-
-
Virginia Penny of Louisville became Vice President of the American Equal Rights Association in 1867. That same year, women in Glendale organized a local suffrage association, the first in the South.
-
In 1913, Laura Clay became Vice President of the Southern States Woman Suffrage Conference, founded by Kate Gordon, to coordinate efforts across the South to win the vote in the states.
-
Ethel Snowden was one suffragist who made the journey to America to promote universal suffrage for women. She gave a speech at the Shelby County Courthouse on November 7, 1915. The courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
-
Despite all of the activism, women in Kentucky were not able to expand their enfranchisement beyond school suffrage. This led a few Kentucky suffragists to shift their focus to passage of the federal amendment. Some even joined the National Woman’s Party protests at the White House. At least one Kentuckian, Cornelia Beach, was arrested along with other picketers in August 1917.
-
After decades of arguments for and against women's suffrage, Congress finally passed of the 19th Amendment in 1919. After Congress approved the 19th Amendment, at least 36 states needed to vote in favor of it for it to become law. This process is called ratification.
-
The 19th amendment guarantees all American women the right to vote. Achieving this milestone required a lengthy and difficult struggle; victory took decades of agitation and protest