As difficult as it is to conceive today, there was a time when females in the United States were not allowed to vote or hold public office. Fast forward to 2007, when women comprised more than half of the U.S. electorate and a woman was elected Speaker of the House, second in the line of presidential succession behind only the Vice President.Commemorating the efforts that made this evolution possible is "Citizens At Last: The Woman Suffrage Movement in Texas", an exhibit presented by the Women's Collection of Texas Woman's University. On display in the first-floor lobby of the Blagg-Huey Library on the Denton campus, "Citizens At Last" covers the evolution of the organized women's suffrage movement--from its beginnings in 1848 through passage and ratification in 1920 of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing women the right to vote. The exhibit was curated by David Lopez and Kimberly Johnson.
Featuring a timeline of the movement, photographs, books and artifacts, "Citizens At Last" is a moving and enlightening tribute to the suffragettes and their 72-year-long effort to gain for women the right to vote. One of the many interesting bits of trivia from the exhibit: Although Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton--arguably two of the most recognizable names identified with the women's suffrage movement--devoted 50 years to the cause, neither lived to see the day when a woman could vote in this country. It is through tributes such as "Citizens At Last" that the efforts of Anthony, Stanton and countless others are rightfully acknowledged and honored."Citizens At Last: The Woman Suffrage Movement in Texas" will be on display through November 30, 2010 during the library's regular business hours. The exhibit is free and open to the public.
Submitted by Sandy Cochran
