Now on Ohio Memory: The National Woman’s Party Records

The word is out… the National Woman’s Party Records are officially on Ohio Memory! The collection includes a variety of personal correspondences, memorabilia, and proceedings of the party during the suffrage movement. There are documents from both the National Woman’s Party (NWP) and the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), which is what the party was a part of before it broke off into a separate organization.

The National Woman’s Party originated in 1913 when the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage began its work to secure the enfranchisement of women through a federal amendment (what we now know to be the 19^th Amendment). This group broke off from the National American Woman Suffrage Association in 1914, when it became the National Woman’s Party officially. The party began to operate as a separate organization, with much different, and sometimes more “radical” policies and tactics. They made headlines for the protests they held and the picket lines that they formed. Eventually, even the Congressional Union members joined in on the protests, and became a unified organization under the National Woman’s Party, once again.

The House of Representatives passed the 19^th Amendment on January 10, 1918 and the Senate passed it on June 4, 1919. After this lengthy process, the fight for ratification finally began. The suffragists of the National Woman’s Party amped up their activism, and did all they could to get the necessary states to ratify the amendment. The 19^th Amendment was FINALLY ratified on August 18, 1920 when Tennessee became the last state necessary for the ratification process to pass.

Visit the “Ohio History Connection Selections” Collection on Ohio Memory, or click this link, to view the entire National Woman’s Party Records and to learn more about this incredible group of women. Here you will be able to view the groundbreaking changes this group of women were able to make, and how they were able to do it as well.

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Thank you to Katelyn Muraleetharan, Digital Projects Coordinator at the Ohio History Connection, for this week’s post!