This piece is about the history of the women's rights movement and contains an interview with Patsy McDonald, who's grandmother was a member of the "Silent Sentinels."

1. Reprinted with permission from The Daily Record. Copyright © 2019. All rights reserved.
The fight for women’s rights began years before the 19th
amendment was ratified by Congress and approved by enough
states to make it part of the Constitution. It was, against
common belief, spearheaded by thousands of women. Women from
across social classes, and geographical locations came together to
fight for women’s rights. Women combined their forces and worked
hard to prove the power of their voices; historical proof of the saying,
“strength in numbers.”
“It was a lot of women. It was not just upper-class women…it
was very diverse” says Patsy McDonald, granddaughter of Catherine
Flanagan, a young Irish-American woman who was a member of the
National Women’s Party and “Silent Sentinels.” Flanagan came from
a poor family, and began working at the age of fourteen to provide
for her family.
“People used to think the parties were made up of wealthy white
women, but that wasn’t always the case,” McDonald said.
Women from various backgrounds came together to fight for
women’s rights. Alice Paul, a woman’s rights activist, worked closely
with other women from England’s Women’s Suffrage Political Union
during her stay there as a college student. While there, Paul became
close with another activist, Lucy Burns.
When both women reconnected in the United States in 1910, they
organized a parade of activists from varying backgrounds the day
before President Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration. No constitutional
amendment had been passed for women’s rights and Burns and
Paul were dedicated to encouraging change. The violence and anger
from the parade was extreme, halting the parade completely. While
the parade did not reach completion, this moment was noted as a
reigning moment for the decade long movement for women’s rights.
“This movement set the stage for the civil rights movement.
Women were fighting for their rights and fighting for the
enfranchisement of women” said McDonald.
100th Anniversary of
the 19th Amendment:
A look at the history of
By Margaret Tippett
Special to The Daily Record Check out these events and organizations
to celebrate the ratification of the 19th
amendment.
One Woman, One Vote 2020 Festival
Washington
March 2020
https://2020owovfest.org/about/
Maryland Historical Society
Baltimore
http://www.mdhs.org/museum/
exhibitions/upcoming
Vision 2020
Drexel University National Women’s
Equality Initiative
Philidelphia
https://drexel.edu/vision2020/events/
calendar/
Pay respects to “The Silent Sentinels”
https://suffragistmemorial.org/
1848 1850 1870 1872
The first women’s rights meeting is
held in Seneca Falls, New York. The
members of the meeting signed the
Declaration of Sentiments, which
consisted of 12 resolutions that
called for equal treatment.
Worcester,
Massachusetts
hosts the first
National Women’s
Rights Convention.
The ratification of the 14th
amendment occurred this year.
This amendment declared that all
individuals born in the U.S., including
former slaves, are to be guaranteed
“equal protection of the laws.”
18781868
The 15th amendment was
ratified, prohibiting the
constitution from denying
citizens the right to vote based
on previous servitude or race.
Susan B. Anthony
was arrested
for voting in the
presidential election.
For the first time, the
Women’s Suffrage
Amendment is made
known to Congress.
A WOMAN’S GUIDE TO BUSINESS
JULY 2019

2. Reprinted with permission from The Daily Record. Copyright © 2019. All rights reserved.
‘The Silent Sentinels’
Fighting for women’s rights, now seen
in our present day as a heroic act, was
seen in the 1900s as an act of rebellion.
Paul and Burns’ National Women’s Party
organization actively disagreed with Wilson
and his policies. During this time, most
were centered on World War I, and were
appalled that women were taking a stance
against the president during such a divisive
time. The NWP fought against the war
effort, and despised Wilson’s hypocrisy.
“They were not considered heroes during
their time, and probably still are not
considered to be. People tend to forget how
much work and effort went into ratifying
the 19th amendment. The first meeting
took place in 1848 in Seneca Falls, and the
Amendment did not get ratified until 1919”
explained McDonald.
