I was fortunate to know my grandmothers. What I did not know about them is whether or not they ever voted, as both women were born before women were granted the right to vote on 26 August 1920. My parents were the first generation to live with the fact that women could vote, and my mother and father rarely agree these days on how to cast their votes. So, they just don’t talk about it (which, if you knew my parents, you would agree that this was a fine idea).
Despite this fact, I worry sometimes that my daughter doesn’t realize the importance of her right to vote or how that right was won by a handful of brave and committed (often seen as histrionic) women. I know that I grew up with no clue as to how my rights were won, and I thought very little about my voting privileges until later in life. So, I plan to force my daughter to sit and watch Iron Jawed Angels this summer (I can do this, because I said so). This is an HBO movie that focuses on Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, two women who formed the National Woman’s Party in 1917 and who began a campaign of non-violent protest that resulted in the ratification of the 19th amendment in 1920.
Popular history portrayed through television acting is a bit lenient at times with some facts, but HBO usually is faithful to most historic representations, and Iron Jawed Angels is no exception. What history boils down to is this: Women in this country fought for the right to vote since the American Revolution, and it took them almost 150 years to accomplish that goal (behind many other countries).
In 2000, 8.6 million eligible 18 to 24-year-olds voted-but 15 million didn’t. Please, ladies, don’t take your right to vote for granted this year.
Now, you may take this note as a leaning toward Hillary in the Democratic primary. Don’t do that. If you’ve kept up with this blog, you know I’m an Obama supporter and that I’ve had little patience with Hillary. With that said, I was mightily impressed with this article about Hillary, as I agree that she has paved the way for future female presidential candidates. No longer will a woman running for president in this country seem absurd. For that, I will thank you, Mrs. Clinton. And, this possibility happened less than 100 years after a woman’s right to vote in this country!
