th Amendment.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay in 2013, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled 5-4 that Section 4(b) of the Voters Right Act (VRA) was unconstitutional because the coverage formula was outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable until Congress agrees on a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
Timeline:
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples under the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution. The product of a three-year court battle challenging state-level bans on same-sex marriage, the landmark decision by the Supreme Court in Obergefell v. Hodges requires all US states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, while recognising same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, officially making marriage equality the law of the land across the United States and its territories.
#OnThisDay in 1918, Hortense Sparks Ward became the first woman in Harris County history to register to vote. Born in Matagorda County in 1872, she married Houston lawyer William Henry Ward in 1908. In 1910 she became one of the first women admitted to the Texas state bar (after Edith Locke in 1902 and Alice Tiernan in 1909).
Ward worked tirelessly in support of women’s rights and penned moving newspaper essays and pamphlets for that cause. She was instrumental in the passage of the Married Woman’s Property Law of 1913 by the Texas Legislature, and she campaigned with suffragist Minnie Fisher Cunningham for enfranchisement.
Texas women won an important victory in 1918 when the legislature permitted them to vote in primary elections. In a short span of less than three weeks, 386,000 women across the state registered to vote, and Hortense Ward led the way.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwa83
#OnThisDay in 1952, Congress passed into law (overriding a veto by Truman) the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1952, which abolished racial restrictions for immigration and naturalization but kept the national origins quota system established in the Immigration act of 1924
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act: Prevented immigration from Asia, set quotas on the number of immigrants from the Eastern Hemisphere)
1952 - Truman vetoes (veto overridden by Congress) McCarran-Walter Act: Eliminated Asian exclusion and established a preference system that determined which ethnic groups were desirable immigrants
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act: Eliminated policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Learn more: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965/
Join us in commemorating the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, which became a watershed moment for gay rights. After Stonewall, gay-right groups formed in cities across American, Canada, Australia, and Europe. In June 1970, the first public gay-pride marches took place commemorating the one-year anniversary of the uprising. #PRIDE #CivilRights #Intersectional
Learn more:
--Time: https://buff.ly/35HzdQl
-- PBS: https://buff.ly/2PrCqeP
-- LOC: https://buff.ly/3heGM6w
-- Video of 1st Pride March: https://www.loc.gov/item/mbrs01991430/
Go here to see the LWVTX’s position on Equal Opportunity: https://buff.ly/2NlG5wL
In addition, see the position update report from the 2020 LWVTX convening to see how the League’s positions are evolving. https://buff.ly/2YFYb14
#OnThisDay in 1919, the Texas Senate approved ratification of the 19th Amendment. Texas became the 9th state in the US and the 1st state in the South to approve ratification.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919. #100YearsStrong
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay, Reagan signs a 25-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on June 29, 1982. The renewal extended for 25 years the Section 5 preclearance provision and extended the requirement for bilingual elections for 10 years. The VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1971, the 26th Amendment was ratified, giving adults aged 18 through 21 the right to vote. The 26th Amendment was enacted in response to Vietnam War protestors who argued that soldiers who were old enough to fight/die for their country should be old enough to vote.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on March 23, 1971, and ratified on July 1, 1971.
Learn more:
-- National Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xxvi
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
#OnThis Day, Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It prohibits unequal application of voter registration requirements, and racial segregation in schools, employment, and public accommodations.
#CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
-- Johnson Library: http://www.lbjlibrary.org/exhibits/civil-rights
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/summer/civil-rights-act-1.html
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Join us celebrating the birthday of Gertrude Bustill Mosell. Gertrude wrote a weekly advice column, "Our Women‘s Department," which was the 1st women‘s column in the history of the African-American press. She fought for equal rights and encouraged women to join the suffragist movement.
Learn more:
-- Article: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
-- Book: https://books.google.com/books?id=CHx5tY6wQSMC&pg=PA37&lpg=PA37&dq=Gertrude+Bustill+Mossell&source=bl&ots=W1sLIooEOO&sig=ACfU3U1M6Q9DfnX2OJmLRn4pJBdGJaT7yQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi1hL-J18zpAhURC6wKHbR1CXc4FBDoATAFegQICRAB#v=onepage&q=Gertrude%20Bustill%20Mossell&f=false
-- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Bustill_Mossell
-- Penn University Archive: https://archives.upenn.edu/collections/finding-aid/upt50m913
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/african-american-women-and-the-nineteenth-amendment.htm
The 4th of July marks the birth of the United States of America as a nation, recalling the Declaration of Independence made in 1776. The Continental Congress of the thirteen American colonies had actually passed a resolution of independence from the British Empire on July 2nd, but subsequently debated the additional declaration which explained its decision. The American Revolution had already been underway since 1775, and continued to 1783 in victory for the new United States.
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Jenny Bland Beauchamp. She wrote one of the first articles on woman suffrage published in Texas.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbeaj
#OnThisDay in 1868, Titus H. Mundine was the 1st Texas legislator to propose the enfranchisement of women and African Americans.
"Every person, without distinction of sex, who shall have arrived at the age of twenty-one years...shall be deemed a qualified elector." -- Titus H. Mundine
Learn More:
Titus – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmuvf
1868-69 Constitutional Convention – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/mjc04
Woman Suffrage – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay in 1868, the 14th Amendment was ratified. It granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former and recently freed slaves. In addition, it forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on June 13, 1866 and ratified on July 9, 1868.
Resources:
National Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xiv
National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Mary McLeod Bethune (Birthday)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary MCLeod Bethune who contributed to the women’s suffrage movement through her activism and writing.
Learn more:
NPS: https://www.nps.gov/mamc/learn/historyculture/mary-mcleod-bethune.htm
Women‘s Vote: https://www.womensvote100.org/the-suff-buffs-blog/2020/5/4/mary-mcleod-bethune-true-democracy-and-the-fight-for-universal-suffrage?fbclid=IwAR2sHG_Gb3ue4UpAFdSYiWe95TNmK0HJE-_pnIiWUwYVp88PNlRd9Hu9SHg
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Ida Wells Barnett. Ida was a civil rights activist and founded the Alpha Suffrage Club in 1913. She criticized mainstream (white) suffrage organizations for their exclusion of women of color. During the 1913 Women‘s March on Washington, Wells and other African-American women were told to march at the back of the procession. Wells refused, waiting until the procession started and then joining the block of women that represented her state.
Learn more:
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fySmIinC0MU&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR3orBtlRs5Vhx0pCTMSgBTd6jU4wZ-xCXOv_9WVKweq8RGPZ8rWDuNR6kE
-- Hidden Figures: https://buff.ly/2TPhL88
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Time Mag: https://time.com/5792441/the-suffragists-100-women-of-the-year/
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://buff.ly/2Xd2mjQ
-- PBS: https://buff.ly/2Ag4b7c (1 hr 9 minutes in)
-- Ida‘s Writing; https://buff.ly/2Uv75vG
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Alice Dunbar Nelson. Alice was active in the emerging civil rights and woman suffrage movements. In 1915, she was the field organizer for the Middle Atlantic States in the campaign for women‘s suffrage. During World War I, Dunbar-Nelson served as a field representative of the Woman‘s Committee of the Council of National Defense.
Learn more:
-- University of Delaware Library: http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/findaids/dunbarne.html
-- Smithsonian: https://blog.library.si.edu/blog/2020/03/12/an-unsung-legacy-the-work-and-activism-of-alice-dunbar-nelson/#.XsnsXmhKhPY
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- Black History: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/dunbar-nelson-alice-ruth-moore-1875-1935/
#OnThisDay in 1848, the 1st women‘s rights convention was held in the US. It took place in Seneca Falls, New York. The meeting launched the women’s suffrage movement.
Learn more:
-- Constitutional Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/on-this-day-the-seneca-falls-convention-begins
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/july-19/
-- White House Archive: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/find-the-sentiments
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
Celebration of signing of ADA
#OnThisDay, Bush signs the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1964, which made discrimination based on race, religion, sex, national origin, and other characteristics illegal. In addition, unlike the CRA, the ADA also requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities and imposes accessibility requirements on public accommodations.
#OnThisDay, Bush signs a 25-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on Juyly 22, 2006.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lucy Burns. Lucy was an American suffragist and women‘s rights activist. She spent more time in prison because of her activism than any other American woman suffragist. She and Alice Paul were co-founders of the National Woman‘s Party.
Learn more:
National Parks Service: https://www.nps.gov/people/lucy-burns.htm
Watch Iron Jawed Angels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzoXTo4-hws
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mariana Thompson Folsom. Mariana was a leader in the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWS) and asked Lucy Stone in 1885 for assistance in establishing a state (Texas) suffrage society.
Learn more:
-- TSHA History: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffo43
-- TSHA Image: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/folsom-lecture.html
-- Unitarian Oral History: http://www.liveoakuu.org/services/rev-mariana-thompson-folsom-1845-1909/
-- Bullock Museum: https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/artifacts/what-is-feminine
-- TSL - Personal Diary Entry: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/mariana-diary.html
-- TSL - Letter from Lucy Stone: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/stone-folsom-1.html
#OnThisDay in 1965, Johnson signed the Voter Rights Act (VRA). In addition on this same day in 1975, Ford signs a 7-yr renewal. The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
** UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” Consequently, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula. **
Timeline:
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1965, Johnson signed the Voter Rights Act (VRA). The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
** UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” Consequently, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula. **
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
History: https://www.justice.gov/crt/history-federal-voting-rights-laws Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA87JWa0bEw
Video: https://storycorps.org/stories/ellie-dahmer-and-bettie-dahmer-170113/
Aug 6, 1965: Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights movement on August 6, 1965, and
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lucy Stone. Lucy was a leading suffragist who dedicated her life to fighting inequality. She was the first Massachusetts woman to earn a college degree. Lucy organized the first National Women’s Rights Convention in Worcester, Massachusetts, and she was a founding member of the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), which would later merge with the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucy-stone
-- Video: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d
-- History: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Charlotte Forten Grimké. Charlotte was a 3rd-generation suffragist and equal rights advocate. She is a reminder that we make progress by standing on the shoulders of others, and that it can take multiple generations to right wrongs.
** Granddaughter of Charlotte Vandine Forten **
** Daughter of Robert Bridges Forten **
** Niece of Margaret, Harriet, and Sarah Forten **
Learn more:
-- National History Center: http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai/identity/text3/charlottefortenjournal.pdf
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- NPS (19th Amendment): https://www.nps.gov/articles/african-american-women-and-the-nineteenth-amendment.htm
-- NPS (Voting Rights): https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Journals of Charlotte Forten Grimke: https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/3uHylBU24jMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PP1
-- Muse: https://muse.jhu.edu/chapter/1945821
-- Beltway Poetry: http://www.beltwaypoetry.com/poetry/poets/names/grimke-charlotte-forten/
#OnThisDay, 1920 the 19th Amendment was ratified, granting women the right to vote. This amendment prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex. The ratification was the culmination of the women‘s suffrage movement in the United States, which fought at both state and national levels to achieve the vote.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920.
Learn more:
-- National Women’s History Museum: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Annie Webb Blanton, teacher, suffragist, and the first woman in Texas elected to statewide office, was born Aug 19, 1870, in Houston.
In the July 1918 primary, when Texas women exercised their voting rights for the first time, Blanton defeated incumbent Walter F. Doughty and Brandon Trussell by a large margin. In November, her victory in the general election made her the first woman in Texas elected to statewide office. She served as state superintendent through 1922.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbl16
-- Humanities Texas https://www.humanitiestexas.org/programs/tx-originals/list/annie-webb-blanton
"The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote nationally on August 18, 1920, so why is Women’s Equality Day on August 26th each year?
The simple answer is that even when a constitutional amendment has been ratified it’s not official until it has been certified by the correct government official. In 1920, that official was U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby. On August 26, 1920, Colby signed a proclamation behind closed doors at 8 a.m. at his own house in Washington, D.C, ending a struggle for the vote that started a century earlier." -- Constitution Center
The first executive secretary of the League of Women Voters, Minnie Fisher Cunningham, was a Texan who, among many other notable achievements, worked for the passage of the 19th Amendment in Texas and nationally.
Learn more:
-- Alice Paul Org: https://www.alicepaul.org/2020-exhibition/
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/why-august-26-is-known-as-womans-equality-day
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/collections/women-of-protest/articles-and-essays/tactics-and-techniques-of-the-national-womans-party-suffrage-campaign/
-- NCSL: https://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/amending-the-u-s-constitution.aspx
Image: https://www.alicepaul.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/5_Suffragist_Cover_1920.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1962, the 24th Amendment, which prohibited the use or a poll tax as a condition for voting in federal elections, was passed by Congress. #SystemicRacism
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) to the states on August 27, 1962, and ratified on January 23, 1964.
“After nearly disappearing in the states, a repurposed poll tax returned as part of a successful effort to undermine the Fifteenth Amendment and reestablish limits on the franchise. Beginning in Florida in 1889, all the former Confederate States, and a few others, instituted a suite of changes to voting laws as a part of this effort. They introduced literacy tests and disqualified convicted felons from voting. They also resurrected poll taxes. The historical record is filled with racially derogatory statements from delegates at State constitutional conventions who believed poll taxes and other devices would suppress Black voter registration and turnout.”
“The Supreme Court repeatedly affirmed the constitutionality of poll taxes. In its 1937 opinion in Breedlove v. Suttles, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected a claim from a white Georgia voter that the poll tax violated the Equal Protection Clause. In 1951, it rejected a similar claim challenging Virginia’s poll tax in Butler v. Thompson.” -- Constitution Center #CheckAndBalances #3Branches
Resources:
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xxiv
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- US House: https://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/37045
-- Breedlove v. Suttles: https://perma.cc/6G6H-6U4T
-- Butler v. Thompson: https://perma.cc/V4JP-TYHY
#OnThisDay in 1963, approximately 250,000 people took part in The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Martin Luther King gave the closing address in front of the Lincoln Memorial:
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
Learn more:
-- King Institute: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/i-have-dream-address-delivered-march-washington-jobs-and-freedom
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=173&v=smEqnnklfYs&feature=emb_logo
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/10-fascinating-facts-about-the-i-have-a-dream-speech
-- Civil Rights Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/march_on_washington
#OnThisDay in 1983, the 68th Texas legislature passed HB718, which abolished the life-time voting ban on ex-felons, but included a 5-yr waiting period before ex-felons would become eligible to vote.
On Sept 1, 1997, the 75th Texas legislature passed HB1001 eliminated the 5-yr waiting period.
Learn more:
-- TSLL: https://guides.sll.texas.gov/reentry-resources/voting
-- 75th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/Sessionoverviews/summary/75soe.pdf#page=114 (pg. 114)
-- 68th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/sessionOverviews/summary/soe68.pdf#page=82 (pg. 77)
-- HB1001 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/75R/HB1001/HB1001_75R.pdf
-- HB718 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/68R/HB718/HB718_68R.pdf#page=23 (pg. 23)
-- HB718 Election Law Opinion: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- JSTOR: https://www.jstor.org/stable/29768353?read-now=1&seq=4#page_scan_tab_contents (pg. 82)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Myra Davis Hemmings. Hemmings was born in Gonzales, Texas. She was one of the founders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. as well as its first president. The sorority was founded at Howard University in Jan 1913 and its 1st public act was to participate in the Woman Suffrage Procession in Washington, D.C. in Mar of 1913.
