CONTENT WARNING
Materials in the Library of Virginia’s collections contain historical terms, phrases, and images that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical and mental ability; and gender and sexual orientation.
Context
At the National American Woman Suffrage Association convention in 1919, President Carrie Chapman Catt proposed the creation of a “league of women voters to finish the fight and aid in the reconstruction of the nation.” Even before the ratification in 1920 of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granting women the right to vote, the National League of Women Voters (NLWV) was established in Chicago. Catt described its purpose: “The League of Women Voters is not to dissolve any present organization but to unite all existing organizations of women who believe in its principles. It is not to lure women from partisanship but to combine them in an effort for legislation which will protect coming movements, which we cannot even foretell, from suffering the untoward conditions which have hindered for so long the coming of equal suffrage. Are the women of the United States big enough to see their opportunity?”
Members of the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia dissolved their organization after ratification and reorganized as the Virginia League of Women Voters. Like the national league, of which they were a part, the Virginia league was non-partisan and expressly stated in its constitution that the league would not support any political party. Members worked to register new voters, educate voters about issues, and held public forums with political candidates. The Virginia League did not accept African American women as members for many years. Instead, Black women worked to promote civic awareness through their own clubs and in their own communities.
The League of Women Voters in Virginia is still an active organization which promotes active participation in government, educating the public on policy issues, and advocating for voter empowerment.
This poster celebrates women's new-found power and encouraged women to vote, but in a way that did not challenge society's gendered stereotypes.
Citation: League of Women Voters. 1920. Erie: Erie Litho & Ptg Co. Poster. Equal Suffrage League of Virginia Records, Accession 22002, Organization Records, Library of Virginia.
Learn more about the Virginia League of Women Voters in the Library's The UncommonWealth blog.
Members of the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia dissolved their organization after ratification and reorganized as the Virginia League of Women Voters. Like the national league, of which they were a part, the Virginia league was non-partisan and expressly stated in its constitution that the league would not support any political party. Members worked to register new voters, educate voters about issues, and held public forums with political candidates. The Virginia League did not accept African American women as members for many years. Instead, Black women worked to promote civic awareness through their own clubs and in their own communities.
The League of Women Voters in Virginia is still an active organization which promotes active participation in government, educating the public on policy issues, and advocating for voter empowerment.
This poster celebrates women's new-found power and encouraged women to vote, but in a way that did not challenge society's gendered stereotypes.
Citation: League of Women Voters. 1920. Erie: Erie Litho & Ptg Co. Poster. Equal Suffrage League of Virginia Records, Accession 22002, Organization Records, Library of Virginia.
Learn more about the Virginia League of Women Voters in the Library's The UncommonWealth blog.
Standards
Social Studies: USII.3, USII.5, CE.6, CE.9, VUS.12, GOVT.10
Art: 4.3, 5.3
English: 4.7, 5.7
Art: 4.3, 5.3
English: 4.7, 5.7
Suggested Questions
Preview Activity
Look at It: Look at the poster. Who might have the target audience? What do you think is the message being sent to the audience? Why do you think this image was chosen to represent the message?
Post Activities
Form an Opinion: In your opinion, to what extent is this poster effective in its advocacy for voting? Would it be effective for a modern audience? Provide details and examples using your knowledge of this period in American history.
Social Media Spin: Create a post, tweet, or short video for a modern audience in which you encourage women and others to vote. Be sure to include relevant information about the importance of voting from a historical and modern perspective.
Look at It: Look at the poster. Who might have the target audience? What do you think is the message being sent to the audience? Why do you think this image was chosen to represent the message?
Post Activities
Form an Opinion: In your opinion, to what extent is this poster effective in its advocacy for voting? Would it be effective for a modern audience? Provide details and examples using your knowledge of this period in American history.
Social Media Spin: Create a post, tweet, or short video for a modern audience in which you encourage women and others to vote. Be sure to include relevant information about the importance of voting from a historical and modern perspective.