Browse Items (34 total)

World War I brought about great shifts in American society. As the nation was gripped by war, the entire population was mobilized to produce weapons and supplies for the troops. The outbreak of war sent many men off to fight overseas, which opened…

Early in the 20th century, thousands of European immigrants worked in the coalfields of southwestern Virginia. After the Civil War, rail companies had expanded westward as entrepreneurs and industrialists opened coal seams in the region. Beginning in…

This broadside was one of many produced by the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia (ESL) to advocate voting rights for women during the 1910s. About twenty women met in Richmond in 1909 to establish the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia to advocate…

Antonio Sansone was born in 1856 in Termini Imerese, Sicily. He immigrated to the United States in 1880.  By 1899, he had established Antonio Sansone & Company, a wholesale dealer of fruit located on East Main Street, near the city market, in…

After the Civil War, the temperance movement swept the nation. Starting with Maine in 1851, states and localities around the country held referendums to let its citizens vote whether or not to ban alcohol. In 1886, Virginia adopted the “Local…

Richmond native Lila Meade Valentine (1865-1921) devoted much of her life to advocating reforms in public education and health care. She also supported voting rights for women and she co-founded the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia in 1909. Serving…

Coal is amongst Virginia’s most valuable natural resources.  The first coal mines in Virginia were developed in the 1790’s as exploration of the land led to the discovery of coal in central Virginia.  Coal was carried from the mines along the…

The Equal Suffrage League of Virginia was founded in 1909 in Richmond. Members of the league sought to win the right to vote for women. A this time, many men—and women—believed that voting women were a threat to marriage and families because…

For a significant portion of American history, women were not allowed to vote. Although they were considered citizens, voting was considered a privilege and not a right and thus not extended to women. In the the 19th century, a small number of women…

Circulated in Staunton, Virginia, the broadside dates to sometime between 1900 and 1919. In it, the women of Staunton asked the men in their community to vote in favor of prohibition or the legal elimination of alcohol consumption and sale. The…