Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of American Women Winning the Right to Vote by J.Q. Rose

 

Deadly Undertaking by J.Q. Rose
Romantic suspense, Paranormal

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Hello and welcome to the BWL Authors Insider Blog!! 

In my mysteries, my heroines are strong, capable women who stand up to obstacles in their lives. Today we are celebrating strong, purpose-driven women who banded together to fight with everything they had to gain a say in their government. The 19th amendment which is the law that allows American women to vote was ratified and certified 100 years ago this month.

Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of American Women Winning the Right to Vote by J.Q. Rose

Groups of women fought and struggled to win women's suffrage in the mid-19th century in the USA.

 Image courtesy of pixabay artist fotshot

The 19th amendment to the US constitution was passed by Congress on June 4 and ratified on August 18, giving American women the right to vote in the USA. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the ratification on August 26, 1918. Although the amendment became law in the land, it did not eliminate state laws in place that kept black Americans from voting due to the requirement to pay taxes and pass literacy tests. It would take another fifty years to gain suffrage for black women.

Women began organizing, petitioning, picketing and parading in what today we would call protesting, to achieve awareness and support for laws to allow women to vote in the mid-1800s. Several Western states had passed laws by 1912 due to men's support of the suffrage movement.

Wyoming hoped to attract females to their state filled with gold miners--a ratio of six men to one female. But just as in contemporary politics, an ulterior motive played into the decision. Wyoming's political party in power allowed the vote, figuring if they gave women the right to vote in Wyoming elections, the ladies would vote for them!

According to ourdocuments.gov, " Achieving this milestone required a lengthy and difficult struggle; victory took decades of agitation and protest. Beginning in the mid-19th century, several generations of woman suffrage supporters lectured, wrote, marched, lobbied, and practiced civil disobedience to achieve what many Americans considered a radical change of the Constitution. Few early supporters lived to see the final victory in 1920."

Vote!!

2020 is the USA presidential election year. Please be sure to vote this year. We owe it to our sisters who sacrificed so much to obtain the right to vote.

In the 21st century, many women in the world do not have a say in their government. We can support women globally and come together during Women's International Day on March 8, 2021. The Women's International Network is a "global community of women helping women live their best lives through celebration, self-improvement and service." Click here to learn more about this organization.

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My New 19th Century BFFs

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                                                       Click here for Eileen O'Finlan's website

I’ve been making new friends as I research and write the sequel to Kelegeen. My latest BFFs are two prominent 19th century ladies – Catharine E. Beecher and Lydia Maria Child. Both wrote prolifically on several subjects, but for my purposes it’s their works on domestic science and cookery that are of particular interest.                                                          Catharine E. Beecher                            1869 Edition of The American Woman's Home or Domestic Science                                     by Catharine E. Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe Readers may not realize how much goes into the research of historical novels. Sure the author has to know the general history of the time – what was happening politically, economically, internationally, etc., but often even more important is knowledge of how people lived their everyday lives.  What did they eat and how did they prepare it? What did they wear? Did they purchase their clothing or make their own? How did they address one another? How did they celebrate holidays? What items did they have in their homes and, for that matter, what kind of homes did they live in? And just how much is that ubiquitous 19th century unit of measure, a hogshead? (64 gallons as it turns out). The questions go on and on.  Fortunately, the answers can be found in books written in or near the time period (in my case 1850s New England). Specifically, I’ve been enjoying The American Woman’s Home or Domestic Science co-authored by Catharine E. Beecher and her younger half-sister, Harriet Beecher Stowe of Uncle Tom’s Cabin fame and The American Frugal Housewife by Lydia Maria Child. Both Beecher and Child wrote with self-assurance and the occasional strong opinion.  Besides learning all about home economics of the 19th century, the reader also absorbs insights into the thinking of these women and their contemporaries. Though some entries seem quaint, others have had a “hey, that’s a good idea” effect on me.  I wish I could meet these two exceptional ladies, but as that is impossible, I’m happy to settle for getting to know them through the writings they’ve left behind.