Suffragist Mary Church Terrell lobbied on behalf of the Deltas to win them a place in the parade, where they were the only African American organization represented. #HiddenFigures
A Texas Historical Marker dedicated to Myra resides at the Myra Davis Hemmings Resource Center in Bexar County, TX.
Photo credit: San Antonio Alumnae Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Learn More:
-- @usgpo: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2013-01-24/html/CREC-2013-01-24-pt1-PgS292.htm
-- @TxHistComm: https://atlas.thc.texas.gov/Details/5507017358/print
-- @TxStHistAssoc: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fhe64
-- @dstinc1913: https://www.deltasigmatheta.org
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lulu Belle Madison White. Lulu Belle was a civil rights activist who worked to eliminate the white primary in the 1930s. In 1939, she became the president of the Houston chapter of the NAACP. After the SCOTUS ruling in 1944 that outlawed the white primary (Smith v. Allwright), she worked tirelessly to encourage voting and educate voters.
Learn more:
-- TSHA Handbook: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwh75
-- TSHA Honest Past (p. 337): https://join.tshaonline.org/ebook-offers/honest-past/SHQ-An-Honest-Past.pdf
-- WTH: https://www.womenintexashistory.org/audio/lulu-belle-madison-white
-- Humanities of TX: https://www.humanitiestexas.org/news/articles/craft-civil-rights
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Ann Richards. In 1976, Ann became the 1st woman elected to the Travis County Commissioners Court. In 1982, Ann became the 1st woman elected as Texas State Treasurer, which was the 1st time a woman had been elected to statewide office in Texas since Miriam Ferguson‘s successful gubernatorial race in 1932--breaking a 50-yr absence of women in statewide leadership. In 1990, Ann became the 2nd woman to serve as governor of Texas since Texas became a state in 1845.
Learn more:
-- https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fri62
#OnThisDay in 1997, the 75th TX legislature, passed HB1001, which amended the Election Code to clarify the voting rights (eligibility) of fully discharged ex-felons, and it eliminated the 5-year waiting period established by HB718.
In 1983, the 68th Session of the TX Leg passed HB718, which abolished the life-time voting ban on ex-felons, but included a 5-year waiting period before ex-felons would become eligible to vote.
Learn more:
-- TXSLL: https://guides.sll.texas.gov/reentry-resources/voting
-- TXSOS: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- 75th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/Sessionoverviews/summary/75soe.pdf#page=114 (pg. 114)
-- 68th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/sessionOverviews/summary/soe68.pdf#page=82 (pg. 77)
-- HB1001 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/75R/HB1001/HB1001_75R.pdf
-- HB718 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/68R/HB718/HB718_68R.pdf#page=23 (pg. 23)
-- HB718 Election Law Opinion: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- JSTOR: https://www.jstor.org/stable/29768353?read-now=1&seq=4#page_scan_tab_contents (pg. 82)
This Labor Day we’re recognizing the contributions of laborers by taking a look back at the impact of labor unions on the women’s suffrage movement.
Did you know that middle and upper-class suffragists learned to use parades and picketing from working-class suffragists who were members of labor unions?
“Since the beginning of the women’s rights movement, women who devoted their lives to reform often were middle and upper-class women. Women who worked to support themselves and their families had less time and funds to devote to social movements.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, however, working women began supporting suffrage in greater numbers. They joined labor unions, held strikes for higher pay, and protested for better working conditions. Working women started seeing the vote as a way to gain more political power to further these causes.
Harriot Stanton Blatch, daughter of suffrage leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton, was among the first suffragists to recruit working women to support suffrage. She started collaborating with the Women’s Trade Union League, founded in 1905, to help women form unions and advocate for labor reforms. In 1907, she founded the Equality League of Self-Supporting Women (later called the Women’s Political Union) to attract working women to the suffrage movement. Blatch also wanted to integrate the more aggressive, militant tactics of labor activists—like parades through city streets and speakers on street corners—into the suffrage strategies to attract more publicity. Working women and their experience with the tactics of labor activists proved vital to winning the vote.” Allison Lange, Ph.D. https://www.loc.gov/resource/ggbain.02144/
Learn more:
-- Crusade for the Vote: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/working-women-movement
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/static/collections/women-of-protest/images/tactics.pdf
-- DOL: https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/history
JJoin us in celebrating the birthday of Jovita Idár. Idarwas born in 1885 and was an American journalist and civil rights activist who wrote about the challenges Mexican Americans faced in Texas. Her activism was influenced by the lynching of ethnic-Mexican men in South Texas during the early 20th century. She also used her platform as a journalist to support suffrage.
Learn more:
-- PBS (Unladylike): https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jovita-idar
-- TXWF: https://www.txwf.org/champions-for-change-jovita-idar-and-the-villareal-sisters/
-- Women‘s History: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/jovita-idar
-- TSHA Handbook: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fid03
-- TSHA Honest Past (p. 196): https://join.tshaonline.org/ebook-offers/honest-past/SHQ-An-Honest-Past.pdf
-- Humanities of Texas: https://www.humanitiestexas.org/programs/tx-originals/list/jovita-idar
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
Photo Credit: General Photographs, UTSA Special Collections (@UTSA)
#OnThisDay, Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1957 into law. The act established the Civil Rights Section of the Justice Department and empowered federal prosecutors to obtain court injunctions against interference with the right to vote. #CivilRights #VotingRights
This was the 1st civil rights legislation since Reconstruction (1875).
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
--Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/civil_rights_act_1957
--Eisenhower Library: https://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/383/Civil-Rights-Act-of-1957
--Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Photo credit: Photographs of Official Activities of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953 - 1961, US National Archives .https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7865612 (@USNatArchives)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Burnett Talbert. Mary was an American orator, civil rights activist, and suffragist. She believed that race and gender were unifying factors that could help resolve class issues. Talbert became one of the first women to join the NAACP after its founding in 1909.
#WomenInLeadership
Learn more:
-- https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/mary-burnett-talbert (https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/mary-burnett-talbert/)
-- https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/talbert-mary-b-1866-1923 (https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/talbert-mary-b-1866-1923/)
-- https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-burnett-talbert-september-17-1866-1923 (https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-burnett-talbert-september-17-1866-1923)
Today is Constitution and Citizenship Day, so we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all recently naturalized American citizens. We hope an LWV volunteer was present at your naturalization ceremony to assist you with becoming a registered voter.
Learn more:
-- @LWVTexas: https://my.lwv.org/texas/register-vote
-- @librarycongress: https://www.loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/constitution-day.php
-- @uscis: https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/educators/constitution-day-and-citizenship-day
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Church Terrell. Mary was a civil-rights activist who championed racial equality and women’s suffrage in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Learn more:
-- PBS (@unladylike2020): https://unladylike2020.com/profile/mary-church-terrell-2
-- Womens History (@womenshistory): https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mary-church-terrell
-- LOC (@libraryofcongress): https://crowd.loc.gov/campaigns/mary-church-terrell-advocate-for-african-americans-and-women
-- NPS (@NPS) - https://www.nps.gov/people/mary-church-terrell.htm
-- https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-church-terrell/
LGBT History Month is celebrated every October in United States since 1994. It was first proposed by Missouri high school history teacher Rodney Wilson, who chose October due to the establishment of National Coming Out Day in the late 1980s on October 11. October also marks the first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, which took place in 1979. In addition to LGBT History Month, LGBT Pride Month is also celebrated each year in June to commemorate the Stonewall Riots.
On Oct 3, 1965, Johnson signs the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1965, which amended the 1952 INA by including a provision stating: No person shall receive any preference or priority or be discriminated against in the issuance of an immigrant visa because of the person‘s race, sex, nationality, place of birth, or place of residence.
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act
Prevents immigration from Asia and establishes a quotas system
1952 - Truman vetoes McCarran-Walter Act (veto overridden by Congress)
Eliminates Asian exclusion and establishes a preference system for desirable ethnic groups
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Note: See https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline for a description of immigration laws before 1924
Resources:
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965
Coolidge’s INA Comments: https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/were-all-in-the-same-boat-now-coolidge-on-immigration
Truman’s INA Comments: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/public/Immigration_TrumanVeto.pdf
Johnson’s INA Comments:http://www.lbjlibrary.org/lyndon-baines-johnson/timeline/lbj-on-immigration
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Thomas Mundy Peterson. Thomas, on March 31, 1870 (one day after the ratification of the 15th Amendment) became the first Black American to vote in a U.S. election.
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian: https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2015.190
-- NJ State HIstory; https://nj.gov/state/historical/it-happened-here/ihhnj-er-peterson.pdf
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlC3fsW3rRs
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Ann Shadd Cary.
Learn more: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement/
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Eleanor Roosevelt born on this day in 1884.
After the League of Women Voters was founded in 1920 – the same year that Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for Vice President – she helped establish its policy agenda. As the League’s Vice President of Legislative Affairs, she lobbied for reforms in Congress and worked tirelessly to strengthen women’s role in politics, helping mobilize women voters through the League’s nonpartisan training and lobbying work.
Learn more:
-- LWV: https://www.lwv.org/blog/eleanor-roosevelt-first-lady-league-leader-pioneer
Photo Credit: LC-USZ62-25812, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (@librarycongress)
http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3c08091/
"In 1977 participants at the United Nations International Conference on Discrimination against Indigenous Populations in the Americas proposed that Indigenous Peoples’ Day replace Columbus Day.Indigenous Peoples’ Day recognizes that Native people are the first inhabitants of the Americas, including the lands that later became the United States of America. And it urges Americans to rethink history." https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-indian/2019/10/11/indigenous-peoples-day-2019
The following states and the District of Columbia observe Native American or Indigenous Peoples’ Day, in place of or in addition to Columbus Day:
-- Alabama
-- Alaska
-- District of Columbia
-- Hawaii
-- Idaho
-- Maine
-- Michigan
-- Minnesota
-- New Mexico
-- North Carolina
-- Oklahoma
-- Oregon
-- South Dakota
-- Vermont
-- Wisconsin
The state of Texas does not currently observer Indiginous People day, but the following local jurisdiction have made the change:
-- City of Austin
-- City of Dallas
-- City of San Antonio
-- County of Bexar
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-indian/2019/10/11/indigenous-peoples-day-2019/:
-- PBS: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/npr/2019/10/14/769083847/columbus-day-or-indigenous-peoples-day/
National Coming Out Day (NCOD) is an annual LGBTQ awareness day observed on October 11. The day commemorates the Oct. 11, 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, which included half a million participants.
Learn more:
-- HRC: https://www.hrc.org/resources/the-history-of-coming-out
-- APA: https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/coming-out-day
-- GLAAD: https://www.glaad.org/tags/national-coming-out-day
-- Archive: https://gaycenter.org/archive_item/march-on-washington-for-lesbian-and-gay-rights
-- Image: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc276218
#OnThisDay, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled on a bundle of five cases (known as the Civil Rights Cases), and in an 8-1 decision, the court found the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1875 to be unconstitutional.
The CRA of 1875 was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant and was enacted during Reconstruction in response to civil rights violations against African Americans. The act guaranteed equal treatment in public accommodations and transportation. It also outlawing race-based discrimination in jury duty/selection. The five cases heard by SCOTUS included suites brought forth by African Americans who were denied access to segregated facilities.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources: SCOTUS Ruling:
http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep109/usrep109003/usrep109003.pdf
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
The League of Women Voters of Texas, a nonpartisan political organization, was formed on October 19, 1919, at San Antonio, when the Texas Equal Suffrage Association was dissolved to reorganize for a new purposehttps://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wel05
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Christia Daniel Adair. Christia was an NAACP leader from Houston, worked for full suffrage and was one of the first black women to vote in a Democratic primary after the Supreme Court struck down Texas‘ white primary law in 1944. As executive secretary of the Houston NAACP for 12 years, she and others desegregated the Houston airport, public libraries, city buses, and department store dressing rooms. Despite official harassment, Adair and others rebuilt the Houston NAACP chapter, which grew to 10,000 members.
Learn more:
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fad19
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Nina Otero-Warren. Nina was a civil rights leader, a suffragist, and an advocate for bilingual education.
In 1917, Otero-Warren was selected by Alice Paul to head the New Mexico chapter of the Congressional Union (precursor to the National Woman’s Party). She insisted that suffrage literature be published in both English and Spanish, in order to reach the widest audience.
She was Superintendent of Public Schools in Santa Fe County from 1918 to 1929, working to improve the conditions in rural Hispano and Native American communities. Otero-Warren argued that both Spanish and English be allowed in schools, despite the federal mandate of English-only. Despite losing her political campaign to run for a seat in the US House of Representatives, she remained politically and socially active, and served as the Chairman of New Mexico’s Board of Health; an executive board member of the American Red Cross; and director of an adult literacy program in New Mexico for the Works Projects Administration.
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/people/nina-oter-warren.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Jessie Daniel Ames. Jessie was a suffragist and the founder and first president of the League of Women Voters of Texas.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fam06
Veterans Day, also known as Armistice Day or Rememberance Day in other countries which fought in the First World War, is commemorated on the 11th of November, marking the armistice signed between the Allies and Central Powers. The armistice came into effect at 11am: the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month in 1918. Formerly known as Armistice Day in the United States, the name was changed to Veterans Day in 1954 to honor all those who have served and continue to serve in the United States Armed Forces.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Elizabeth Cady Staton (1st generation suffragists). She was born in 1815 and was one of the speakers and organizers of the Seneca Falls Convention. Elizabeth was a co-founder of the National Woman Suffrage Associate (NWSA), which would later merge with the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
** Mother of Harriet Stanton Blatch (2nd generation suffragist) **
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucy-stone
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d (11 minutes in)
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
-- Seneca Falls Convention:
#OnThisDay, Bush signed the 1991 Civil Rights Act (CRA), which provided the right to trial by jury on discrimination claims. It also added provisions to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that expanded the rights of women and disabled persons. #CivilRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Johnson signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
Bush Library: https://bush41library.tamu.edu/archives/public-papers/3660
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005). Shirley was an educator, activist, and politician who achieved a number of historic 1sts
-- 1968 1st black woman elected to the Congress
-- 1972 1st woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination
-- 1972 1st African American to run for President of the US
Learn more: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/shirley-chisholm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Debra Anne Haaland. Debra and Sharice Davids were the first two Native American women elected to the U.S Congress. Haaland is a member of the Laguna Pueblo people.
Learn more:
-- National Geographic Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T_s36-1hms
-- US House: https://haaland.house.gov/about
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Patsy Takemoto Mink. Patsy was the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-women-got-vote-far-more-complex-story-history-textbooks-reveal-180971869/
-- House History: https://history.house.gov/People/detail/18329
-- NWHF: https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/patsy-takemoto-mink/
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/patsy-mink
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Titus Howard Mundine, who was the 1st Texas Legislator to propose enfranchisement of women and blacks.
