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USA TODAY SPECIAL EDITION
WASHINGTON, D.C. | WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE
Vote for this Road Trip Celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment
By Wendy O’Dea
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T’S A CONTENTIOUS TIME in the world of politics.
But history has proven that even some of the most challenging periods in our nation’s past have given voice and hope to the marginalized. Numerous museums and institutions in Washington, D.C., continue to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. The amendment was passed on June 4, 1919, and ratified on Aug. 18, 1920, so this election year is an ideal time to visit sites that celebrate the suffragists who advanced the freedoms of women. Here are some of the most notable spots, according to USA TODAY’s 10Best:
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS One of the most architecturally stunning buildings on Capitol Hill, the Library of Congress has curated the exhibit Shall Not Be Denied; Women Fight for the Vote, which is scheduled to run through September. Handwritten letters, speeches and photographs of American suffragists who persisted for more than 70 years to win voting rights for women are on display, along with records from the National American Woman Suffrage Association and National Woman’s Party. The exhibition explores women’s struggles for equality, tracing the movement from before the first women’s rights convention at Seneca Falls, N.Y., in 1848, through the divergent political strategies and internal divisions the suffragists overcame. ▶ loc.gov/exhibitions/ women-fight-for-thevote
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
DAR
DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION MUSEUM Located five blocks from the White House, this museum features the exhibit Ordinary Equality: DAR Members and the Road to Women’s Suffrage, 1890-1920, highlighting how Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) members took advantage of increased opportunities for women to participate in social reform activities. It was at DAR headquarters that Helen Keller was going to address suffragists after their 1913 parade down Pennsylvania Avenue — until she became unnerved when the participants were attacked en route by groups of men. ▶ dar.org
