The nationwide celebration of women’s suffrage
continues at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre with the opening of a new
exhibit.
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| Alice Paul, a national suffrage movement leader from New Jersey, unveils the ratification banner at the National Women’s Party headquarters in Washington, D.C., after the 19th Amendment was ratified. (Photo courtesy Smithsonian Institution) |
The exhibit, located in the Observation Gallery on the second
floor of the museum, is entitled “The Right is Ours: Women Win the Vote.” The exhibit provides an overview
of the movement, led by three generations of women across both South Dakota and
the United States to give women the right to vote in state and national
elections. It focuses primarily on the period from 1848 through 1920, but it
also addresses the legacy and lessons of the women’s suffrage movement to the
present day.
The exhibit, on display through Nov. 3, 2020, follows the
multifaceted women’s suffrage movement from the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848
through the ratification of the 19th Amendment of the U.S.
Constitution on Aug. 18, 1920. It also focuses on people and events in South Dakota
that led to the state legislature granting women in South Dakota the right to
vote in December 1918. The exhibit features historical photographs of people
and events important to the movements, as well as reproductions of banners,
hats, and other materials used by suffragists.
“The topic of women’s suffrage is important to an understanding
of both state and national history,” said Museum Director Jay Smith. “The State
Historical Society is proud to assist the public in understanding how difficult
it was to accomplish this goal and what a profound impact it had on American
society – an impact that continues to be felt today.”
Smith said museum staff plan to bring in a speaker in April 2020
from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History to give a
presentation on women’s suffrage and promote the exhibit.
The State Historical Society is honoring and interpreting the
importance of the suffrage movement with several projects, including the
publication of three books over three years, as well as a small display about
suffrage hosted by the State Archives.
“We are delighted to publish three books on suffrage through the
Historical Society Press,” said State Historical Society Director Jay D. Vogt.
“And we have a small pop-up display from the National Archives entitled
“Rightfully Hers” that will be on display in our lobby through the end of the
year.”
The press publications include “Born Criminal: Matilda Joslyn
Gage, Radical Suffragist” by Angelica Shirley Carpenter and “Equality at the
Ballot Box: Votes for Women on the Northern Great Plains,” edited by Lori Ann
Lahlum and Molly P. Rozum. Both books are available for purchase in the
Heritage Stores at the Cultural Heritage Center and state Capitol. The third
book, “The Voice of Liberty” by Angelica Shirley Carpenter and illustrated by
Edwin Fotheringham, is due to be released in fall 2020.
The State Historical Society is planning several other events in
2020 to continue bringing attention to women’s suffrage. More information on
those events will be coming.
The museum is open from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through
Saturday, and 1-4:30 p.m. on Sundays and most holidays. Call 605-773-3458 or
visit history.sd.gov for
more information about exhibits, special events, and upcoming activities.
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About the South Dakota State Historical Society
The South Dakota State Historical Society is a division of the Department of Education. The State Historical Society, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is headquartered at the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. The center houses the society’s world-class museum, the archives, and the historic preservation, publishing, and administrative/development offices. Call 605-773-3458 or visit www.history.sd.gov for more information. The society also has an archaeology office in Rapid City; call 605-394-1936 for more information.
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