"Every person, without distinction of sex, who shall have arrived at the age of twenty-one years...shall be deemed a qualified elector." -- Titus H. Mundine
Learn More:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=5124
-- Titus – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmuvf
-- Woman Suffrage – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Eliza Eubanks Peterson Johnson. Eliza was a suffragist and civil-rights activist.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fjohn
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
-- Austin Library: http://www.austinlibrary.com/ahc/suffrage/early.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Marie Louise Bottineau Baldwin. Marie was a suffragist and lawyer who worked as an advocate for the Ojibwa/Chippewa Nation in Minnesota and North Dakota.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- National Parks Service: https://www.nps.gov/people/marie-louise-bottineau-baldwin.htm
-- MNHS: https://www.mnhs.org/historycenter/activities/museum/votes-for-women/profiles/marie-baldwin
-- National Archive: https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2020/04/02/19th-amendment-at-100-mary-louise-bottineau-baldwin/
-- LWV: https://my.lwv.org/california/diablo-valley/meet-suffragist-marie-louise-bottineau-baldwin
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Ruza Wenclawska (also known as Rose Winslow). Rose was a Polish-American suffragist and trade union organizer. She was a member of the National Women‘s Party and fought for the rights of immigrant and working-class women. Along with Alice Paul, she participated in a hunger strike to bring attention to the suffrage movement.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/collections/women-of-protest/articles-and-essays/selected-leaders-of-the-national-womans-party/officers-and-national-organizers/
-- Turning Point: https://suffragistmemorial.org/rose-winslow-d-1977
-- Historical Snapshot: https://historicalsnaps.com/2018/03/19/rose-winslow-talks-about-her-hunger-strike
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Harriet Taylor Upton. Harriet was a founding member of the National League of Women Voters and the first woman to become a vice-chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d (53 mins in)
-- Upton House: http://www.uptonhouse.org/HTayor.html
-- Ohio History: https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Harriet_T._Upton
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Martha Goodwin Tunstall. Martha became the vice-president from Texas of the newly-formed National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA).
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ftuns
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Jane McCallum. Jane was the first vice president of the League of Women Voters of Texas. She had the longest term as the Secretary of State of Texas.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmc07
-- Texas Secretary as State: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/about/history.shtml
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charlotte Vandine Forten born in 1785.
-- 1st generation American suffragist
-- Mother of the Forten sisters: Margaret, Harriet, and Sarah (2nd generation suffragists)
-- Grandmother of Charlotte Forten Grimké (3rd generation suffragist)
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- Black Suffragette: http://www.blacksuffragette.com/friends
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Helen Edmunds Moore. Helen was a nurse, suffragist, and a member of the 41, 42, and 44th legislatures. In the 44 Legislature, she was the only woman.
Learn more:
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/moore-helen-edmunds
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Lucretia Coffin Mott. Lucretia was a suffragist and human rights activist. She was one of the organizers of the 1st Woman’s Rights Convention Seneca Falls, N.Y.
Learn more:
NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucretia-mott
PBS: Video: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/
NPS: https://www.nps.gov/wori/learn/historyculture/lucretia-mott.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Harriet Staton Blatch (2nd generation suffragists).
Voting rights was a family affair
** Daughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1st generation suffragist)
She founded the Equality League of Self-Supporting Women, later called the Women‘s Political Union, whose membership was based on working women, both professional and industrial. The Equality League initiated the practice of holding suffrage parades and organized the first open-air suffrage rallies in thirty years. As many as 25,000 people marched in these parades.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (28 minutes in)
#OnThisDay the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled on the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case and made a controversial decision that reversed existing campaign finance restrictions and enabled corporations and other outside groups to spend unlimited funds on elections. #DarkMoney
"Prevention of improper corporate influence in the electoral process...is a pillar of our modern democracy" -- LWV Amicus Brief #DarkMoney
"Voters are supposed to be at the center of our political process. For more than two centuries, America’s constitutional democracy has been moving in the direction of broader enfranchisement and more meaningful political participation by American citizens. After the Civil War, the 15th Amendment to the Constitution guaranteed the right to vote to citizens regardless of race or color. The 19th Amendment provided voting rights to women, the 24th to poor citizens and the 26th to young adults.
On the other hand, our Constitution does not reflect a similar solicitude for corporate participation; indeed our constitutional history reflects a growing concern over the influence of corporations, and the distinction between the legal protections afforded to living persons and corporations has been part of our constitutional law from the Founding." -- LWV Commentary on Citizens United
LWVUS Amicus Brief: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/Amicus_cfr.CitizenUnited.pdf
LWVUS Commentary on Citizens United: https://www.lwv.org/money-politics/league-commentary-citizens-united-v-fec-case-supreme-court
Brennan Institute: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/citizens-united-explained
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Maud Wood Park. Park was the 1st president of the National League of Women Voters.
Learn more:
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/november-2015-suffragist-of-the-month/
-- Harvard: https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/schlesinger-library/collection/papers-maud-wood-park-in-womans-rights-collection
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=8
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charles Curtis, of Kaw, Osage, and Pottawatomie ancestry. Curtis was sworn in as the U.S. Senator from Kansas. Charles was also the 1st person of color and 1st person of Native American ancestry to hold the office of vice president under President Hoover.
Learn more:
-- Senate History: https://www.senate.gov/about/officers-staff/vice-president/VP_Charles_Curtis.htm
-- Kansas Historical Society: https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/charles-curtis/12029
Black History Month is celebrated in the United States and Canada each February. Black History Month traces its origins to Negro History Week which was first created in 1926 with the week chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (February 12th) and Frederick Douglass (February 14th). An annual monthlong celebration of black history was later proposed by students and educators at Kent State University in 1969, and adopted one year later. By the mid-1970s, Black History Month was celebrated across the United States and officially recognized by US President Gerald Ford in 1976. Originally intended to celebrate black history and culture in the United States, Black History Month has since spread to Canada, as well as the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands, where it is celebrated in October.
#OnThisDay in 1870, the 15th Amendment, which granted black men the right to vote, was ratified. Unfortunately, Southern states continued to disenfranchise black voters through the use of poll taxes, literacy tests, threats of physical harm, etc. Therefore, the promise of the 15th Amendment was not fully realized until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965--almost a century later.
The amendment was passed (proposed) by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870.
Learn more:
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- LOC: http://www.loc.gov/rr//program/bib/ourdocs/15thamendment.html
-- Teaching resources: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-african-americans.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Juanita Jewel Craft. Juanita and Lulu Belle White of Houston organized 182 branches of the NAACP in Texas over a period of eleven years. Following the Smith v. Allwright ruling, in 1944 Juanita became the first black woman in Dallas County to vote in the Democratic Party primary. In 1946, she was the first black woman deputized in the state to collect the poll tax. Juanita was also a member of the League of Women Voters of Texas.
The Smith v. Allwright U.S. case ended the white primary.
Learn More:
-- http://www.juanitacrafthouse.org/
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fcr59
-- TxPolProject - Smith v. Allwright: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lawrence Aaron Nixon. Lawrence...
The Smith v. Allwright case ended the white primary, which suppressed the Black vote.
Learn More:
-- @TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fni10
-- @TxPolProject - White Primary: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Adella Hunt Logan.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Nellie May Quande. “In 1913, Nellie Quander, president of the nation‘s oldest Black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, wrote to Alice Paul, chair for a major upcoming Washington, D.C., parade, planned to attract national attention for the cause on the day before the inauguration of President Woodrow Wilson. "We do not wish to enter if we must meet with discrimination on account of race affiliation," Quander wrote. "Can you assign us to a desirable place in the college women‘s section?”
Learn more:
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/new-tactics-for-a-new-generation-1890-1915/new-tactics-and-renewed-confrontation/howard-university-sorority-seeks-assurances-of-nondiscrimination
-- Smithsonian: https://womenshistory.si.edu/news/2020/08/19suffragestories-countdown-stories-14-10
-- Facing History:
https://facingtoday.facinghistory.org/suffrage-and-sisterhood-the-origins-and-impact-of-black-sororities
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Fannie Barrier Williams. Fannie was an educator, political activist, and women’s rights advocate. In 1907, she was the only Black woman to eulogize Susan B. Anthony at the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) convention. Also, she helped found the NAACP in 1909.
Learn more:
-- BlackPast: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/williams-fannie-barrier-1855-1944/
-- ISU: https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/directory/frances-barrier-williams/
-- RRLC: https://rrlc.org/winningthevote/biographies/fannie-barrier-williams/
-- SPC: https://www.splcenter.org/news/2019/06/01/weekend-read-challenging-whitewashed-history-womens-suffrage/
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/more-to-the-movement/fannie-barrier-williams/
#OnThisDay in 1909, the NAACP was founded. The NAACP is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation.
Mission: To ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.
Learn more:
-- NAACP: https://naacp.org/nations-premier-civil-rights-organization/
-- TSHA: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/national-association-for-the-advancement-of-colored-people
-- UW: https://depts.washington.edu/moves/NAACP_intro.shtml
#OnThisDay in 1920, the League of Women Voters was founded. Carrie Chapman Catt shared the following about the founding: "Is the (League) political? Certainly, but not partisan. Its members are as free as other women to join and vote with the party of their choice. They make no pledge otherwise in joining the League."
Mission: Empowering voters. Defending democracy.
Learn more: https://www.lwv.org/league-women-voters-through-decades
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charlotta Spears Bass, who was born on this day in 1874. Charlotta was an educator, newspaper publisher, civil-rights and voting-rights activist. She was also the first Black woman to own and operate a newspaper in the United States and the first Black woman nominated for Vice President.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/people/charlottabass.htm
-- Black Past; https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/bass-charlotta-1879-1969/
-- South California Library: https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf6c60052d/
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Anna Howard Shaw.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (1 hr in)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Susan B. Anthony (1st generation suffragists). She was born in 1820. Susan was a co-founder of the National Woman Suffrage Associate (NWSA), which would later merge with the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
**Susan died in 1906, 14 years before women were given the right to vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. **
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/susan-b-anthony
-- @susanbhouse: https://susanb.org/her-life/
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
-- Seneca Falls Convention:
#OnThisDay in 1929, LULAC was founded. LULAC is the oldest and largest continuously active Latino political association in the US.
Mission: To advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, housing, health and civil rights of the Hispanic population of the United States.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wel01
Join us commemorating the life of Frederick Douglass (1818 - 1895)."Frederick was one of the few men present at the woman‘s rights convention held at Seneca Falls, New York, in July 1848.
Learn more:
-- Blackpast: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/1888-frederick-douglass-woman-suffrage/
-- Smithsonian: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hidden-history-anna-murray-douglass-180968324/
#BHM
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Zitkala-Sa (Red Bird). "Zitkala-Ša joined the Society of American Indians, a group founded in 1911 with the purpose of preserving traditional Native American culture while also lobbying for full American citizenship."
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/people/zitkala-sa.htm
Photo: https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_S_NPG.79.26?destination=edan-search/default_search%3Freturn_all%3D1%26edan_q%3DZitkala%2520Sa
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Rosalie Gardiner Jones. In December of 1912, over 200 women joined Rosalie for parts of a 140-mile march from New York City to Albany to support women‘s suffrage. During the march, the women stopped to hold open-air meetings and distribute pamphlets in communities along the way.
Learn More:
-- PBS Doc: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (1 hr 16 mins in)
-- New York Heritage: https://nyheritage.org/exhibits/recognizing-womens-right-vote/%E2%80%9Cgeneral%E2%80%9D-rosalie-jones-and-suffrage-hikes
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/people/dr-general-rosalie-jones.htm
#OnThisDay in 1869, Congress passed (proposed) the 15th Amendment, which granted Black male citizens the right to vote.“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 race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
The amendment was passed (proposed) by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870.
Learn more:
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- LOC: http://www.loc.gov/rr//program/bib/ourdocs/15thamendment.html
-- Teaching resources: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-african-americans.html
#OnThisDay, President Ulysses S. Grant, signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1875. The CRA was enacted during the Reconstruction era in response to civil rights violations against African Americans. The act provided for equal treatment in public accommodations and transportation. It also outlawing race-based discrimination in jury service.
Over the ensuing years, African Americans began suing businesses that denied them access to segregated facilities. On Oct 15, 1883, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) heard a group of five cases (known as the Civil Rights Cases), and in an 8-1 decision, struck down the CRA of 1875 as unconstitutional.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resource:
-- US House of Rep: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1851-1900/The-Civil-Rights-Act-of-1875
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
-- Grant‘s Memoirs: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/4367/4367-h/4367-h.htm
Women‘s History Month celebrates the everyday contributions of women across the world to events in history and contemporary society. It is celebrated during March in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, in connection with International Women‘s Day on March 8th. Women‘s History Month traces its origins to the United States, where it was first designated in 1987. Since then the tradition has spread to other countries around the world.
The "Woman Suffrage Procession" was the first suffragist parade in Washington, DC. Organized by the suffragist Alice Paul for the National American Woman Suffrage Association, it saw thousands of suffragists marching down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC on Monday, March 3, 1913. Presaging the circumstances surrounding the 2017 Women‘s March just over 100 years later, the 1913 event was scheduled on the day before President Woodrow Wilson‘s inauguration to "march in a spirit of protest against the present political organization of society, from which women are excluded," as the official program stated. While studying in England, Paul had heard the British suffragist Christabel Pankhurst speak and joined the Women‘s Social and Political Union, being jailed a number of times in the process. She returned to the US in 1910 and continued to campaign for women‘s rights leading to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920.
March 7, 1965: In the Selma to Montgomery March, around 600 civil rights marchers walk to Selma, Alabama to Montgomery—the state’s capital—in protest of black voter suppression. Local police block and brutally attack them. After successfully fighting in court for their right to march, Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders lead two more marches and finally reach Montgomery on March 25.
Advocate of women‘s rights.
In February 1912 Brackenridge was elected president of the newly organized San Antonio Equal Franchise Society. The formation of this society stimulated interest throughout the state, and delegates from seven Texas cities met in San Antonio and organized the Texas Woman Suffrage Association in April 1913. Eleanor Brackenridge held the office of president for one year and then became honorary president.
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbr04
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Anna Murray Douglass born in 1813. Anna was the wife of Frederick Douglas, but more than that, she was a participant in the activities necessary to ensure voting rights for all Americans.
Learn more:
-- @SmithsonianMagazine: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hidden-history-anna-murray-douglass-180968324/
-- @USAToday:https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/07/06/frederick-douglass-first-wife-anna-murray-made-his-work-possible/5382922002/
-- @librarycongress: https://www.loc.gov/item/mfd.02007/
International Women‘s Day traces its origins to the women‘s rights movement of the early 20th century, having been first proposed by German campaigner Clara Zetkin at an international conference in Copenhagen. The day is a celebration of the social, economic, political and cultural achievements of women worldwide. The annual campaign calls for gender parity and raises funds to support initiatives towards this goal.
Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) was never far from the struggle for equal rights and human liberation throughout her long life, from the work on the Underground Railroad for which she is famous, to her later years as an activist in the women‘s suffrage movement in the early 20th century. Born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia in 1849 before immediately returning to rescue her family. Tubman would make some 13 return trips to the South to liberate family, friends, and relatives - at great personal risk to herself - guiding them to freedom in the northern United States and British North America (present-day Canada) using a clandestine network of anti-slavery activists and safe houses to facilitate the journey. Tubman later helped the abolitionist John Brown recruit troops for his 1859 raid on Harper‘s Ferry, and helped lead multiple attacks on Confederate plantations and infrastructure during the Civil War. Toward the end of her life, Tubman joined the campaign for women‘s suffrage. With the struggle against slavery still in living memory, Tubman moved audiences around the country with tales of her heroic actions before and after the Civil War, offering these sacrifices as evidence and living proof that women deserved the same rights as men.
#OnThisDay in 1918, the Texas House (during the 36 legislative sessions) passed HB-105 by a vote of 83-34. The bill granted women the right to vote in (white) Texas Primaries.
The bill was passed by the Texas Senate on March 21, 1918 by a vote of 18-4.
Governor William P. Hobby signed the bill into law on March 26, 1918.
Learn more:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/whatsNew/client/index.cfm/2018/3/20/Votes-for-Women-The-100th-Anniversary-of-Texas-Womens-Suffrage
Bayard Rustin (1912-1987) was an American civil rights activist who worked as an influential organizer and behind-the-scenes adviser to many causes throughout the civil rights era. Rustin began his organizing career working alongside fellow activist A. Philip Randolph on the March on Washington Movement in the early 1940s, which campaigned for the desegregation of the US armed forces. Rustin later played a central organizing role in other key civil rights actions such as the Freedom Rides and the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Martin Luther King - whom Rustin had schooled on methods of non-violence and helped elevate to his leadership position in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference - gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Rustin continued his career as an activist following the passage of civil rights legislation in the mid-1960s, promoting the unionization of African American workers and working internationally to aid war refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia while raising awareness to the ongoing plight of Jews living in the Soviet Union. A gay man who chose to play a supporting role in the Civil Rights Movement due to public criticisms of his homosexuality, Rustin spent his final years working on behalf of LGBT causes during the 1980s.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Minnie Fisher Cunningham born in 1882. Minnie was the first Executive Secretary of the League of Women Voters. The Texas native was also the first female pharmacy student at the University of Texas and the first woman to run for the Texas Senate. Members of the Minnie Fisher Cunningham Society continue empowering voters and defending democracy into the future by naming the League in their wills for a bequest.
Learn More:
-- LWV: https://my.lwv.org/texas/leave-legacy-minnie-fisher-cunningham-society
-- Suffrage Petition: https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/tx-woman-suffrage-petition
--TSHA: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/cunningham-minnie-fisher
-- PBS: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/shows/2015/12/19/43918/texas-originals-minnie-fisher-cunningham/
The 21st of March is the anniversary of events in 1960 when police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid laws in Sharpeville, South Africa. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed an annual observation of the day in 1966.
"We must all work harder to repair the fissures and polarization that are so prevalent in our societies today. We must nurture mutual understanding and invest in making diversity a success. And we must counter and reject political figures who exploit differences for electoral gain." — UN Secretary-General António Guterres”
Learn more:
-- About End Racial Discrimination Day: https://www.un.org/en/observances/end-racism-day
-- History of the League and the UN: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/The%2520League%2520and%2520the%2520United%2520Nations.pdf
-- Role of the UN Observer: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/LWVUS%20United%20Nations%20Observer%20Role.pdf
-- Contact the UN Observers at unobserver@lwv.org.
Also World Poetry Day: https://www.un.org/en/events/poetryday/
#OnThisDay in 1918, the Texas Senate (during the 36 legislative sessions) passed HB-105 by a vote of 18-4. The bill granted women the right to vote in (white) Texas Primaries.
The bill was firsts passed in the TX House on March 15, 1918 by a vote of 84-34.
Governor William P. Hobby signed the bill into law on March 26, 1918.
Learn more:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/whatsNew/client/index.cfm/2018/3/20/Votes-for-Women-The-100th-Anniversary-of-Texas-Womens-Suffrage
#OnThisDay in 1972, Congress passed the ERA, but it remains 1 state short of ratification.
#OnThis day in 1971, the 26th Amendment was passed by Congress. This amendment was enacted in response to Vietnam War protests, which argued that soldiers who were old enough to fight for their country should be granted the right to vote.‘
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed to the states) on March 23, 1971, and ratified on July 1, 1971.
Resources:
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Today is Slavery Remembrance Day. “For over 400 years, more than 15 million men, women and children were the victims of the tragic transatlantic slave trade, one of the darkest chapters in human history.”
Learn about the Ark of Return, which is the permanent memorial designed by Rodney Leon (a decedent of a former slave) that sits on the grounds of the United Nations headquarters.
Resources:
-- About Slavery Remembrance Day: https://www.un.org/en/events/slaveryremembranceday
-- Ark of Return Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx-gnst3mC8
-- History of the League and the UN: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/The%2520League%2520and%2520the%2520United%2520Nations.pdf
-- Role of the UN Observer: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/LWVUS%20United%20Nations%20Observer%20Role.pdf
-- Contact the UN Observers at unobserver@lwv.org.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Virginia Louisa Minor, born in 1824. Virginia was the plaintiff in the Minor v. Happersett case that was unsuccessful in arguing that the 14th Amendment gave women the right to vote.
The Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) in 1874 ruled in a unanimous decision that the 14th Amendment did not guarantee women the right to vote.
The 19th Amendment overruled Minor v. Happersett by prohibiting discrimination in voting rights based on sex. #VotingRights
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/the-virginia-minor-case.htm
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Wilhelmina Kekelaokalaninui Widemann Dowsett.
Learn more:
-- https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelmina_Kekelaokalaninui_Widemann_Dowsett
#OnThisDay in 1961: Residents of Washington, D.C. were granted the right to vote in U.S. Presidential Elections. The 23rd Amendment extends the right to vote in presidential elections to citizens residing in the District of Columbia. The amendment grants the district electors in the Electoral College as though it were a state, though the district can never have more electors than the least-populous state.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed to the states) on June 16, 1960, and ratified March 29, 1961.
#OnThisDay in 1875, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled in a unanimous decision that the 14th Amendment did not guarantee women the right to vote.
The 19th Amendment overruled Minor v. Happersett by prohibiting discrimination in voting rights based on sex.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/the-virginia-minor-case.htm
-- US Courts: https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/annual-observances/law-day
-- LOC: https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep088/usrep088162/usrep088162.pdf
One of the most iconic labor organizers and civil rights activists in American history, Cesar Chavez (1927-1993) co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) with fellow organizer Dolores Huerta in 1962. Originally of Mexican-American origin, Chavez was a farm worker himself before turning to activism and securing official recognition for UFW as the collective bargaining agent for 50,000 field workers in California and Florida during the 1970s. Renowned for his grassroots approach to labor activism and Hispanic empowerment, Chavez is credited with popularizing the slogan "Si, se puede" ("Yes we can") and was awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 1994. In 2014 President Barack Obama proclaimed March 31 as a federal commemorative holiday in the United States, marking the date of Chavez‘s birth. Numerous American parks, streets, and schools throughout the country bear his name.
#On this day in 1944, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) decision in Smith v. Allwright ruled the so-called "white primary" unconstitutional. The case originated in 1940 when Houston dentist Lonnie E. Smith attempted to vote in the Democratic primary in Harris County and was denied a ballot.
The number of African Americans registered to vote in Texas increased from 30,000 in 1940 to 100,000 in 1947.
Learn more:
-- @TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wdw01
-- NAACP: https://www.naacpldf.org/case-issue/landmark-smith-v-allwright
-- UT: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
-- LOC: https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep321/usrep321649/usrep321649.pdf
Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was an American author, poet, dancer, actress and singer. She was active in the Civil Rights Movement and worked with Martin Luther King, James Baldwin, and Malcolm X. Prior to becoming a writer, Angelou spent much of her young life as a dancer, before turning to organizing and activism at the start of the 1960s. After spending three years as a journalist in Ghana, Angelou moved back to the United States in 1965 and collaborated closely with many of the leading civil rights figures of the time. Angelou‘s first breakthrough came in 1969 when she published her first autobiography "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," which brought global acclaim. Angelou would go on to spend the next 45 years as an internationally renowned lecturer, teacher, writer, composer, performer, and director, becoming one of America‘s literary and artistic legends.
#OnThisDay, Jeannette Pickering Rankin was sworn in as the 1st woman elected to Congress. Rankin was an American politician and women‘s rights advocate, and the first woman to hold federal office in the United States. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican from Montana in 1916, and again in 1940.
A suffragist during the Progressive Era, Rankin organized and lobbied for legislation enfranchising women in several states including Montana, New York, and North Dakota. During her victory speech following her first election to the House of Representatives, she recognized the power she held as the only woman able to vote in Congress saying, "I am deeply conscious of the responsibility resting upon me".[1] While in Congress, she introduced legislation similar to what would eventually became the 19th Constitutional Amendment, granting unrestricted voting rights to women nationwide. She championed the causes of women‘s rights and civil rights throughout a career that spanned more than six decades.
Learn more:
PBS - @unladylike2020: https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jeannette-rankin/
#OnThisDay 1893, ten Texas women, mostly members of the Woman‘s Christian Temperance Union, issued a call for a statewide woman suffrage convention. The Texas Equal Rights Association, the first such statewide organization, was chartered at the ensuing three-day convention in Dallas. Internal dissension plagued the TERA, which had been organized as a branch of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, and it ceased to operate by 1896. In 1903 Annette Finnigan helped organize a successor organization, the Texas Equal Suffrage Association, which helped lead the long and ultimately successful fight for woman suffrage. Texas women were finally granted the right to vote in primary elections in 1918, and in June 1919 Texas became the ninth state (and the first in the south) to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which extended full suffrage to women.
Learn more:
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vit02
#OnThisDay, congress overrode a veto by President Andrew Johnson and enacted into law the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1866, which defined citizenship and affirm that all citizens are equally protected by the law. The CRA of 1866 was enacted post Civil War to protect the civil rights of persons of African descent born in or brought to the US. #CivilRights
Congress passed the act on March 13, 1866.
President Andrew Johnson vetoed the act on March 27, 1866
Congress overrode the veto and enacted the CRA on April 9, 1866
Congress passed the bill to support the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
Johnson‘s Veto: https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/march-27-1866-veto-message-civil-rights-legislation
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Fannie Coralie Perkins (Francis Perkins), born on this day in1880. Fannie was a workers-rights advocate and the first woman to serve in a US president‘s cabinet. She served as Franklin D. Roosevelt‘s Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945, the longest-serving in that position. In addition, she was the first LGBTQ person to serve in the U.S. Cabinet.
Learn more:
-- FPC: https://francesperkinscenter.org/life-new/
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/lgbtqheritage/upload/lgbtqtheme-preservation.pdf
-- CU: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/digital/collections/nny/perkinsf/profile.html
-- NPR: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102959041
#OnThis Day, Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin. #CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (formed the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
-- Johnson Library: http://www.lbjlibrary.org/exhibits/civil-rights
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/summer/civil-rights-act-1.html
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Emancipation Day is an American holiday celebrated in the District of Columbia (Washington, DC) each year on April 16th. It marks the day US President Abraham Lincoln signed the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act in 1862, which granted freedom to more than 3,000 slaves in the nation‘s capital, nine months before Lincoln issued his broader Emancipation Proclamation freeing 3.5 million slaves in the rebel-held American South. Three years later, the United States ratified the 13th Amendment, which formally outlawed slavery. In 2005, Washington DC Mayor Anthony Williams signed legislation making Emancipation Day an official public holiday, which is also observed by the federal government.
#OnThisDay in 1954, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) extended constitutional rights to Mexican Americans in the landmark civil rights case Hernandez v. Texas.
Learn more: https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/artifacts/hernandez-v-texas-spotlight-050115
#OnThisDay in 1882 Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The 1882 Act was the first US history to place broad restrictions on immigration.
Timeline:
1882 - Arthur signs Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
Prevents Chinese nationals from eligibility for US citizenship (scheduled to last 10 yrs)
1892 - Harrison signs the Geary Act
Renews Chinese Exclusion act of 1882 (extends for 10 additional years and in 1902 indefinitely extended)
1943 - Roosevelt signs the Magnuson Act
Repeals the Chinese Exclusion Act leaving a yearly limit of 105 Chinese and gives foreign-born Chinese the right to seek naturalization
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Resources:
National Archive Chinese Americans: https://www.archives.gov/research/chinese-americans/guide
Chinese Exclusion History: https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/APA/Historical-Essays/Exclusion-and-Empire/First-Arrivals/
Chinese Exclusion Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1866-1898/chinese-immigration
Congress‘ Apology for Chinese Exclusion: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2012-06-18/html/CREC-2012-06-18-pt1-PgH3715-2.htm
Video: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/chinese-exclusion-act/
#OnThisDay, Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1960, which served to eliminate loopholes left by the CRA of 1957. It established federal inspection of voter-registration polls and addressed discriminatory laws and practices in the segregated South that disenfranchised blacks and Hispanics. #CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
--Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/collections/eisenhowercivilrightsfiles
--Eisenhower Library: https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/sites/default/files/research/subject-guides/pdf/civil-rights-guide-to-studies.pdf
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
#OnThisDay, the Texas Equal Rights Association (TERA), the first statewide female suffrage organization, was founded in the Grand Windsor in Dallas on May 10, 1893. The TERA was committed to securing voting and political rights for women on the same terms as men, including the right to hold political office and serve on juries.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vit02
#EqualRights #CivilRights #VotingRights
#OnThisDay in 1954, the Supreme Court of the US ruled in a unanimous decision that school segregation violated the Equal Protection and Due Process clauses of the 14th Amendment.
Brown v. Board of Education was a consolidation of five cases. The ruling effectively ending racial segregation in public schools. Many schools, however, remained segregated.
Learn more:
-- Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/brown_vs_boe
-- US Courts: https://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/history-brown-v-board-education-re-enactment
-- Library of Congress https://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep347/usrep347483/usrep347483.pdf
-- Video: https://www.loc.gov/item/mbrs01856600/
-- Image: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-brown.html
#OnThisDay in 1896, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled 7-1 that segregation was legal and constitutional as long as "facilities were equal"—the famous "separate but equal" segregation policy.
The Plessy v. Ferguson decision provided legal justification for segregation until it was overruled by Brown v. the Board of Education in 1954.
Resources:
Library of Congress: Plessy v. Ferguson: https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/plessy.html
Library of Congress: Brown v. Board of Education: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-brown.html
#OnThisDay in 1993 Clinton signed the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (also referred to as the Motor Voter Act). The bill advanced voting rights, including (but not limited to) requiring states to offer voter registration opportunities to eligible persons during driver’s license renewal.
Timeline:
1990 - LWV convenes a symposium to examine the role of negative campaigning in the decline in voter participation. The symposium leads to a comprehensive effort to return the voter to the center of the election process. LWV works with a coalition of partners to support legislation reforming voter registration.
