In 1919, at the National American Woman Suffrage Association’s (NAWSA) conference, President Carrie Chapman Catt proposed in her address the creation of a “league of women voters to finish the fight and aid in the reconstruction of the nation”. In 1920, just six months prior to the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution, the National League of Women Voters (NLWV) was established in Chicago. Catt described the purpose of the NLWA as “The League of Women Voters is not to dissolve any present organization but to unite all existing organizations of women who believe in its principles. It is not to lure women from partisanship but to combine them in an effort for legislation which will protect coming movements, which we cannot even foretell, from suffering the untoward conditions which have hindered for so long the coming of equal suffrage. Are the women of the United States big enough to see their opportunity?” The League of Women Voters was part of the national organization and worked within the state to support the suffrage movement, advance legislative goals, and provide citizen education for all those who had the right to vote.
The League of Women Voters in Virginia is still an active organization which promotes active participation in government, educating the public on policy issues, and advocating for voter empowerment. In 2001, the League of Women Voters of Virginia celebrated National Women's History Month by producing a leaflet entitled "Virginia Women's Legacies." The pamphlet described thirty Virginia women with historical significance which included: Ida Stover (mother of President Dwight D. Eisenhower), Anne Spencer (internationally distinguished Harlem Renaissance poet) and Yvonne Bond Miller (Virginia's first African American woman legislator).
There were other notable women listed in the pamphlet. Read here form more information in their contributions:
Martha "Matty" Cocke
Ella Graham Agnew
Sarah "Sallie" Dooley
Florence Aby Blanchfield
Citation: Bernice Colvard, Virginia Women's Legacies: National Women's History Month, Richmond, Va.: League of Women Voters of Virginia, , HQ1438.V8 C65 2001, Library of Virginia.
Art: 4.1, 5.1
Scan It: Scan the article. What words or phrases stand out to you? Why do you think the designer of the pamphlet chose to use this layout and organization?
Art Exploration: Design a poster to accompany this pamphlet which would appeal to modern audience. Include concepts or information from the pamphlet as part of your design.
Social Media Spin: Create a social media post or tweet that could have been sent out to describe the importance of the Virginia women highlighted in the pamphlet.
Be the Journalist: Using the pamphlet, write a short article about four of the women included in the pamphlet. In your article, explain why you chose the four women and how they contributed to the history of women in Virginia