Copyright 2019 National Archives Foundation
#RightfullyHers
WE ARE DETERMINED TO FOMENT A REBELLION.
- Abigail Adams, 1776
May 10, 2019 through January 3, 2021
The National Archives celebrates the centennial of the 19th Amendment’s ratification with its newest exhibit, Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote. The exhibition features more than 90 items—including the original 19th Amendment and other records, artifacts, and photographs—that look beyond suffrage parades and protests to the often overlooked story behind this landmark moment in American history. This fuller retelling of the struggle for women’s voting rights highlights the dynamic engagement of diverse suffragists in the struggle to win the vote for one half of the people. The exhibit is free and open to the public in the Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery at the National Archives Museum.
The older I get, the greater power I seem to have to help the world. I am like a snowball – the further I am rolled the more I gain.
-Susan B. Anthony
FEATURED RECORDS
THE EXHIBIT
If women want any rights more than they's got, why don't they just take them, and not be talking about it.
-Sojourner Truth
TRAVELING EXHIBITION
One Half of the People: Advancing Equality for Women
When our Constitution was written, it was silent on women. Excluded from most of the rights and privileges of citizenship women operated in limited and rigid roles while enslaved women were excluded from all. Yet women have actively participated as citizens—organizing, marching, petitioning—since the founding of our country. Sometimes quietly, and sometimes with a roar, women’s roles and the opening words of the Constitution “We, the People” have been redefined.
“One Half of the People” is a nationwide traveling exhibition exploring the stories of women’s struggles to achieve full citizenship. The traveling show will run through 2022 and stop at more than 15 venues across the country.
EDUCATION
Throughout the initiative, educational materials for students and teachers will be made available, including specialized teaching activities for school visits in DC, distance learning programs for high school students and teachers, and professional development webinars for educators. Curated lesson plans and curriculum will be disseminated through partners and on the National Archives’ DocsTeach.org.
As part of the Rightfully Hers initiative, a limited number of free pop-up displays will be distributed to 1,600 schools and cultural institutions in all 50 states. The display contains simple messages exploring the sometimes complex history of the 19th amendment’s ratification, women’s voting rights before and after the 19th amendment, and its impact today. All pop-up displays have already been requested, but venues can download high-resolution poster versions here:
The best protection any woman can have ... is courage.
-Elizabeth Cady Stanton
I never doubted that equal rights was the right direction. Most reforms, most problems are complicated. But to me, there is nothing complicated about ordinary equality.
-Alice Paul
POP UP DISPLAY
FEATURED RECORDS
Join us for regularly scheduled National Archives public programs to learn more about the women behind this pivotal movement and what it means today.
After Congress passed the 19th Amendment, it needed ratification from three-fourths of the states. Follow along as we celebrate each state's ratification story and take you through the road to ratification.