1992 - Congress passes the NVRA of 1992
1992 - Bush vetoes the bill
1992 - Congress fails to override the veto
1993 - Congress passes the NVRA of 1993
1993 - Clinton signs the bill into law
Resources:
-- LWV 2018-2020 Impact report: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-04/LWV%202018-20%20Impact%20on%20Issues.pdf#page=15
-- LWV Celebrates NVRA 27 Anniversary: https://www.lwv.org/blog/honoring-27th-anniversary-national-voter-registration-act
-- Bush‘s comments regarding NVRA of 1992: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/message-the-senate-returning-without-approval-the-national-voter-registration-act-1992
-- Clinton‘s comment regarding NVRA of 1993: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-signing-the-national-voter-registration-act-1993
-- US Justice Department: https://www.justice.gov/crt/about-national-voter-registration-act
On May 24, Coolidge signed the Immigration Act of 1924 (also referred to as the Johnson-Reed Act), which implemented a national quota system that limited the number of immigrants allowed into the US, and it excluded immigrants from Asia.
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act
Prevents immigration from Asia and establishes a quotas system
1952 - Truman vetoes McCarran-Walter Act (veto overridden by Congress)
Eliminates Asian exclusion and establishes a preference system for desirable ethnic groups
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Note: See https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline for a description of immigration laws before 1924
Resources:
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965
Coolidge’s Comments regarding Immigration: https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/were-all-in-the-same-boat-now-coolidge-on-immigration
Truman’s Veto Comments: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/public/Immigration_TrumanVeto.pdf
Johnson’s INA Signing Comments:http://www.lbjlibrary.org/lyndon-baines-johnson/timeline/lbj-on-immigration
Images:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gQD4VFtai7I0K47-d3F58Ffp9wn0fNzh
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1bfzS8eAMFA89LTE_gU3VkTZyxH5qV9Y1
#OnThisDay in 1924, Coolidge signed the Indian Citizenship Act (also known as the Snyder Act), which granted all Native Americans citizenship and the right to vote regardless of tribal affiliation. As history has shown, having the right to vote does not always equate to having the ability to vote. Learn about hurdles that suppress the Native American vote: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/voting-rights/how-the-native-american-vote-continues-to-be-suppressed/
Resources:
Native American Voting Rights Act (Introduced 2019)
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1694/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22H.+R.+83%22%5D%7D&r=62&s=1
LWV Endorsement of Native American Voting Rights Act
https://www.lwv.org/expanding-voter-access/league-endorses-native-american-voting-rights-act-2019
Voting Rights for Native Americans: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-native-americans.html
https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/every-native-american-a-citizen/
Timeline https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline
https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-native-americans.html
#OnThisDay in 1919, Congress passed (proposed for ratification) the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. The amendment was ratified by the states on August 18, 1920.
http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
Learn more:
National Women’s History Museum: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Today marks the death of Harriet Forten Purvis (1810-1875). Typically, we ask you to join in the celebration of a birth, but Harriet’s birthday is unknown, but her contributions to the rights we enjoy today are worthy of remembrance. Improving the civil and voting rights of others was a family tradition for Harriet and her relatives:
** Daughter of Charlotte Valdine Forten (1st generation suffragist)
** Sister of Sarah Forten Purvis and Margaret Forten (2nd generation suffragists)
** Mother to Hattie Purvis (3rd generation suffragist)
** Aunt of Charlotte Forten Grimke (3rd generation suffragist)
** Wife of Robert Purvis Sr ** (instrumental in development of the Underground Railroad)
Learn more:
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/more-to-the-movement/harriet-forten-purvis/
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- Turning Point: https://suffragistmemorial.org/harriet-forten-purvis-1810-1875/
-- Women History: https://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2016/08/harriet-forten-purvis.html
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Jeannette Pickering Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress.
Learn more:
-- PBS - @unladylike2020: https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jeannette-rankin/
-- House History: https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/R/RANKIN,-Jeannette-(R000055)
Faslane Peace Camp is a permanent peace camp situated next to the Faslane Naval Base in Scotland. Set up on this date in 1982, the camp is the world‘s longest-running active demonstration site and was originally set up as part of the anti-nuclear weapons movements of the 1980s.
#OnThisDay in 1866, Congress passed (proposed) the 14th Amendment, which granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former and recently freed slaves. In addition, it forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) 0n June 13, 1866 and ratified July 9, 1868.
Resources:
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Join us in celebrating the birthday. Miriam was the 1st woman elected as Governor of Texas.
Learn more:
-- https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffe06
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/lkj01
JUNETEENTH. On June 19 ("Juneteenth"), 1865, Union general Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and issued General Order Number 3, which read, "The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juneteenth
Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, is an American holiday that commemorates the June 19, 1865, announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. state of Texas, and more generally the emancipation of enslaved African Americans throughout the former Confederate States of America. Its name is a portmanteau of "June" and "nineteenth", the date of its celebration.[1][2] Juneteenth is recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in forty-five states.[3]
Today it is observed primarily in local celebrations. Traditions include public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, singing traditional songs such as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing", and reading of works by noted African-American writers such as Ralph Ellison and Maya Angelou.[4] Celebrations may include rodeos, street fairs, cookouts, family reunions, park parties, historical reenactments, or Miss Juneteenth contests.[5] The Mascogos, descendants of Black Seminoles, of Coahuila, Mexico also celebrate Juneteenth.[6]
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal of VRA
Nixon signs 5-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on June 22, 1970. The VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1919, the TX Leg meets in a special session to consider ratification of the 19th Amendment.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919. #100YearsStrong
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
-- Leg Reference Libary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/govdocs/William%20P%20Hobby/1919/36-2proc.pdf 01
#OnThisDay in 1919, the Texas House adopts a resolution to ratify the 19th Amendment.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay in 2013, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled 5-4 that Section 4(b) of the Voters Right Act (VRA) was unconstitutional because the coverage formula was outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable until Congress agrees on a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
Timeline:
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples under the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution. The product of a three-year court battle challenging state-level bans on same-sex marriage, the landmark decision by the Supreme Court in Obergefell v. Hodges requires all US states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, while recognising same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, officially making marriage equality the law of the land across the United States and its territories.
#OnThisDay in 1918, Hortense Sparks Ward became the first woman in Harris County history to register to vote. Born in Matagorda County in 1872, she married Houston lawyer William Henry Ward in 1908. In 1910 she became one of the first women admitted to the Texas state bar (after Edith Locke in 1902 and Alice Tiernan in 1909).
Ward worked tirelessly in support of women’s rights and penned moving newspaper essays and pamphlets for that cause. She was instrumental in the passage of the Married Woman’s Property Law of 1913 by the Texas Legislature, and she campaigned with suffragist Minnie Fisher Cunningham for enfranchisement.
Texas women won an important victory in 1918 when the legislature permitted them to vote in primary elections. In a short span of less than three weeks, 386,000 women across the state registered to vote, and Hortense Ward led the way.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwa83
#OnThisDay in 1952, Congress passed into law (overriding a veto by Truman) the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1952, which abolished racial restrictions for immigration and naturalization but kept the national origins quota system established in the Immigration act of 1924
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act: Prevented immigration from Asia, set quotas on the number of immigrants from the Eastern Hemisphere)
1952 - Truman vetoes (veto overridden by Congress) McCarran-Walter Act: Eliminated Asian exclusion and established a preference system that determined which ethnic groups were desirable immigrants
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act: Eliminated policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Learn more: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965/
Join us in commemorating the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, which became a watershed moment for gay rights. After Stonewall, gay-right groups formed in cities across American, Canada, Australia, and Europe. In June 1970, the first public gay-pride marches took place commemorating the one-year anniversary of the uprising. #PRIDE #CivilRights #Intersectional
Learn more:
--Time: https://buff.ly/35HzdQl
-- PBS: https://buff.ly/2PrCqeP
-- LOC: https://buff.ly/3heGM6w
-- Video of 1st Pride March: https://www.loc.gov/item/mbrs01991430/
Go here to see the LWVTX’s position on Equal Opportunity: https://buff.ly/2NlG5wL
In addition, see the position update report from the 2020 LWVTX convening to see how the League’s positions are evolving. https://buff.ly/2YFYb14
#OnThisDay in 1919, the Texas Senate approved ratification of the 19th Amendment. Texas became the 9th state in the US and the 1st state in the South to approve ratification.
The Texas legislature convened in a special session on June 23, 1919. The Texas House adopted a resolution for ratification (by a vote of 96 to 21) on June 24, 1919. Then, the Texas Senate approved the resolution in a viva voce vote on June 28, 1919. #100YearsStrong
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/texas-women-s-history.htm#:~:text=On%20June%2028%2C%201919%2C%20the,of%20the%20United%20States%20Constitution
-- TSL: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/struggles-women
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay, Reagan signs a 25-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on June 29, 1982. The renewal extended for 25 years the Section 5 preclearance provision and extended the requirement for bilingual elections for 10 years. The VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1971, the 26th Amendment was ratified, giving adults aged 18 through 21 the right to vote. The 26th Amendment was enacted in response to Vietnam War protestors who argued that soldiers who were old enough to fight/die for their country should be old enough to vote.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on March 23, 1971, and ratified on July 1, 1971.
Learn more:
-- National Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xxvi
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
#OnThis Day, Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It prohibits unequal application of voter registration requirements, and racial segregation in schools, employment, and public accommodations.
#CivilRights #VotingRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
-- Johnson Library: http://www.lbjlibrary.org/exhibits/civil-rights
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/summer/civil-rights-act-1.html
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Join us celebrating the birthday of Gertrude Bustill Mosell. Gertrude wrote a weekly advice column, "Our Women‘s Department," which was the 1st women‘s column in the history of the African-American press. She fought for equal rights and encouraged women to join the suffragist movement.
Learn more:
-- Article: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
-- Book: https://books.google.com/books?id=CHx5tY6wQSMC&pg=PA37&lpg=PA37&dq=Gertrude+Bustill+Mossell&source=bl&ots=W1sLIooEOO&sig=ACfU3U1M6Q9DfnX2OJmLRn4pJBdGJaT7yQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi1hL-J18zpAhURC6wKHbR1CXc4FBDoATAFegQICRAB#v=onepage&q=Gertrude%20Bustill%20Mossell&f=false
-- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Bustill_Mossell
-- Penn University Archive: https://archives.upenn.edu/collections/finding-aid/upt50m913
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/african-american-women-and-the-nineteenth-amendment.htm
The 4th of July marks the birth of the United States of America as a nation, recalling the Declaration of Independence made in 1776. The Continental Congress of the thirteen American colonies had actually passed a resolution of independence from the British Empire on July 2nd, but subsequently debated the additional declaration which explained its decision. The American Revolution had already been underway since 1775, and continued to 1783 in victory for the new United States.
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Jenny Bland Beauchamp. She wrote one of the first articles on woman suffrage published in Texas.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbeaj
#OnThisDay in 1868, Titus H. Mundine was the 1st Texas legislator to propose the enfranchisement of women and African Americans.
"Every person, without distinction of sex, who shall have arrived at the age of twenty-one years...shall be deemed a qualified elector." -- Titus H. Mundine
Learn More:
Titus – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmuvf
1868-69 Constitutional Convention – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/mjc04
Woman Suffrage – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
#OnThisDay in 1868, the 14th Amendment was ratified. It granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former and recently freed slaves. In addition, it forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on June 13, 1866 and ratified on July 9, 1868.
Resources:
National Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xiv
National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Mary McLeod Bethune (Birthday)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary MCLeod Bethune who contributed to the women’s suffrage movement through her activism and writing.
Learn more:
NPS: https://www.nps.gov/mamc/learn/historyculture/mary-mcleod-bethune.htm
Women‘s Vote: https://www.womensvote100.org/the-suff-buffs-blog/2020/5/4/mary-mcleod-bethune-true-democracy-and-the-fight-for-universal-suffrage?fbclid=IwAR2sHG_Gb3ue4UpAFdSYiWe95TNmK0HJE-_pnIiWUwYVp88PNlRd9Hu9SHg
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Ida Wells Barnett. Ida was a civil rights activist and founded the Alpha Suffrage Club in 1913. She criticized mainstream (white) suffrage organizations for their exclusion of women of color. During the 1913 Women‘s March on Washington, Wells and other African-American women were told to march at the back of the procession. Wells refused, waiting until the procession started and then joining the block of women that represented her state.
Learn more:
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fySmIinC0MU&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR3orBtlRs5Vhx0pCTMSgBTd6jU4wZ-xCXOv_9WVKweq8RGPZ8rWDuNR6kE
-- Hidden Figures: https://buff.ly/2TPhL88
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Time Mag: https://time.com/5792441/the-suffragists-100-women-of-the-year/
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://buff.ly/2Xd2mjQ
-- PBS: https://buff.ly/2Ag4b7c (1 hr 9 minutes in)
-- Ida‘s Writing; https://buff.ly/2Uv75vG
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Alice Dunbar Nelson. Alice was active in the emerging civil rights and woman suffrage movements. In 1915, she was the field organizer for the Middle Atlantic States in the campaign for women‘s suffrage. During World War I, Dunbar-Nelson served as a field representative of the Woman‘s Committee of the Council of National Defense.
Learn more:
-- University of Delaware Library: http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/findaids/dunbarne.html
-- Smithsonian: https://blog.library.si.edu/blog/2020/03/12/an-unsung-legacy-the-work-and-activism-of-alice-dunbar-nelson/#.XsnsXmhKhPY
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- Black History: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/dunbar-nelson-alice-ruth-moore-1875-1935/
#OnThisDay in 1848, the 1st women‘s rights convention was held in the US. It took place in Seneca Falls, New York. The meeting launched the women’s suffrage movement.
Learn more:
-- Constitutional Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/on-this-day-the-seneca-falls-convention-begins
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/july-19/
-- White House Archive: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/find-the-sentiments
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
#OnThisDay, Bush signs the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1964, which made discrimination based on race, religion, sex, national origin, and other characteristics illegal. In addition, unlike the CRA, the ADA also requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities and imposes accessibility requirements on public accommodations.
Celebration of signing of ADA
#OnThisDay, Bush signs a 25-yr renewal of the Voter Rights Act (VRA) on Juyly 22, 2006.
UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” As a consequence, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula.
The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lucy Burns. Lucy was an American suffragist and women‘s rights activist. She spent more time in prison because of her activism than any other American woman suffragist. She and Alice Paul were co-founders of the National Woman‘s Party.
Learn more:
National Parks Service: https://www.nps.gov/people/lucy-burns.htm
Watch Iron Jawed Angels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzoXTo4-hws
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mariana Thompson Folsom. Mariana was a leader in the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWS) and asked Lucy Stone in 1885 for assistance in establishing a state (Texas) suffrage society.
