Philadelphia, PA - As America commemorates the 99th anniversary of the inclusion of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which in turn assured the right of women to cast a vote. The National Constitution Center will be introducing a brand new 19th Amendment exhibit in the summer of 2020 in celebration of the centennial.
“The ratification of the 19th Amendment extended the Constitution’s promise of equal citizenship to women, underscoring the core values of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution,” said National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen. “On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, the National Constitution Center is thrilled to open a new exhibit to inspire and educate visitors of all ages about the visionary leaders who worked to secure this landmark amendment and about the constitutional path to voting rights for women.”
The new exhibit is going to uncover the long struggle for women’s suffrage, starting before the Civil War. It'll emphasize the constitutional justifications as well as the historical framework of the movement, along with the important advocates for women’s rights as well as the approaches they used to encourage the states and the country to acknowledge equal legal status for women. Starting in the early- to mid-1800s, the exhibition will capture the initial efforts to guarantee rights for women and follow the story directly into the Reconstruction era when the movement grew—and split over women’s rights compared to rights for newly liberated African Americans.
The 19th Amendment exhibit will undoubtedly build on the center’s permanent display, Civil War and Reconstruction: The Battle for Freedom and Equality, America’s very first exhibit dedicated to the constitutional history of the Civil War and Reconstruction. The new exhibition, positioned next to the Civil War and Reconstruction gallery, will examine how the women’s rights movement developed alongside the anti-slavery movement and eventually attained momentum during the course of Reconstruction as part of the on-going battle for freedom and equality for all.
