Hear me as a woman
Have me as your sister
On purpled battlefield breaking day,
So I might say our victory is just beginning,
See me as change, Say I am movement,
That I am the year
And I am the era Of the women.
Amanda Gorman from Won’t You Be My Sister, 2018
When we think about Women’s Rights here in the United States, most people think of the 19th Amendment that was ratified in 1920. This law granted women the right to vote alongside their male peers. The fight for the right to vote dates back to the 1800s. What most Americans do not realize is that many of the rights we now have stem from decades of advocacy that also began in the 1800s. For example, the right to own separate property one’s husband or the right to have a banking account separate from a spouse all stem from the same fight for equality. This exhibit examines just some of the legislature, both state and federal, that has passed since the 1830s allowing women to have rights on par with men. The exhibit uses images and text provided from various open access resources such as the Library of Congress, the National Archives, various state archives and libraries, and federal institutions. Each panel discusses and piece of legislation alongside images that illustrate its importance. During the creation of this exhibit, the landmark case of Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States on June 24, 2022. It the hope of the Walter W. Stiern Library faculty and staff that this exhibit serve as a reference for further inquiry around Women’s Rights. There is much more to accomplish and much will change even over the course of a few years. We hope that you are inspired to learn more about Women’s Rights.
