League Centennial Resources

League Centennial Resources

centennial 2 first to ratify

Welcome to the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin’s central portal for information on 2019-2020 League-related Centennial events, activities and resources. In 2019 and 2020, the League will observe the 100th anniversary of three seminal moments in the history of our organization and our democracy:

June 10, 1919            Wisconsin is the first state to ratify the 19th Amendment

February 14, 1920     The League of Women Voters is founded

August 26, 1920        The 19th Amendment declared in effect following final ratification on August 18, 1920

From Wisconsin’s first-to-ratify action in support of women’s suffrage, to the call for the formation of a unified League of Women Voters by Ripon-born Carrie Chapman Catt to “finish the fight,” and on to final victory in the passage of the 19th Amendment, Wisconsin has much to be proud of in the roles played by citizen suffragists during their decades-long struggle for women’s enfranchisement.

Local Wisconsin Leagues are busy planning educational and celebratory Centennial events and activities in their hometowns and regional communities. LWVWI is engaged in similar commemorative Centennial event planning at the state level. To keep everyone informed and aware of what is happening at both the local and state level, this website page was created to provide shared access to Centennial information.

Centennial Resources

Toolkits for local Leagues have been developed by LWVWI and LWVUS to help local Leagues plan for and message Centennial events with consistency through shared content.

  • LWVWI Centennial Toolkit - offers uniform messaging and historical information summaries for the commemoration of Wisconsin’s ratification of the 19th Amendment event and the same for the League’s Birthday and passage of the 19th Amendment, the latter two tailored to a Wisconsin perspective.
  • Centennial Video Resources
  • League in the Spotlight: Centennial Editions
  • Women Who Inspire -  In early 2020, the Wisconsin Governor's 19th Amendment Centennial Committee launched a "Women Who Inspire" initiative to celebrate and recognize living Wisconsin women who inspire us through their social change work to increase gender equality and uplift the lives of women and young girls. Each member of the Centennial Committee was asked to nominate one woman.
  • Wisconsin Historical Society Women's Suffrage Toolkit - offers a comprehensive narrative of women's suffrage in Wisconsin including historical summaries, suffrage timelines, exhibit text from the Society's panel display "The Woman's Hour Has Struck" on view in the Capitol Rotunda through November 2019, and other resources.
  • LWVUS Centennial Toolkit - offers uniform messaging for the 100th Birthday of the League for traditional and social media platforms, the anniversary slogan “Creating a More Perfect Democracy,” anniversary logo, and a resources list.
  • Calendar of Events - find upcoming LWVWI and local League events commemorating the centennial
  • Centennial Resources Spreadsheet - The Centennial Resources Spreadsheet is a shared Google file for member direct posting of relevant book titles, articles, films, organizations, and any other resources of assistance in learning about the history of the LWV, the suffrage movement, and Wisconsin’s suffrage history. The spreadsheet is divided into five sheets: Books, Articles, Films, Organizations, and MIscellaneous.
  • Centennial Promotional Items Spreadsheet - The Centennial Promotional Items Spreadsheet is a shared Google file for member direct posting of materials and products being made for sale to help promote and commemorate the 2019 and 2020 Centennial events. The spreadsheet is divided into four sheets:  Local Wisconsin Leagues, LWVWI, LWVUS, and Other Sources.

NOTE TO LOCAL LEAGUES:  If you are thinking about developing promotional and/or commemorate items for your League and want to learn if other local Leagues are in the process of doing the same, please reach out in real-time discussion with other League members through the Centennial Google Group.

Join the conversation: Any League member is welcome to join the Centennial Google Group, simply email your request to lwvwisconsin [at] lwvwi.org.

Together, let’s celebrate and commemorate the 39 words that took over seven decades to manifest as truth and changed the face of the American electorate forever!

“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”

- 19th Amendment to the US Constitution