The League of Women Voters, a non-partisan, multi-issue organization encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase public understanding of major policy issues and influences public policy through education and advocacy. All men and women are invited to join the LWV where hands-on work to safeguard democracy leads to civic improvement. For information about the League, visit the website www.lwvmontco.org or voice mail 361-2136.
On Aug. 26, hundreds of local citizens gathered at the Montgomery County courthouse and then marched to the Crawfordsville District Public Library for a program kicking off a year of events marking 100 Years of Votes for Women sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County. “We will vote!/We insist!/We are Women Suffragists” the group chanted as they walked, recalling decades of efforts that people poured their life energies into during the 19th and early 20th century in our state and around the nation.
State Rep. Sharon Negele (R-Attica) was keynote speaker for the evening. She wrote, and then gained powerful bipartisan support for the Indiana Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission which passed last spring as Public Law 87 and is currently supporting valuable programs throughout the state. During her remarks, Negele offered an excellent summation of Indiana’s path to Votes for Women. We share these with readers here:
Thank you so much for asking me to speak and share my thoughts on the celebration of the 100-year anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote.
In Indiana, it was a long, hard fight that began in 1851 when a man — Robert Dale Owen, the founder of the New Harmony utopian society, advocated for women’s rights at the constitutional convention held in Indianapolis. His proposal went nowhere and it would be another 70 years before women in Indiana had the right to vote. Suffragists such as Amanda Way, Zerelda Wallace, May Wright Sewall, Helen Gougar, Dr. Amelia Keller and Grace Julian Clarke led the push for suffrage.
In 1911, the Woman’s Franchise League of Indiana was formed and became a driving force for the right to vote. The women of Indiana held rallies, marches, participated in parades, and lobbied the government.
Over a 20-year period, no fewer than 10 women suffrage bills were proposed to the Indiana General Assembly, with no meaningful successes. All were rejected or not even considered. Finally, on Jan. 16, 1920, Indiana ratified the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which granted women the right to vote in a special session of the General Assembly. (Congress ratified the 19th Amendment on Aug. 18, 1920, and it became national law on Aug. 26, 1920.) During the special Jan. 16, 1920, session of the 71st General Assembly, the IGA heard three resolutions and one House Bill. One of the resolutions, Senate Joint Resolution 43, was the one that ratified the 19th Amendment. It passed unanimously (93-0) in the House. On the Senate side, the vote was 43-3.”
Negele then shared a story from the time: “The Secretary of State at the time, William A. Roach, wrote a letter to both the House and Senate urging the ratification of the 19th Amendment. He wrote in part: ‘You have been called together in special session today for what will become one of the historic meetings of the General Assembly of our State. You have been asked to convene for the purpose of ratifying the proposed amendment to the constitution of the United States for providing the enfranchisement of the women of America … By your presence today, you display a deep appreciation of the inherent righteousness of the cause which you have come to serve. Your presence bespeaks not only a high purpose to recognize the political equality of the women of the nation, but also a patriotic instinct to pay tribute to them for their valiant services and ceaseless devotion in the great crisis through which we have just passed [World War I].’”
As soon as the 19th Amendment passed, the League of Women Voters was formed and since 1920, the League of Women Voters has worked to educate and activate citizens through education and participation. The League of Women Voters is nonpartisan: League never supports nor opposes political parties or candidates.
All women and men are invited to join the LWV where hands-on work to safeguard our democracy leads to civic improvement. Joining the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County automatically confers membership in the LWV of Indiana and the LWV of the United States. Become part of this powerful voice in our community. We are over 150 strong. Visit our website: The League of Women Voters of Montgomery County (www.lwvmontcoin.org) for more information, or correspond through P.O. Box 101.