Learn more:
-- TSHA History: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffo43
-- TSHA Image: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/folsom-lecture.html
-- Unitarian Oral History: http://www.liveoakuu.org/services/rev-mariana-thompson-folsom-1845-1909/
-- Bullock Museum: https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/artifacts/what-is-feminine
-- TSL - Personal Diary Entry: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/mariana-diary.html
-- TSL - Letter from Lucy Stone: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/suffrage/battle/stone-folsom-1.html
#OnThisDay in 1965, Johnson signed the Voter Rights Act (VRA). In addition on this same day in 1975, Ford signs a 7-yr renewal. The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
** UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” Consequently, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula. **
Timeline:
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1965, Johnson signed the Voter Rights Act (VRA). The #VRA is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting.
** UPDATE: The VRA was successfully challenged in June 2013 (Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder). The Supreme Court struck down (in a 5-4 ruling) Section 4(b) as outdated and not “grounded in current conditions.” Consequently, Section 5 is intact, but inoperable, unless or until Congress prescribes a new Section 4 formula. **
1965 - Johnson signs VRA
1970 - Nixon signs 5-yr renewal
1975 - Ford signs 7-yr renewal
1982 - Reagan signs 25-yr renewal
2006 - Bush signs 25-yr renewal
2013 - Shelby v. Holder challenges VRA
Learn more: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43626.pdf
Resources:
Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjlwwf2K9g&feature=youtu.be
Nixon: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-voting-rights-act-amendments-1970
Ford: https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0005/1561605.pdf
Reagan: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/62982b
Bush: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060727.html
Shelby v. Holder: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
VRA Timeline: https://www.aclu.org/voting-rights-act-major-dates-history
Prior challenges: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/msdelta/ch3.htm
Current status: https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/2018/Minority_Voting_Access_2018.pdf
History: https://www.justice.gov/crt/history-federal-voting-rights-laws Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA87JWa0bEw
Video: https://storycorps.org/stories/ellie-dahmer-and-bettie-dahmer-170113/
Aug 6, 1965: Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights movement on August 6, 1965, and
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lucy Stone. Lucy was a leading suffragist who dedicated her life to fighting inequality. She was the first Massachusetts woman to earn a college degree. Lucy organized the first National Women’s Rights Convention in Worcester, Massachusetts, and she was a founding member of the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), which would later merge with the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucy-stone
-- Video: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d
-- History: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Charlotte Forten Grimké. Charlotte was a 3rd-generation suffragist and equal rights advocate. She is a reminder that we make progress by standing on the shoulders of others, and that it can take multiple generations to right wrongs.
** Granddaughter of Charlotte Vandine Forten **
** Daughter of Robert Bridges Forten **
** Niece of Margaret, Harriet, and Sarah Forten **
Learn more:
-- National History Center: http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai/identity/text3/charlottefortenjournal.pdf
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- NPS (19th Amendment): https://www.nps.gov/articles/african-american-women-and-the-nineteenth-amendment.htm
-- NPS (Voting Rights): https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-women-and-the-fight-for-voting-rights.htm
-- Journals of Charlotte Forten Grimke: https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/3uHylBU24jMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PP1
-- Muse: https://muse.jhu.edu/chapter/1945821
-- Beltway Poetry: http://www.beltwaypoetry.com/poetry/poets/names/grimke-charlotte-forten/
#OnThisDay, 1920 the 19th Amendment was ratified, granting women the right to vote. This amendment prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex. The ratification was the culmination of the women‘s suffrage movement in the United States, which fought at both state and national levels to achieve the vote.
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) on June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920.
Learn more:
-- National Women’s History Museum: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/19-amendment
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Annie Webb Blanton, teacher, suffragist, and the first woman in Texas elected to statewide office, was born Aug 19, 1870, in Houston.
In the July 1918 primary, when Texas women exercised their voting rights for the first time, Blanton defeated incumbent Walter F. Doughty and Brandon Trussell by a large margin. In November, her victory in the general election made her the first woman in Texas elected to statewide office. She served as state superintendent through 1922.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbl16
-- Humanities Texas https://www.humanitiestexas.org/programs/tx-originals/list/annie-webb-blanton
"The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote nationally on August 18, 1920, so why is Women’s Equality Day on August 26th each year?
The simple answer is that even when a constitutional amendment has been ratified it’s not official until it has been certified by the correct government official. In 1920, that official was U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby. On August 26, 1920, Colby signed a proclamation behind closed doors at 8 a.m. at his own house in Washington, D.C, ending a struggle for the vote that started a century earlier." -- Constitution Center
The first executive secretary of the League of Women Voters, Minnie Fisher Cunningham, was a Texan who, among many other notable achievements, worked for the passage of the 19th Amendment in Texas and nationally.
Learn more:
-- Alice Paul Org: https://www.alicepaul.org/2020-exhibition/
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/why-august-26-is-known-as-womans-equality-day
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/collections/women-of-protest/articles-and-essays/tactics-and-techniques-of-the-national-womans-party-suffrage-campaign/
-- NCSL: https://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/amending-the-u-s-constitution.aspx
Image: https://www.alicepaul.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/5_Suffragist_Cover_1920.pdf
#OnThisDay in 1962, the 24th Amendment, which prohibited the use or a poll tax as a condition for voting in federal elections, was passed by Congress. #SystemicRacism
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed) to the states on August 27, 1962, and ratified on January 23, 1964.
“After nearly disappearing in the states, a repurposed poll tax returned as part of a successful effort to undermine the Fifteenth Amendment and reestablish limits on the franchise. Beginning in Florida in 1889, all the former Confederate States, and a few others, instituted a suite of changes to voting laws as a part of this effort. They introduced literacy tests and disqualified convicted felons from voting. They also resurrected poll taxes. The historical record is filled with racially derogatory statements from delegates at State constitutional conventions who believed poll taxes and other devices would suppress Black voter registration and turnout.”
“The Supreme Court repeatedly affirmed the constitutionality of poll taxes. In its 1937 opinion in Breedlove v. Suttles, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected a claim from a white Georgia voter that the poll tax violated the Equal Protection Clause. In 1951, it rejected a similar claim challenging Virginia’s poll tax in Butler v. Thompson.” -- Constitution Center #CheckAndBalances #3Branches
Resources:
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xxiv
-- National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- US House: https://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/37045
-- Breedlove v. Suttles: https://perma.cc/6G6H-6U4T
-- Butler v. Thompson: https://perma.cc/V4JP-TYHY
#OnThisDay in 1963, approximately 250,000 people took part in The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Martin Luther King gave the closing address in front of the Lincoln Memorial:
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
Learn more:
-- King Institute: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/i-have-dream-address-delivered-march-washington-jobs-and-freedom
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=173&v=smEqnnklfYs&feature=emb_logo
-- Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/10-fascinating-facts-about-the-i-have-a-dream-speech
-- Civil Rights Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/march_on_washington
#OnThisDay in 1983, the 68th Texas legislature passed HB718, which abolished the life-time voting ban on ex-felons, but included a 5-yr waiting period before ex-felons would become eligible to vote.
On Sept 1, 1997, the 75th Texas legislature passed HB1001 eliminated the 5-yr waiting period.
Learn more:
-- TSLL: https://guides.sll.texas.gov/reentry-resources/voting
-- 75th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/Sessionoverviews/summary/75soe.pdf#page=114 (pg. 114)
-- 68th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/sessionOverviews/summary/soe68.pdf#page=82 (pg. 77)
-- HB1001 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/75R/HB1001/HB1001_75R.pdf
-- HB718 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/68R/HB718/HB718_68R.pdf#page=23 (pg. 23)
-- HB718 Election Law Opinion: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- JSTOR: https://www.jstor.org/stable/29768353?read-now=1&seq=4#page_scan_tab_contents (pg. 82)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Myra Davis Hemmings. Hemmings was born in Gonzales, Texas. She was one of the founders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. as well as its first president. The sorority was founded at Howard University in Jan 1913 and its 1st public act was to participate in the Woman Suffrage Procession in Washington, D.C. in Mar of 1913.
Suffragist Mary Church Terrell lobbied on behalf of the Deltas to win them a place in the parade, where they were the only African American organization represented. #HiddenFigures
A Texas Historical Marker dedicated to Myra resides at the Myra Davis Hemmings Resource Center in Bexar County, TX.
Photo credit: San Antonio Alumnae Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Learn More:
-- @usgpo: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2013-01-24/html/CREC-2013-01-24-pt1-PgS292.htm
-- @TxHistComm: https://atlas.thc.texas.gov/Details/5507017358/print
-- @TxStHistAssoc: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fhe64
-- @dstinc1913: https://www.deltasigmatheta.org
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lulu Belle Madison White. Lulu Belle was a civil rights activist who worked to eliminate the white primary in the 1930s. In 1939, she became the president of the Houston chapter of the NAACP. After the SCOTUS ruling in 1944 that outlawed the white primary (Smith v. Allwright), she worked tirelessly to encourage voting and educate voters.
Learn more:
-- TSHA Handbook: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwh75
-- TSHA Honest Past (p. 337): https://join.tshaonline.org/ebook-offers/honest-past/SHQ-An-Honest-Past.pdf
-- WTH: https://www.womenintexashistory.org/audio/lulu-belle-madison-white
-- Humanities of TX: https://www.humanitiestexas.org/news/articles/craft-civil-rights
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Ann Richards. In 1976, Ann became the 1st woman elected to the Travis County Commissioners Court. In 1982, Ann became the 1st woman elected as Texas State Treasurer, which was the 1st time a woman had been elected to statewide office in Texas since Miriam Ferguson‘s successful gubernatorial race in 1932--breaking a 50-yr absence of women in statewide leadership. In 1990, Ann became the 2nd woman to serve as governor of Texas since Texas became a state in 1845.
Learn more:
-- https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fri62
#OnThisDay in 1997, the 75th TX legislature, passed HB1001, which amended the Election Code to clarify the voting rights (eligibility) of fully discharged ex-felons, and it eliminated the 5-year waiting period established by HB718.
In 1983, the 68th Session of the TX Leg passed HB718, which abolished the life-time voting ban on ex-felons, but included a 5-year waiting period before ex-felons would become eligible to vote.
Learn more:
-- TXSLL: https://guides.sll.texas.gov/reentry-resources/voting
-- TXSOS: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- 75th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/Sessionoverviews/summary/75soe.pdf#page=114 (pg. 114)
-- 68th #TXLege Summary: https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/sessionOverviews/summary/soe68.pdf#page=82 (pg. 77)
-- HB1001 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/75R/HB1001/HB1001_75R.pdf
-- HB718 Text: https://lrl.texas.gov/LASDOCS/68R/HB718/HB718_68R.pdf#page=23 (pg. 23)
-- HB718 Election Law Opinion: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/elo/jwf20.pdf
-- JSTOR: https://www.jstor.org/stable/29768353?read-now=1&seq=4#page_scan_tab_contents (pg. 82)
This Labor Day we’re recognizing the contributions of laborers by taking a look back at the impact of labor unions on the women’s suffrage movement.
Did you know that middle and upper-class suffragists learned to use parades and picketing from working-class suffragists who were members of labor unions?
“Since the beginning of the women’s rights movement, women who devoted their lives to reform often were middle and upper-class women. Women who worked to support themselves and their families had less time and funds to devote to social movements.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, however, working women began supporting suffrage in greater numbers. They joined labor unions, held strikes for higher pay, and protested for better working conditions. Working women started seeing the vote as a way to gain more political power to further these causes.
Harriot Stanton Blatch, daughter of suffrage leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton, was among the first suffragists to recruit working women to support suffrage. She started collaborating with the Women’s Trade Union League, founded in 1905, to help women form unions and advocate for labor reforms. In 1907, she founded the Equality League of Self-Supporting Women (later called the Women’s Political Union) to attract working women to the suffrage movement. Blatch also wanted to integrate the more aggressive, militant tactics of labor activists—like parades through city streets and speakers on street corners—into the suffrage strategies to attract more publicity. Working women and their experience with the tactics of labor activists proved vital to winning the vote.” Allison Lange, Ph.D. https://www.loc.gov/resource/ggbain.02144/
Learn more:
-- Crusade for the Vote: http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/working-women-movement
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/static/collections/women-of-protest/images/tactics.pdf
-- DOL: https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/history
JJoin us in celebrating the birthday of Jovita Idár. Idarwas born in 1885 and was an American journalist and civil rights activist who wrote about the challenges Mexican Americans faced in Texas. Her activism was influenced by the lynching of ethnic-Mexican men in South Texas during the early 20th century. She also used her platform as a journalist to support suffrage.
Learn more:
-- PBS (Unladylike): https://unladylike2020.com/profile/jovita-idar
-- TXWF: https://www.txwf.org/champions-for-change-jovita-idar-and-the-villareal-sisters/
-- Women‘s History: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/jovita-idar
-- TSHA Handbook: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fid03
-- TSHA Honest Past (p. 196): https://join.tshaonline.org/ebook-offers/honest-past/SHQ-An-Honest-Past.pdf
-- Humanities of Texas: https://www.humanitiestexas.org/programs/tx-originals/list/jovita-idar
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
Photo Credit: General Photographs, UTSA Special Collections (@UTSA)
#OnThisDay, Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1957 into law. The act established the Civil Rights Section of the Justice Department and empowered federal prosecutors to obtain court injunctions against interference with the right to vote. #CivilRights #VotingRights
This was the 1st civil rights legislation since Reconstruction (1875).
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
--Civil Rights Digital Library: http://crdl.usg.edu/events/civil_rights_act_1957
--Eisenhower Library: https://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/383/Civil-Rights-Act-of-1957
--Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-era-timeline.html
Photo credit: Photographs of Official Activities of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953 - 1961, US National Archives .https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7865612 (@USNatArchives)
Today is Constitution and Citizenship Day, so we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all recently naturalized American citizens. We hope an LWV volunteer was present at your naturalization ceremony to assist you with becoming a registered voter.
Learn more:
-- @LWVTexas: https://my.lwv.org/texas/register-vote
-- @librarycongress: https://www.loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/constitution-day.php
-- @uscis: https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/educators/constitution-day-and-citizenship-day
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Burnett Talbert. Mary was an American orator, civil rights activist, and suffragist. She believed that race and gender were unifying factors that could help resolve class issues. Talbert became one of the first women to join the NAACP after its founding in 1909.
#WomenInLeadership
Learn more:
-- https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/mary-burnett-talbert (https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/mary-burnett-talbert/)
-- https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/talbert-mary-b-1866-1923 (https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/talbert-mary-b-1866-1923/)
-- https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-burnett-talbert-september-17-1866-1923 (https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-burnett-talbert-september-17-1866-1923)
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Church Terrell. Mary was a civil-rights activist who championed racial equality and women’s suffrage in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Learn more:
-- PBS (@unladylike2020): https://unladylike2020.com/profile/mary-church-terrell-2
-- Womens History (@womenshistory): https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mary-church-terrell
-- LOC (@libraryofcongress): https://crowd.loc.gov/campaigns/mary-church-terrell-advocate-for-african-americans-and-women
-- NPS (@NPS) - https://www.nps.gov/people/mary-church-terrell.htm
-- https://suffragistmemorial.org/mary-church-terrell/
LGBT History Month is celebrated every October in United States since 1994. It was first proposed by Missouri high school history teacher Rodney Wilson, who chose October due to the establishment of National Coming Out Day in the late 1980s on October 11. October also marks the first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, which took place in 1979. In addition to LGBT History Month, LGBT Pride Month is also celebrated each year in June to commemorate the Stonewall Riots.
On Oct 3, 1965, Johnson signs the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1965, which amended the 1952 INA by including a provision stating: No person shall receive any preference or priority or be discriminated against in the issuance of an immigrant visa because of the person‘s race, sex, nationality, place of birth, or place of residence.
Timeline:
1924 - Coolidge signs Johnson-Reed Act
Prevents immigration from Asia and establishes a quotas system
1952 - Truman vetoes McCarran-Walter Act (veto overridden by Congress)
Eliminates Asian exclusion and establishes a preference system for desirable ethnic groups
1965 - Johnson signs Hart-Celler Act
Eliminates policy of limiting immigration based on national origin
Note: See https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline for a description of immigration laws before 1924
Resources:
Johnson-Reed Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
McCarran-Walter Act: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act
Hart-Celler Act: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965
Coolidge’s INA Comments: https://www.coolidgefoundation.org/blog/were-all-in-the-same-boat-now-coolidge-on-immigration
Truman’s INA Comments: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/public/Immigration_TrumanVeto.pdf
Johnson’s INA Comments:http://www.lbjlibrary.org/lyndon-baines-johnson/timeline/lbj-on-immigration
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Thomas Mundy Peterson. Thomas, on March 31, 1870 (one day after the ratification of the 15th Amendment) became the first Black American to vote in a U.S. election.
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian: https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2015.190
-- NJ State HIstory; https://nj.gov/state/historical/it-happened-here/ihhnj-er-peterson.pdf
-- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlC3fsW3rRs
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Mary Ann Shadd Cary.
Learn more: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement/
"In 1977 participants at the United Nations International Conference on Discrimination against Indigenous Populations in the Americas proposed that Indigenous Peoples’ Day replace Columbus Day.Indigenous Peoples’ Day recognizes that Native people are the first inhabitants of the Americas, including the lands that later became the United States of America. And it urges Americans to rethink history." https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-indian/2019/10/11/indigenous-peoples-day-2019
The following states and the District of Columbia observe Native American or Indigenous Peoples’ Day, in place of or in addition to Columbus Day:
-- Alabama
-- Alaska
-- District of Columbia
-- Hawaii
-- Idaho
-- Maine
-- Michigan
-- Minnesota
-- New Mexico
-- North Carolina
-- Oklahoma
-- Oregon
-- South Dakota
-- Vermont
-- Wisconsin
The state of Texas does not currently observer Indiginous People day, but the following local jurisdiction have made the change:
-- City of Austin
-- City of Dallas
-- City of San Antonio
-- County of Bexar
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-indian/2019/10/11/indigenous-peoples-day-2019/:
-- PBS: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/npr/2019/10/14/769083847/columbus-day-or-indigenous-peoples-day/
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Eleanor Roosevelt born on this day in 1884.
After the League of Women Voters was founded in 1920 – the same year that Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for Vice President – she helped establish its policy agenda. As the League’s Vice President of Legislative Affairs, she lobbied for reforms in Congress and worked tirelessly to strengthen women’s role in politics, helping mobilize women voters through the League’s nonpartisan training and lobbying work.
Learn more:
-- LWV: https://www.lwv.org/blog/eleanor-roosevelt-first-lady-league-leader-pioneer
Photo Credit: LC-USZ62-25812, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (@librarycongress)
http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3c08091/
National Coming Out Day (NCOD) is an annual LGBTQ awareness day observed on October 11. The day commemorates the Oct. 11, 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, which included half a million participants.
Learn more:
-- HRC: https://www.hrc.org/resources/the-history-of-coming-out
-- APA: https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/coming-out-day
-- GLAAD: https://www.glaad.org/tags/national-coming-out-day
-- Archive: https://gaycenter.org/archive_item/march-on-washington-for-lesbian-and-gay-rights
-- Image: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc276218
#OnThisDay, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) ruled on a bundle of five cases (known as the Civil Rights Cases), and in an 8-1 decision, the court found the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1875 to be unconstitutional.
The CRA of 1875 was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant and was enacted during Reconstruction in response to civil rights violations against African Americans. The act guaranteed equal treatment in public accommodations and transportation. It also outlawing race-based discrimination in jury duty/selection. The five cases heard by SCOTUS included suites brought forth by African Americans who were denied access to segregated facilities.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources: SCOTUS Ruling:
http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep109/usrep109003/usrep109003.pdf
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
The League of Women Voters of Texas, a nonpartisan political organization, was formed on October 19, 1919, at San Antonio, when the Texas Equal Suffrage Association was dissolved to reorganize for a new purposehttps://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wel05
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Christia Daniel Adair. Christia was an NAACP leader from Houston, worked for full suffrage and was one of the first black women to vote in a Democratic primary after the Supreme Court struck down Texas‘ white primary law in 1944. As executive secretary of the Houston NAACP for 12 years, she and others desegregated the Houston airport, public libraries, city buses, and department store dressing rooms. Despite official harassment, Adair and others rebuilt the Houston NAACP chapter, which grew to 10,000 members.
Learn more:
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fad19
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Nina Otero-Warren. Nina was a civil rights leader, a suffragist, and an advocate for bilingual education.
In 1917, Otero-Warren was selected by Alice Paul to head the New Mexico chapter of the Congressional Union (precursor to the National Woman’s Party). She insisted that suffrage literature be published in both English and Spanish, in order to reach the widest audience.
She was Superintendent of Public Schools in Santa Fe County from 1918 to 1929, working to improve the conditions in rural Hispano and Native American communities. Otero-Warren argued that both Spanish and English be allowed in schools, despite the federal mandate of English-only. Despite losing her political campaign to run for a seat in the US House of Representatives, she remained politically and socially active, and served as the Chairman of New Mexico’s Board of Health; an executive board member of the American Red Cross; and director of an adult literacy program in New Mexico for the Works Projects Administration.
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/people/nina-oter-warren.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Jessie Daniel Ames. Jessie was a suffragist and the founder and first president of the League of Women Voters of Texas.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fam06
Veterans Day, also known as Armistice Day or Rememberance Day in other countries which fought in the First World War, is commemorated on the 11th of November, marking the armistice signed between the Allies and Central Powers. The armistice came into effect at 11am: the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month in 1918. Formerly known as Armistice Day in the United States, the name was changed to Veterans Day in 1954 to honor all those who have served and continue to serve in the United States Armed Forces.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Elizabeth Cady Staton (1st generation suffragists). She was born in 1815 and was one of the speakers and organizers of the Seneca Falls Convention. Elizabeth was a co-founder of the National Woman Suffrage Associate (NWSA), which would later merge with the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
** Mother of Harriet Stanton Blatch (2nd generation suffragist) **
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucy-stone
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d (11 minutes in)
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
-- Seneca Falls Convention:
#OnThisDay, Bush signed the 1991 Civil Rights Act (CRA), which provided the right to trial by jury on discrimination claims. It also added provisions to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that expanded the rights of women and disabled persons. #CivilRights
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Johnson signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resources:
Bush Library: https://bush41library.tamu.edu/archives/public-papers/3660
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005). Shirley was an educator, activist, and politician who achieved a number of historic 1sts
-- 1968 1st black woman elected to the Congress
-- 1972 1st woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination
-- 1972 1st African American to run for President of the US
Learn more: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/shirley-chisholm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Debra Anne Haaland. Debra and Sharice Davids were the first two Native American women elected to the U.S Congress. Haaland is a member of the Laguna Pueblo people.
Learn more:
-- National Geographic Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T_s36-1hms
-- US House: https://haaland.house.gov/about
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Patsy Takemoto Mink. Patsy was the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-women-got-vote-far-more-complex-story-history-textbooks-reveal-180971869/
-- House History: https://history.house.gov/People/detail/18329
-- NWHF: https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/patsy-takemoto-mink/
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/patsy-mink
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Titus Howard Mundine, who was the 1st Texas Legislator to propose enfranchisement of women and blacks.
"Every person, without distinction of sex, who shall have arrived at the age of twenty-one years...shall be deemed a qualified elector." -- Titus H. Mundine
Learn More:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=5124
-- Titus – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmuvf
-- Woman Suffrage – http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Eliza Eubanks Peterson Johnson. Eliza was a suffragist and civil-rights activist.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fjohn
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/viw01
-- Austin Library: http://www.austinlibrary.com/ahc/suffrage/early.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Marie Louise Bottineau Baldwin. Marie was a suffragist and lawyer who worked as an advocate for the Ojibwa/Chippewa Nation in Minnesota and North Dakota.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- National Parks Service: https://www.nps.gov/people/marie-louise-bottineau-baldwin.htm
-- MNHS: https://www.mnhs.org/historycenter/activities/museum/votes-for-women/profiles/marie-baldwin
-- National Archive: https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2020/04/02/19th-amendment-at-100-mary-louise-bottineau-baldwin/
-- LWV: https://my.lwv.org/california/diablo-valley/meet-suffragist-marie-louise-bottineau-baldwin
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Ruza Wenclawska (also known as Rose Winslow). Rose was a Polish-American suffragist and trade union organizer. She was a member of the National Women‘s Party and fought for the rights of immigrant and working-class women. Along with Alice Paul, she participated in a hunger strike to bring attention to the suffrage movement.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/collections/women-of-protest/articles-and-essays/selected-leaders-of-the-national-womans-party/officers-and-national-organizers/
-- Turning Point: https://suffragistmemorial.org/rose-winslow-d-1977
-- Historical Snapshot: https://historicalsnaps.com/2018/03/19/rose-winslow-talks-about-her-hunger-strike
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Harriet Taylor Upton. Harriet was a founding member of the National League of Women Voters and the first woman to become a vice-chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d (53 mins in)
-- Upton House: http://www.uptonhouse.org/HTayor.html
-- Ohio History: https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Harriet_T._Upton
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Martha Goodwin Tunstall. Martha became the vice-president from Texas of the newly-formed National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA).
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ftuns
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Jane McCallum. Jane was the first vice president of the League of Women Voters of Texas. She had the longest term as the Secretary of State of Texas.
Learn more:
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmc07
-- Texas Secretary as State: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/about/history.shtml
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charlotte Vandine Forten born in 1785.
-- 1st generation American suffragist
-- Mother of the Forten sisters: Margaret, Harriet, and Sarah (2nd generation suffragists)
-- Grandmother of Charlotte Forten Grimké (3rd generation suffragist)
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p477.html
-- Black Suffragette: http://www.blacksuffragette.com/friends
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Helen Edmunds Moore. Helen was a nurse, suffragist, and a member of the 41, 42, and 44th legislatures. In the 44 Legislature, she was the only woman.
Learn more:
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/moore-helen-edmunds
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Lucretia Coffin Mott. Lucretia was a suffragist and human rights activist. She was one of the organizers of the 1st Woman’s Rights Convention Seneca Falls, N.Y.
Learn more:
NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucretia-mott
PBS: Video: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/
NPS: https://www.nps.gov/wori/learn/historyculture/lucretia-mott.htm
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Harriet Staton Blatch (2nd generation suffragists).
Voting rights was a family affair
** Daughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1st generation suffragist)
She founded the Equality League of Self-Supporting Women, later called the Women‘s Political Union, whose membership was based on working women, both professional and industrial. The Equality League initiated the practice of holding suffrage parades and organized the first open-air suffrage rallies in thirty years. As many as 25,000 people marched in these parades.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (28 minutes in)
#OnThisDay the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled on the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case and made a controversial decision that reversed existing campaign finance restrictions and enabled corporations and other outside groups to spend unlimited funds on elections. #DarkMoney
"Prevention of improper corporate influence in the electoral process...is a pillar of our modern democracy" -- LWV Amicus Brief #DarkMoney
"Voters are supposed to be at the center of our political process. For more than two centuries, America’s constitutional democracy has been moving in the direction of broader enfranchisement and more meaningful political participation by American citizens. After the Civil War, the 15th Amendment to the Constitution guaranteed the right to vote to citizens regardless of race or color. The 19th Amendment provided voting rights to women, the 24th to poor citizens and the 26th to young adults.
On the other hand, our Constitution does not reflect a similar solicitude for corporate participation; indeed our constitutional history reflects a growing concern over the influence of corporations, and the distinction between the legal protections afforded to living persons and corporations has been part of our constitutional law from the Founding." -- LWV Commentary on Citizens United
LWVUS Amicus Brief: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/Amicus_cfr.CitizenUnited.pdf
LWVUS Commentary on Citizens United: https://www.lwv.org/money-politics/league-commentary-citizens-united-v-fec-case-supreme-court
Brennan Institute: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/citizens-united-explained
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charles Curtis, of Kaw, Osage, and Pottawatomie ancestry. Curtis was sworn in as the U.S. Senator from Kansas. Charles was also the 1st person of color and 1st person of Native American ancestry to hold the office of vice president under President Hoover.
Learn more:
-- Senate History: https://www.senate.gov/about/officers-staff/vice-president/VP_Charles_Curtis.htm
-- Kansas Historical Society: https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/charles-curtis/12029
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Maud Wood Park. Park was the 1st president of the National League of Women Voters.
Learn more:
-- Suffragist Memorial: https://suffragistmemorial.org/november-2015-suffragist-of-the-month/
-- Harvard: https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/schlesinger-library/collection/papers-maud-wood-park-in-womans-rights-collection
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=8
Black History Month is celebrated in the United States and Canada each February. Black History Month traces its origins to Negro History Week which was first created in 1926 with the week chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (February 12th) and Frederick Douglass (February 14th). An annual monthlong celebration of black history was later proposed by students and educators at Kent State University in 1969, and adopted one year later. By the mid-1970s, Black History Month was celebrated across the United States and officially recognized by US President Gerald Ford in 1976. Originally intended to celebrate black history and culture in the United States, Black History Month has since spread to Canada, as well as the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands, where it is celebrated in October.
#OnThisDay in 1870, the 15th Amendment, which granted black men the right to vote, was ratified. Unfortunately, Southern states continued to disenfranchise black voters through the use of poll taxes, literacy tests, threats of physical harm, etc. Therefore, the promise of the 15th Amendment was not fully realized until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965--almost a century later.
The amendment was passed (proposed) by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870.
Learn more:
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- LOC: http://www.loc.gov/rr//program/bib/ourdocs/15thamendment.html
-- Teaching resources: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-african-americans.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Juanita Jewel Craft. Juanita and Lulu Belle White of Houston organized 182 branches of the NAACP in Texas over a period of eleven years. Following the Smith v. Allwright ruling, in 1944 Juanita became the first black woman in Dallas County to vote in the Democratic Party primary. In 1946, she was the first black woman deputized in the state to collect the poll tax. Juanita was also a member of the League of Women Voters of Texas.
The Smith v. Allwright U.S. case ended the white primary.
Learn More:
-- http://www.juanitacrafthouse.org/
-- TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fcr59
-- TxPolProject - Smith v. Allwright: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Lawrence Aaron Nixon. Lawrence...
