1977 August 26

Alice Paul Memorial March for Women’s Rights

 

The Alice Paul Memorial March in Washington, DC, was held on this day to commemorate the life and work of Alice Paul, whose militant campaign for women’s suffrage in 1917–1918 played a major role in the adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution granting women the right to vote in federal elections.

A march celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment was held on August 26, 1970.

The Nineteenth Amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920, and women voted for the first time in federal elections on November 2, 1920.

Alice Paul is also noted for drafting and introducing the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the Constitution on July 21, 1923. The ERA would have ensure equality for women. Despite a major ratification campaign in the 1970s, the ERA was never ratified.

Read Jo Freeman’s account of the march: http://www.jofreeman.com/photos/AlicePaul1977.html

Read Paul’s biography: Jill Zahniser and Amelia Fry, Alice Paul: Claiming Power (2014)

And more: Mary Walton, A Woman’s Crusade: Alice Paul and the Battle for the Ballot (2010)

Learn more about Alice Paul: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxdHe-55rqA

Follow the timeline on women’s suffrage at the National Women’s History Museum: http://www.nwhm.org/education-resources/history/woman-suffrage-timeline

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