“The Silent Sentinels”, which included
several women activists, lined up outside of
the White House from 1917 to 1919. The
“Silent Sentinels” held banners and posters
to express their disappointment in Wilson’s
political policies. Individuals attacked and
tore the posters and signs
that the “Silent Sentinels”
held.
Due to the disturbance,
the women were arrested by
the police. After refusing
to accept that they had
done anything wrong,
they were taken to the
Occoquan Workhouse in
Lorton, Virginia. Despite
not having committed any
serious crimes, the women
were brutally beaten and
starved. The women shared
their stories with journalists,
eventually getting published in a newspaper,
The Suffragist. These stories spanned across
the nation, and citizens began to recognize
the unacceptable stance that Wilson had on
women’s rights. Not too long after, Wilson
changed his mind of the suffrage movement.
The move to ratification
It has been 100 years since the 19th
Amendment of the United States
Constitution was passed by both chambers
of Congress. The House of Representative
initially passed the amendment on May
21, 1919, followed by a majority vote in the
Senate on June 4, 1919. The amendment
was officially ratified into the constitution
on August 26, 1920 when Tennessee became
the 36th state to approve it. While this
amendment granted women the right to
vote, a massive landmark for women’s rights,
the hard work had just begun.
“The parts of their protests that were
peaceful were copied by famous individuals,
like (Mahatma) Gandhi. These women were
making progress and set the foundation for
future movements. This was the turning
point of civil rights
in America” said
McDonald.
After the 19th
amendment passed, the
League of Women Voters,
formerly known as the
National American Woman
Suffrage Association, started
encouraging and educating
women on the power of their
vote. Women had never voted
before and did not understand the power
their voices held.
While the constitution had previously
declared equal rights, women were hardly
treated equally in society. They were often
working in extremely unsafe conditions and
did not receive proper payment for their
work. Their behaviors were strictly dictated
and certain actions, such as buying a home,
were prohibited. Because of this, individual
women began to take the revolutionary
initiative themselves.
Women continue to
push for more rights
In 1923, Alice Paul created an Equal
Rights Amendment (ERA) for the
Constitution, which, unfortunately, did
not make it to Congress for around fifty
years, and still has not been ratified.
Meantime, Margaret Sanger, a public nurse,
was actively endorsing and advocating
for women’s reproductive rights. Women
had never maintained their rights over
their bodies before, which was met with
resistance from politicians at the time.
Women’s equality continued to be
disjointed in 1960, but encouraged an
entirely new wave of advocacy. Women
from various careers and backgrounds
1890 1893 1896 1916 1919
Colorado
becomes the
first state
granting
women the
right to vote.
The National
Association
for Colored
Women is
created.
The Congressional Union
for Women’s Suffrage
is formed by Alice Paul
and Lucy Burns. Later
renamed the National
Women’s Party
The National Women’s Party
(NWP) began demonstrations,
picketing, and parades to show
their disapproval of President
Wilson’s lack of support of the
Suffrage Amendment.
1913
The 19th amendment
was signed into the
Constitution and
women were granted
the right to vote across
The United States.
The National American
Women Suffrage Association
(NAWSA) is formed and
begins implementing state-
wide campaigns to garner
support.
The women’s suffrage
amendment, passed
by both the House of
Representatives and Senate.
The states still needed to
ratify the amendment.
1919
WOMEN’S EQUALITY continued to be disjointed in 1960, but encouraged an
entirely NEW WAVE OF ADVOCACY. Women from various CAREERS AND
BACKGROUNDS advocated together to FIGHT FOR WORKPLACE EQUALITY.
PATH TO EXCELLENCE 9

3. Reprinted with permission from The Daily Record. Copyright © 2019. All rights reserved.
advocated together to fight for workplace
equality. After President John F. Kennedy
named Eleanor Roosevelt as his chair, the
commission passed a document which
outlined the discrimination experienced
by women. Local and state governments
followed after, and created their own
commissions for women and initiated
protocols that protected women from
prejudice. Eventually, in 1964, Title
VII was passed in the Civil Rights Act
prohibiting discrimination against women
in employment settings.
Efforts continued and the eventual
acceptance of Title IX allowed for equal
access to college and professional schooling
options for women. Many women became
heavily involved in the movement and
garnered support for the ERA within their
respective states in hopes that state officials
would pass the amendment.
In 1972, the ERA was officially passed
by Congress, which would protect women
from prejudice. The nation had never seen
women generate such immense public
support before, another massive milestone
for women. At the ratification deadline on
June 30, 1982, it was three states shy of the
necessary 38. The ERA was reintroduced in
Congress in July 1982 and has been before
every session of Congress since.
The third wave of women fighting for
their rights appeared around the 1990s.
Women tackled problems of representation,
work-life rights, reproductive rights and
harassment. Continuing to the 2000s,
women have not given up, and continue to
make revolutionary progress.
“When people think of the women’s
movement, they think of Elizabeth Cady
Stanton, and other figureheads, but fail to
recognize that this movement was a group
effort, and it will continue to be. Thousands
of women fought hard for their rights” says
McDonald.
Women’s rights have come a long way
since the 1840s, when only a few select
women fought hard for equality and
acceptance. Now, the strides women, and
men alike, are taking towards complete
and overall equality are astonishing. The
respect that women experience now, and the
positions women hold as CEOs and business
leaders pay homage directly to the expanse
of women who began the fight so many
years ago. The fight for women’s rights
has never been awarded to one significant
individual. Thousands of women fought
for their rights, and today, thousands more
continue.
WHEN STATES RATIFIED
• Wisconsin: June 10, 1919
• Illinois: June 10, 1919
• Michigan: June 10, 1919
• Kansas: June 16, 1919
• New York: June 16, 1919
• Ohio: June 16, 1919
• Pennsylvania: June 24, 1919
• Massachusetts: June 25, 1919
• Texas: June 28, 1919
• Iowa: July 2, 1919
• Missouri: July 3, 1919
• Arkansas: July 29, 1919
• Montana: Aug. 2, 1919
• Nebraska: Aug. 2, 1919
• Minnesota: Sept. 8, 1919
• New Hampshire: Sept. 10, 1919
• Utah: Sept. 14, 1919
• California: Nov. 1, 1919
• Maine: Nov. 5, 1919
• North Dakota: Dec. 1, 1919
• South Dakota: Dec. 4, 1919
• Colorado: Dec. 15, 1919
• Kentucky: Jan. 6, 1920
• Rhode Island: Jan. 6, 1920
• Oregon: Jan. 13, 1920
• Indiana: Jan. 16, 1920
• Wyoming: Jan. 27, 1920
• Nevada: Feb. 7, 1920
• New Jersey: Feb. 7, 1920
• Idaho: Feb. 9, 1920
• Arizona: Feb. 12, 1920
• New Mexico: Feb. 21, 1920
• Oklahoma: Feb. 28, 1920
• West Virginia: March 10, 1920
• Washington: March 22, 1920
• Tennessee: Aug. 18, 1920*
The following states ratified
the amendment after it
received votes from 36 states.
• Connecticut: Sep. 14, 1920
• Vermont: Feb. 8, 1921
• Delaware: March 6, 1923
(originally rejected on June
2, 1920)
• Maryland: March 29, 1941
(originally rejected on Feb. 24,
1920)
• Virginia: Feb. 12, 1952
(originally rejected Feb.12,
1920)
• Alabama: Sep. 8, 1953
(originally rejected Sep. 22,
1919)
• Florida: May 13, 1969
• South Carolina: July 1, 1969
(originally rejected Jan. 28,
1920)
• Georgia: Feb. 20, 1970
(originally rejected on July 24,
1919)
• Louisiana: June 11, 1970
(originally rejected July 1,
1920)
• North Carolina: May 6, 1971
• Mississippi: March 22, 1984
(originally rejected March 29,
1920)
Other
• Wyoming: Granted women the right of suffrage
and to hold office in 1869, while it was still a territory.
• Alaska: Was not a state during the ratification but
white women were granted suffrage rights in 1913.
• Hawaii: Was not a state during the ratification.
• Washington, D.C.: Residents could not vote in
presidential elections until 1961
10 JULY 2019