Tennessee Woman Suffrage Centennial Collaborative
Tennessee played a pivotal role in the quest for woman suffrage in the United States. When the Tennessee General Assembly narrowly ratified the Nineteenth Amendment on August 18, 1920, Tennessee became the thirty-sixth of forty-eight states to ratify the amendment. Dubbed “the perfect 36,” Tennessee provided the necessary three-fourths majority for an amendment to the Constitution. This historic milestone was the compelling pinnacle of a fascinating fifty-year struggle across the state.
The Tennessee Woman Suffrage Centennial Collaborative is preparing for the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote by:
• Celebrating Achievement
• Experiencing the Places
• Exploring the History
• Documenting the Stories
• Continuing the Legacy
“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex.” — Nineteenth Amendment.
Signature Events
August 2020 Nashville, Tennessee Woman Suffrage Centennial Commemoration,
Tennessee State Museum
2018 Knoxville, East Tennessee History Center
Saturday, March 17, 9:00 a.m., EST: Teacher Workshop: East Tennessee Historical Society and Teaching with Primary Sources–MTSU; Guest Scholar: Dr. Carole Bucy
Sunday, March 18, 1:00 p.m., EST: Speakers: Marjorie Spruill, Carole Bucy, and Wanda Sobieski
2019 Memphis, Pink Palace Museum
Friday, March 29, 9:00 a.m., CST: Teacher Workshop: Pink Palace Museum and Teaching with Primary Sources–MTSU; Guest Scholar: Dr. Beverly Bond
Saturday, March 30, 1:00 p.m., CST: Speakers: Nichole Etcheson, Sarah Wilkerson-Freeman, and Beverly Bond
Collaborative Partners
•
Center for Historic Preservation—Middle Tennessee State University
• East Tennessee Historical Society
• Humanities Tennessee
• March to the 19th, Chick History, Inc.
• National Civil Rights Museum
• Pink Palace Museum
• Teaching with Primary Sources—Middle Tennessee State University
• Tennessee Department of Tourist Development
• Tennessee Historical Commission
• Tennessee Historical Society
• Tennessee State Library & Archives
• Tennessee State Museum
Independent Scholars/Advisors
• Beverly Bond, University of Memphis
• Carole Bucy, Davidson County Historian
• Lee Curtis, Tennessee State Museum
• Mary Evins, American Democracy Project, MTSU
• Mary Ellen Pethel, History Department/School Archives, Harpeth Hall
• Nancy Schurr, Chattanooga State Community College
• Minoa Uffelman, Austin Peay State University
“I shall never be as thrilled by the turn of any event as I was at that moment when the roll call that settled the citizenship of American women was heard.” — Abby Crawford Milton of Chattanooga
Anne Dallas Dudley worked statewide and nationally for woman suffrage. This image of Dudley and her children was circulated widely to challenge negative stereotypes of suffragists. Courtesy of the Tennessee Historical Society.
Eight women founded the Nashville Equal Suffrage League in 1911, and Anne Dallas Dudley served as the first president. This banner features the suffrage colors of yellow and white. Courtesy of the Tennessee State Museum.
Mary Church Terrell of Memphis championed racial and gender equality throughout her life. Founder and first president of the National Association of Colored Women, she was also active in the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Abby Crawford Milton of Chattanooga served as the last president of the Tennessee Equal Suffrage Association and spent the month of August 1920 in Nashville lobbying legislators. She is seen here (center right) shaking hands with Speaker of the Tennessee Senate Andrew L. Todd after the Senate approved the ratification resolution. Courtesy of the Tennessee State Library and Archives.
Tennessee Woman Suffrage Centennial Collaborative Logo used by permission only. Contact info@tennesseehistory.org.
1-615-898-2947
histpres@mtsu.edu
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
MTSU Box 80
1301 East Main Street, Murfreesboro, TN 37132 USA
Our main office is in Peck Hall on the MTSU campus, and we also have a location at the Heritage Center in downtown Murfreesboro. Click on the "Connect" button for more information.
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