100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment and the Fight for Women’s Rights (Webinar)

The 19th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution was ratified on August 18, 1920, giving women the right to vote nationwide. New York women won the right to vote three years earlier on November 6, 1917.

The story began in 1848 when, at a tea party, five women organized the New York Seneca Falls Convention with resolutions demanding women’s rights, including the right to vote. The Convention was followed by decades of intense struggle by women and men across the country. 

The NYSBA Women in Law Section’s Centennial Suffrage Initiative presents the story of the landmark fight for women’s suffrage (voting rights) and the diverse leaders, activists, associations, and supporters who made this happen.

Learn about the different strategies and tactics used, the trailblazing states granting women suffrage before the 19th Amendment, case law, and the challenges voters faced – even after the vote was won, some state laws continued to sanction hurdles, such as poll taxes and literacy tests, to disenfranchise citizens. Meet the women on whose shoulders we stand and celebrate the modern day women whose illustrious careers are a true legacy of the suffrage movement.