In the month of August, our Hannan House window display featured historic items from the energetic campaign to recognize women’s right to vote. Although some states honored that right earlier (Washington in 1916), it was not until the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on August 18, 1920, that women’s votes were guaranteed throughout the nation. It had been a long struggle: of the 300 women who had gathered to proclaim the need for women’s voting rights at the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, only one still lived when their goal at last was reached.
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Having to ride horseback using a sidesaddle became a rallying point with some women who demanded the right to vote. Women were not allowed to ride on men’s saddles; it would be considered unladylike. The sidesaddle and the fashion of the day were factors that restricted women’s independence.
Thanks to Margaret Carroll, Mary Farley, Carol Haynes, and Nancy Velando for creating this display.