Getting the Vote: Michigan Women and the Path to Suffrage
Zoom: Saugatuck-Douglas History Center, Tuesday Talks
July 28 at 11:00 a.m.
Free — for directions,
RSVP via Eventbrite
For the past year, GGRWHC board member Ruth Stevens has hit the road charting the path to suffrage across southwest Michigan. Now she’s gone virtual! At her July 28th Tuesday Talk sponsored by the Saugatuck-Douglas History Center, she will connect the local with accounts of the broader suffrage movement and offer highlights to illustrate how persistent were activists from both large and small communities, from the 1870s until Michigan women finally won full voting rights in 1918. Yes, 1918–almost two years before the 19th Amendment guaranteed suffrage to all citizens nationwide.
Stevens will offer a fascinating look at the early days–how the 1867 granting of school suffrage to Michigan women led to service as early as the 1880s on school boards, the first elective offices held by women. Michigan was often in the national eye, specifically because very few states had granted women school suffrage. National leaders hoped that a win in Michigan for full voting rights would create a ripple effect across the country.
Join us for this free Zoom program! It will require an RSVP through Eventbrite for a secure link. Getting the Vote: Michigan Women and the Path to Suffrage Please share! See you on Zoom!