We’ve
got a lot to celebrate this last week of August. Along with commemorating the 50th
anniversary of the March on Washington, this week also marks the 93rd anniversary
of the certification of the Nineteenth Amendment. Known as the Woman Suffrage
Amendment, it was first introduced to Congress in 1878, but took over 50 years to
finally make it into the Constitution. Granting women the right to vote, the amendment
was passed by Congress on June 4, 1919 and then ratified by the states on
August 18, 1920. The amendment was finally certified on August 26th of that
same year.
Almost a century later, August 26th is recognized as Women’s Equality Day, designated as such by Congress in 1971. In the decades that followed the amendment's certification, victory was still fresh in the minds of American women. The date was a reminder of how far women’s equality had come, and how much more was possible. For the 1933-1934 Century of Progress Exposition hosted by the City of Chicago, the National Council of Women commissioned the artist Hildreth Meiere to paint a mural depicting woman’s progress and place in history in the United States. Below is a sketch for that mural, "Onward March of American Woman." Included in the sketch are themes related to women’s contribution to education, Emancipation, the Red Cross, and social justice.
Almost a century later, August 26th is recognized as Women’s Equality Day, designated as such by Congress in 1971. In the decades that followed the amendment's certification, victory was still fresh in the minds of American women. The date was a reminder of how far women’s equality had come, and how much more was possible. For the 1933-1934 Century of Progress Exposition hosted by the City of Chicago, the National Council of Women commissioned the artist Hildreth Meiere to paint a mural depicting woman’s progress and place in history in the United States. Below is a sketch for that mural, "Onward March of American Woman." Included in the sketch are themes related to women’s contribution to education, Emancipation, the Red Cross, and social justice.
Onward March of American Women, 1933 |
Rachel Brooks
Photograph Archives, Smithsonian American Art Museum
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