The Smith v. Allwright case ended the white primary, which suppressed the Black vote.
Learn More:
-- @TSHA: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fni10
-- @TxPolProject - White Primary: https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/archive/html/vce/features/0503_01/smith.html
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Adella Hunt Logan.
Learn more:
-- Hidden Figures: https://www.brandywine.org/museum/hidden-figures-suffrage-movement
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Nellie May Quande. “In 1913, Nellie Quander, president of the nation‘s oldest Black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, wrote to Alice Paul, chair for a major upcoming Washington, D.C., parade, planned to attract national attention for the cause on the day before the inauguration of President Woodrow Wilson. "We do not wish to enter if we must meet with discrimination on account of race affiliation," Quander wrote. "Can you assign us to a desirable place in the college women‘s section?”
Learn more:
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/new-tactics-for-a-new-generation-1890-1915/new-tactics-and-renewed-confrontation/howard-university-sorority-seeks-assurances-of-nondiscrimination
-- Smithsonian: https://womenshistory.si.edu/news/2020/08/19suffragestories-countdown-stories-14-10
-- Facing History:
https://facingtoday.facinghistory.org/suffrage-and-sisterhood-the-origins-and-impact-of-black-sororities
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Fannie Barrier Williams. Fannie was an educator, political activist, and women’s rights advocate. In 1907, she was the only Black woman to eulogize Susan B. Anthony at the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) convention. Also, she helped found the NAACP in 1909.
Learn more:
-- BlackPast: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/williams-fannie-barrier-1855-1944/
-- ISU: https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/directory/frances-barrier-williams/
-- RRLC: https://rrlc.org/winningthevote/biographies/fannie-barrier-williams/
-- SPC: https://www.splcenter.org/news/2019/06/01/weekend-read-challenging-whitewashed-history-womens-suffrage/
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/more-to-the-movement/fannie-barrier-williams/
#OnThisDay in 1909, the NAACP was founded. The NAACP is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation.
Mission: To ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.
Learn more:
-- NAACP: https://naacp.org/nations-premier-civil-rights-organization/
-- TSHA: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/national-association-for-the-advancement-of-colored-people
-- UW: https://depts.washington.edu/moves/NAACP_intro.shtml
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Anna Howard Shaw.
Learn more:
-- PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (1 hr in)
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Charlotta Spears Bass, who was born on this day in 1874. Charlotta was an educator, newspaper publisher, civil-rights and voting-rights activist. She was also the first Black woman to own and operate a newspaper in the United States and the first Black woman nominated for Vice President.
Learn more:
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/people/charlottabass.htm
-- Black Past; https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/bass-charlotta-1879-1969/
-- South California Library: https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf6c60052d/
#OnThisDay in 1920, the League of Women Voters was founded. Carrie Chapman Catt shared the following about the founding: "Is the (League) political? Certainly, but not partisan. Its members are as free as other women to join and vote with the party of their choice. They make no pledge otherwise in joining the League."
Mission: Empowering voters. Defending democracy.
Learn more: https://www.lwv.org/league-women-voters-through-decades
Join us in celebrating the birthday of Susan B. Anthony (1st generation suffragists). She was born in 1820. Susan was a co-founder of the National Woman Suffrage Associate (NWSA), which would later merge with the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NAWSA evolved into the League of Women Voters (LWV) in 1920.
**Susan died in 1906, 14 years before women were given the right to vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. **
Learn more:
-- NWHM: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/susan-b-anthony
-- @susanbhouse: https://susanb.org/her-life/
-- LOC: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbnawsa.n8361/?sp=7 (p. 7)
-- Seneca Falls Convention:
#OnThisDay in 1929, LULAC was founded. LULAC is the oldest and largest continuously active Latino political association in the US.
Mission: To advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, housing, health and civil rights of the Hispanic population of the United States.
Learn more: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wel01
Join us commemorating the life of Frederick Douglass (1818 - 1895)."Frederick was one of the few men present at the woman‘s rights convention held at Seneca Falls, New York, in July 1848.
Learn more:
-- Blackpast: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/1888-frederick-douglass-woman-suffrage/
-- Smithsonian: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hidden-history-anna-murray-douglass-180968324/
#BHM
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Zitkala-Sa (Red Bird). "Zitkala-Ša joined the Society of American Indians, a group founded in 1911 with the purpose of preserving traditional Native American culture while also lobbying for full American citizenship."
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/people/zitkala-sa.htm
Photo: https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_S_NPG.79.26?destination=edan-search/default_search%3Freturn_all%3D1%26edan_q%3DZitkala%2520Sa
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Rosalie Gardiner Jones. In December of 1912, over 200 women joined Rosalie for parts of a 140-mile march from New York City to Albany to support women‘s suffrage. During the march, the women stopped to hold open-air meetings and distribute pamphlets in communities along the way.
Learn More:
-- PBS Doc: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-vote-part-1-3kph5d/ (1 hr 16 mins in)
-- New York Heritage: https://nyheritage.org/exhibits/recognizing-womens-right-vote/%E2%80%9Cgeneral%E2%80%9D-rosalie-jones-and-suffrage-hikes
-- NPS: https://www.nps.gov/people/dr-general-rosalie-jones.htm
#OnThisDay in 1869, Congress passed (proposed) the 15th Amendment, which granted Black male citizens the right to vote.“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 race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
The amendment was passed (proposed) by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870.
Learn more:
-- National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
-- LOC: http://www.loc.gov/rr//program/bib/ourdocs/15thamendment.html
-- Teaching resources: https://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voting-rights-african-americans.html
#OnThisDay, President Ulysses S. Grant, signed the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1875. The CRA was enacted during the Reconstruction era in response to civil rights violations against African Americans. The act provided for equal treatment in public accommodations and transportation. It also outlawing race-based discrimination in jury service.
Over the ensuing years, African Americans began suing businesses that denied them access to segregated facilities. On Oct 15, 1883, the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) heard a group of five cases (known as the Civil Rights Cases), and in an 8-1 decision, struck down the CRA of 1875 as unconstitutional.
Timeline:
-- 1866 Johnson vetos CRA of 1866, but veto is overridden by Congress (define citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection)
-- 1875 Grant signs CRA of 1875 (guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited their exclusion from jury service)
-- 1883 SCOTUS rules 7-1 that CRA of 1875 is unconstitutional
-- 1957 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1957 (forms the Civil Rights Commission)
-- 1960 Eisenhower signs CRA of 1960 (guaranteed qualified voters the right to register to vote
-- 1964 Johnson signs CRA of 1964 (prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment)
-- 1968 Johnson signs CRA of 1968 (guaranteed equal housing opportunities)
-- 1991 Bush signs the CRA of 1991 (expanded the rights of women and disabled persons)
Resource:
-- US House of Rep: https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1851-1900/The-Civil-Rights-Act-of-1875
-- Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/legal-events-timeline.html
-- Grant‘s Memoirs: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/4367/4367-h/4367-h.htm
Women‘s History Month celebrates the everyday contributions of women across the world to events in history and contemporary society. It is celebrated during March in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, in connection with International Women‘s Day on March 8th. Women‘s History Month traces its origins to the United States, where it was first designated in 1987. Since then the tradition has spread to other countries around the world.
The "Woman Suffrage Procession" was the first suffragist parade in Washington, DC. Organized by the suffragist Alice Paul for the National American Woman Suffrage Association, it saw thousands of suffragists marching down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC on Monday, March 3, 1913. Presaging the circumstances surrounding the 2017 Women‘s March just over 100 years later, the 1913 event was scheduled on the day before President Woodrow Wilson‘s inauguration to "march in a spirit of protest against the present political organization of society, from which women are excluded," as the official program stated. While studying in England, Paul had heard the British suffragist Christabel Pankhurst speak and joined the Women‘s Social and Political Union, being jailed a number of times in the process. She returned to the US in 1910 and continued to campaign for women‘s rights leading to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920.
Advocate of women‘s rights.
In February 1912 Brackenridge was elected president of the newly organized San Antonio Equal Franchise Society. The formation of this society stimulated interest throughout the state, and delegates from seven Texas cities met in San Antonio and organized the Texas Woman Suffrage Association in April 1913. Eleanor Brackenridge held the office of president for one year and then became honorary president.
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbr04
March 7, 1965: In the Selma to Montgomery March, around 600 civil rights marchers walk to Selma, Alabama to Montgomery—the state’s capital—in protest of black voter suppression. Local police block and brutally attack them. After successfully fighting in court for their right to march, Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders lead two more marches and finally reach Montgomery on March 25.
International Women‘s Day traces its origins to the women‘s rights movement of the early 20th century, having been first proposed by German campaigner Clara Zetkin at an international conference in Copenhagen. The day is a celebration of the social, economic, political and cultural achievements of women worldwide. The annual campaign calls for gender parity and raises funds to support initiatives towards this goal.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Anna Murray Douglass born in 1813. Anna was the wife of Frederick Douglas, but more than that, she was a participant in the activities necessary to ensure voting rights for all Americans.
Learn more:
-- @SmithsonianMagazine: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hidden-history-anna-murray-douglass-180968324/
-- @USAToday:https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/07/06/frederick-douglass-first-wife-anna-murray-made-his-work-possible/5382922002/
-- @librarycongress: https://www.loc.gov/item/mfd.02007/
Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) was never far from the struggle for equal rights and human liberation throughout her long life, from the work on the Underground Railroad for which she is famous, to her later years as an activist in the women‘s suffrage movement in the early 20th century. Born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia in 1849 before immediately returning to rescue her family. Tubman would make some 13 return trips to the South to liberate family, friends, and relatives - at great personal risk to herself - guiding them to freedom in the northern United States and British North America (present-day Canada) using a clandestine network of anti-slavery activists and safe houses to facilitate the journey. Tubman later helped the abolitionist John Brown recruit troops for his 1859 raid on Harper‘s Ferry, and helped lead multiple attacks on Confederate plantations and infrastructure during the Civil War. Toward the end of her life, Tubman joined the campaign for women‘s suffrage. With the struggle against slavery still in living memory, Tubman moved audiences around the country with tales of her heroic actions before and after the Civil War, offering these sacrifices as evidence and living proof that women deserved the same rights as men.
#OnThisDay in 1918, the Texas House (during the 36 legislative sessions) passed HB-105 by a vote of 83-34. The bill granted women the right to vote in (white) Texas Primaries.
The bill was passed by the Texas Senate on March 21, 1918 by a vote of 18-4.
Governor William P. Hobby signed the bill into law on March 26, 1918.
Learn more:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/whatsNew/client/index.cfm/2018/3/20/Votes-for-Women-The-100th-Anniversary-of-Texas-Womens-Suffrage
Bayard Rustin (1912-1987) was an American civil rights activist who worked as an influential organizer and behind-the-scenes adviser to many causes throughout the civil rights era. Rustin began his organizing career working alongside fellow activist A. Philip Randolph on the March on Washington Movement in the early 1940s, which campaigned for the desegregation of the US armed forces. Rustin later played a central organizing role in other key civil rights actions such as the Freedom Rides and the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Martin Luther King - whom Rustin had schooled on methods of non-violence and helped elevate to his leadership position in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference - gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Rustin continued his career as an activist following the passage of civil rights legislation in the mid-1960s, promoting the unionization of African American workers and working internationally to aid war refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia while raising awareness to the ongoing plight of Jews living in the Soviet Union. A gay man who chose to play a supporting role in the Civil Rights Movement due to public criticisms of his homosexuality, Rustin spent his final years working on behalf of LGBT causes during the 1980s.
Join us in commemorating the birthday of Minnie Fisher Cunningham born in 1882. Minnie was the first Executive Secretary of the League of Women Voters. The Texas native was also the first female pharmacy student at the University of Texas and the first woman to run for the Texas Senate. Members of the Minnie Fisher Cunningham Society continue empowering voters and defending democracy into the future by naming the League in their wills for a bequest.
Learn More:
-- LWV: https://my.lwv.org/texas/leave-legacy-minnie-fisher-cunningham-society
-- Suffrage Petition: https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/tx-woman-suffrage-petition
--TSHA: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/cunningham-minnie-fisher
-- PBS: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/shows/2015/12/19/43918/texas-originals-minnie-fisher-cunningham/
#OnThisDay in 1918, the Texas Senate (during the 36 legislative sessions) passed HB-105 by a vote of 18-4. The bill granted women the right to vote in (white) Texas Primaries.
The bill was firsts passed in the TX House on March 15, 1918 by a vote of 84-34.
Governor William P. Hobby signed the bill into law on March 26, 1918.
Learn more:
-- https://lrl.texas.gov/whatsNew/client/index.cfm/2018/3/20/Votes-for-Women-The-100th-Anniversary-of-Texas-Womens-Suffrage
The 21st of March is the anniversary of events in 1960 when police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid laws in Sharpeville, South Africa. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed an annual observation of the day in 1966.
"We must all work harder to repair the fissures and polarization that are so prevalent in our societies today. We must nurture mutual understanding and invest in making diversity a success. And we must counter and reject political figures who exploit differences for electoral gain." — UN Secretary-General António Guterres”
Learn more:
-- About End Racial Discrimination Day: https://www.un.org/en/observances/end-racism-day
-- History of the League and the UN: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/The%2520League%2520and%2520the%2520United%2520Nations.pdf
-- Role of the UN Observer: https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/LWVUS%20United%20Nations%20Observer%20Role.pdf
-- Contact the UN Observers at unobserver@lwv.org.
Also World Poetry Day: https://www.un.org/en/events/poetryday/
#OnThisDay in 1972, Congress passed the ERA, but it remains 1 state short of ratification.
#OnThis day in 1971, the 26th Amendment was passed by Congress. This amendment was enacted in response to Vietnam War protests, which argued that soldiers who were old enough to fight for their country should be granted the right to vote.‘
The amendment was passed by Congress (proposed to the states) on March 23, 1971, and ratified on July 1, 1971.
Resources:
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
"In 1977 participants at the United Nations International Conference on Discrimination against Indigenous Populations in the Americas proposed that Indigenous Peoples’ Day replace Columbus Day.Indigenous Peoples’ Day recognizes that Native people are the first inhabitants of the Americas, including the lands that later became the United States of America. And it urges Americans to rethink history." https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-indian/2019/10/11/indigenous-peoples-day-2019
The following states and the District of Columbia observe Native American or Indigenous Peoples’ Day, in place of or in addition to Columbus Day:
-- Alabama
-- Alaska
-- District of Columbia
-- Hawaii
-- Idaho
-- Maine
-- Michigan
-- Minnesota
-- New Mexico
-- North Carolina
-- Oklahoma
-- Oregon
-- South Dakota
-- Vermont
-- Wisconsin
The state of Texas does not currently observer Indiginous People day, but the following local jurisdiction have made the change:
-- City of Austin
-- City of Dallas
-- City of San Antonio
-- County of Bexar
Learn more:
-- Smithsonian Mag: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-indian/2019/10/11/indigenous-peoples-day-2019/:
-- PBS: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/npr/2019/10/14/769083847/columbus-day-or-indigenous-peoples-day/