The USC Upstate Library is pleased to host the poster exhibit, "Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence." This exhibit commemorates Women's History Month 2023 as well as the
103rd anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the American Constitution, which affirmed women's suffrage in the United States. This poster exhibit is on view on the library's 2nd floor near the computer labs in Room 247 and 249 and will remain on view through spring semester 2023.
The quest for the right to vote for women is considered one of the longest reform movements in American history. Between 1832 and 1920, women citizens organized for the right to vote, taking action first in their states and territories and then by petitioning for a federal amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The exhibit looks at women's political activism, explores the racism that challenged universal suffrage, and documents the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which prohibits the government from denying U.S. citizens the right to vote on the basis of sex. The exhibit touches upon the suffrage movement's relevance to current conversations on voting and voting rights in America.
This exhibit was organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) in collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery, located in Washington, D.C. The exhibit was created with the support of the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative.