HR0894 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0894 LRB101 22015 MST 73035 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The year 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, guaranteeing and protecting the right to vote for women in the United States; and

WHEREAS, This centennial provides an opportunity to celebrate a milestone in our democracy, that the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by federal or state governments on account of gender; and

WHEREAS, Illinois has a history of being at the forefront of the women's suffrage movement, as Illinois women played a pivotal role in obtaining the right to vote for women; and

WHEREAS, In 1855, Susan Hoxie Richardson, cousin of Susan B. Anthony, organized the first suffrage association in Illinois in Earlville, a small town in LaSalle County west of Chicago; and

WHEREAS, In 1869, the first statewide suffrage organization in Illinois, the Illinois Woman's Suffrage Association (IWSA), was formed, and it held its first annual convention in the state capitol of Springfield in 1870; and

WHEREAS, In 1890, Catherine Waugh McCulloch was elected IWSA Superintendent of Legislative Work and drafted legislation that would give Illinois women the right to vote; and

WHEREAS, In 1891, Illinois women gained the right to vote in school board elections; and

WHEREAS, From 1911 to 1914, Jane Addams, who long fought for suffrage in Illinois, served as Vice-President of the National American Women Suffrage Association as the organization helped to push for a national amendment for the right to vote for women; and

WHEREAS, In 1913, Illinois became the first state east of the Mississippi River to grant women the right to vote with the passage of the Presidential Suffrage Bill; and

WHEREAS, On June 4, 1919, the U.S. Congress passed the 19th Amendment that guaranteed all American women the right to vote; and

WHEREAS, On June 10, 1919, Illinois became the first state to vote to ratify the 19th Amendment; and

WHEREAS, On August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified, thanks to the efforts of women from Illinois, including Elizabeth Boynton Harbert, Frances E. Willard, Jane Addams, Ida B. Wells, Catharine McCulloch, and Grace Wilbur Trout; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize August 18, 2020 as a day to celebrate the right to vote for all women in America and acknowledge the contributions of the women from Illinois who worked so hard for so long to bring women across the United States the full benefit of citizenship.