Womens Equality Day: No Taxation Without Representation Published Aug. 4, 2011 By Staff Sgt. Kim D. Leslie 94th Maintenance Squadron DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, Ga. -- No taxation without representation is probably the most well recognized phrase from the American Revolutionary War. The phrase has recently been expanded by scholars, to include the women's suffrage movement. Recognized on Aug. 26, Women's Equality Day was first enacted in 1971 to acknowledge the 1920 passage of the nineteenth amendment, giving women the right to vote, also known as suffrage. As far back as the 1850s, women were starting to promote women's suffrage. "Shouldn't all women, living in states where they have a right to hold property, refuse to pay taxes, so long as she is unrepresented in the government of that State," asked Elizabeth Cady Stanton, an American social activist. The first movement towards women's equality was in 1848 with a conference in Seneca Falls, NY. By With its only advertising being a small article in the local newspaper, the event attracted over 300 people. On May 21, 1919, the House of Representatives passed the amendment, and two weeks later, the Senate followed. When Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment on August 18, 1920, the amendment passed its final hurdle of obtaining the agreement of three-fourths of the states. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the ratification on August 26, 1920, changing the face of the American electorate forever. Former Congresswomen Bella Abzug, from New York is the reason why we celebrate Women's Equality Day. She was the first woman elected to Congress on a women's rights/peace platform. Abzug initiated the congressional caucus on women's issues, helped organize the National Women's Political Caucus, and served as chief strategist for the Democratic Women's Committee. Because women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Bella Abzug were not afraid to stand up for their beliefs, women throughout the country have the freedom to live their lives as they choose, and exercise the same political rights as any man in this country. To test your knowledge of the women's equality movement, take this short 10 question quiz courtesy of the National Women's History Project: 1. August 26th is celebrated as Women's Equality Day to commemorate a. work women did during World War II b. the anniversary of women winning the right to vote c. the flappers of the 1920's d. the contemporary women's rights movement 2. In what year did Congresswoman Bella Abzug introduce legislation to ensure that this important American anniversary would be celebrated? a. 1992 b. 1984 c. 1971 d. 1965 3. In what year did women in the United States win the right to vote? a. 1776 b. 1848 c. 1920 d. 1946 4. How many years did it take for women to win the right to vote in the United States? a. 72 years b. 120 years c. 20 years d. 51 years 5. Two states that will celebrate the 100th anniversary women's suffrage in 2012 are Oregon and ______________. a. New York b. Florida c. Maine d. Arizona 6. What was the name given to the 19th Amendment to the Constitution which guaranteed women's right to vote in the United States? a. Abigail Adams Amendment b. Sojourner Truth Amendment c. Susan B. Anthony Amendment d. Gloria Steinem Amendment 7. Women who worked for women's right to vote were called a. radical b. immoral c. suffragist d. all of the above 8. The term suffragist is derived from a. one who suffers b. a voting tablet in ancient times c. the Constitution d. the Bill of Rights 9. How many other countries had already guaranteed women's right to vote before the campaign was won in the United States? a. 6 b. 2 c. 1 d. 16 10. What was the first country that granted women the right to vote? a. Canada b. Germany c. New Zealand d. United Kingdom Quiz answers: 1. b 2. c 3. c 4. a (from the first Women's Rights Convention in 1848 to 1920) 5. d 6. c 7. d 8. b 9. d (New Zealand (1893), Australia (1902), Finland (1906), Norway (1913), Denmark (1915), USSR (1917), Canada (1918), Germany (1918), Poland (1918), Austria (1919), Belgium (1919), Great Britain (1919), Ireland (1919), Luxembourg (1919), the Netherlands (1919), Sweden (1919) 10. c (1893)
