Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Happy Women's Equality Day! (by Suzie)



The National Women's History Project says:
At the behest of Rep. Bella Abzug (D-NY), in 1971 the U.S. Congress designated August 26 as "Women's Equality Day".

The date was selected to commemorate the ... passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote. This was the culmination of a massive, peaceful civil rights movement by women that had its formal beginnings ... at the world's first women's rights convention, in Seneca Falls, New York.

The observance of Women's Equality Day not only commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment, but also calls attention to women's continuing efforts toward full equality. Workplaces, libraries, organizations, and public facilities now participate with Women's Equality Day programs, displays, video showings, or other activities.
I'm stealing the NWHP's quiz, which is available as a PDF brochure. Test your friends!

1) In what year did women in the United States win the right to vote?
2) How many years of constant effort had supporters devoted to the woman suffrage campaign?
3) What suffrage leader was arrested, tried, and fined for voting in the 1872 election?
4) Which was the first state to grant women the vote in presidential elections?
5) Why were women arrested and force-fed in prison in 1917?
6) What was the margin of victory when the 19th Amendment was finally passed by the U.S. Congress?

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Here are the answers:
1) 1920
2) 1848-1920=72 years
3) Susan B. Anthony
4) Wyoming, in 1890
5) They were arrested for peacefully picketing the White House for women's suffrage.
6) Two votes in the Senate and 42 votes in the House of Representatives