The 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote in the United States, was a culmination of over 70 years of organizing and advocacy.

'If the time is not ripe, we have to ripen the time.'

- Activist Dorothy Height (1912-2010)

'Action indeed is the sole medium of expression for ethics.'

- Jane Addams (1860-1935)

'One man can make a difference and every man should try.'

- Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1929-1994)

Truth is best known for her 1851 speech in Akron linking abolition and women's rights

At the 1851 Women's Rights Convention, Truth gave a speech that cemented her legacy, weaving together abolition and women's rights in remarks that became among the most quoted of the 19th century.

More than 5,000 marchers joined the 1913 Woman Suffrage Parade on the National Mall

On March 3, 1913—the day before Woodrow Wilson's inauguration—suffragists marched through Washington, DC. The parade drew large crowds, exposed violent opposition to women's suffrage, and helped galvanize support for the 19th Amendment.

'The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them'

- Ida B. Wells, co-founder of the NAACP (1862-1931)

Women's role in society expanded during the war

With millions of men at war, women managed farms and businesses, served as nurses, and organized aid efforts—broadening women's participation in public life and laying the groundwork for future suffrage movements.

'Most of man's problems upon this planet, in the long history of the race, have been met and solved either partially or as a whole by experiment based on common sense and carried out with courage.'

-Frances Perkins (1880-1965), first female member of US Cabinet

1975: Betty Ford, remarks at the International Women's Year Conference

"Change, by its very nature, is threatening but it is also often productive."

'How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.' - Anne Frank

Adams' famous 1776 letter urged the Founders to 'remember the ladies'

In a March 1776 letter to John, Adams urged the Founders not to grant husbands unchecked power over their wives. Historians note it was not a demand for suffrage but a challenge to coverture—the legal doctrine that denied a married woman an independent identity.

Social work pioneer Jane Addams (1860 - 1935) on civilization

"Civilization is a method of living, an attitude of equal respect for all men."

'No army can withstand the strength of an idea whose time has come.'

-Author Victor Hugo (1802-1885)

'One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world'

- Activist and author Malala Yousafzai (1997-present)

Sojourner Truth's 'Aint I a Woman?' speech addressed the disparity between the treatment of white and black women in America

Truth, a former slave, delivered the address acknowledging both abolition and the treatment of women at a Women's Convention in 1851. She is believed to have spoken with little to no preparation beforehand. Different versions of the speech exist, as there is no officially published version.

The Seneca Falls Declaration was modeled on the Declaration of Independence

At the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention—the first women’s rights convention in US history—Elizabeth Cady Stanton drafted the Declaration of Sentiments, consciously modeled on the Declaration of Independence, to argue that women were denied fundamental rights and justified in demanding legal and political equality.

A global history of women's rights, in 3 minutes

This video presents a succinct overview of the history of women's rights. As a global community, we have witnessed widespread suffrage campaigns, the rise of #MeToo, and increasing digital activism. Noteworthy women, grassroots movements, and...

Abolitionists shaped American history from the Revolution to the Civil War

Abolitionists of all backgrounds organized against slavery from the founding era onward. Historian Manisha Sinha argues that their decades of activism fundamentally shaped American democracy and made emancipation possible.

'We are on the move now ... Like an idea whose time has come, not even the marching of mighty armies can halt us. We are moving to the land of freedom ...'

- Martin Luther King Jr. at the conclusion of the five-day, 54-mile march

'Hearts are the strongest when they beat in response to noble ideals.'

- American diplomat Ralph Bunche (1904–1971)

'Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.'

- Senator Robert F. Kennedy (1925–1968)

The abolitionist movement long predated the Civil War

Beginning in the late 18th century, abolitionists like Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, and Sojourner Truth campaigned through newspapers, lectures, and political action to end slavery.

The ACLU was founded in 1920 in direct response to the suppression of speech during World War I

The mass arrest and prosecution of anti-war activists, socialists, and immigrants under the Espionage and Sedition Acts prompted a group of civil libertarians to form the American Civil Liberties Union to defend constitutional rights.

Black women played a central but often overlooked role in the suffrage movement

Although the women's suffrage movement is often portrayed as a white story, Black women like Truth, Ida B. Wells, and Mary Church Terrell fought for voting rights—frequently facing racism within the movement itself.

'A word after a word after a word is power.'

- Author Margaret Atwood (1939-present)

Bernice Sandler, a part-time teacher in Maryland, helped launch Title IX with a class-action lawsuit.

One Mary Cassatt painting features a sly political message

Critics had long been puzzled by the unrealistic flower pinned to the woman's chest in the 1905 painting "Mother and Child." In exploring the painting's history, researcher Nikki Georgopulos discovered that the flower alluded to a women's suffrage badge popular at the time, something Cassatt emphasized in the painting's original title, "Woman With a Sunflower."

A Quote by Sandra Day O'Connor

"Do the best you can in every task, no matter how unimportant it may seem at the time."

'Sometimes opportunities float right past your nose. Work hard, apply yourself, and be ready. When an opportunity comes you can grab it.'

- Actress Julie Andrews (1935 - present)

Cassatt participated in a fundraiser for women's suffrage against her family's wishes.

1978: Thurgood Marshall, commencement address at the University of Virginia

"Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out, because this is your country. This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on."

Gladys Heldman was a key promoter of pro women's tennis

The photo of the Original Nine holding up their $1 bills after signing their contracts is an iconic image in both the sport and the women's liberation movement. Gladys Heldman isn't in that photo, but she was the promoter behind the tournament and the subsequent Virginia Slims Circuit. This WTA Tennis article dives into her life and her unforgettable contributions to women's tennis.

Senda Berenson Abbott revolutionized women's basketball

In the late 1800s, college physical education programs were used to prepare post-Victorian Era women for the workforce. In 1890, Smith College built one of the country's largest and most well-equipped gyms and hired Senda Berenson to run its activities, which she did by revising basketball's rules so women could play while still meeting societal expectations.

'You don't get to choose how you're going to die or when. You can only decide how you're going to live. Now.'

- Musician and activist Joan Baez (1941-present)

The rise of the campaign speech

What compels an audience shifts over time, meaning yesterday's popular speeches might not go over the same way if delivered today. However, impactful campaign speeches across time share some qualities, including taking the audience seriously, inviting listeners to engage with or respond to presented materials, and using everyday, informal language. Additionally, US political candidates typically promote themselves in their speeches, an approach initially considered vulgar in Australia and Britain.

'Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell, and advertise.'

- Ted Turner, on his secret to success (1938-2026)

Mary Cassatt was not a fan of Mother's Day

When Mother's Day was first proposed as a holiday in 1913, the American Impressionist opposed it, believing that women's suffrage was a far more important issue. The holiday was established by an act of Congress in 1915; Congress did not pass the 19th Amendment, which guaranteed women the right to vote, until 1919.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. used disciplined organizing tactics to win civil rights

This resource focuses on Dr. King as a strategic organizer, detailing how he selected campaign targets, partnered with local leaders, adapted his tactics, developed leadership pipelines, and employed political pressure to convert moral protest into political change.