CA Celebrates 100 Years Of Women's Suffrage
SACRAMENTO –To celebrate Women’s History Month and commemorate the centennial of women gaining the right to vote in California, the California State Library and its California Research Bureau have created a page-a-day calendar for March that honors a century of women’s suffrage in the Golden State.
Posted on the State Library’s homepage, this online calendar features notable California suffragettes; groundbreaking women legislators, elected officials, and civil rights champions; and vintage photos, posters, postcards, and newspapers. Many of these treasured images and memorabilia are held in the collections of the California State Library.
California was the sixth state to support the women’s right to vote. After a long, hard fought campaign, California voters approved Senate Constitutional Amendment 8 on October 10, 1911. This victory doubled the number of women nationally who were allowed to cast ballots, as the number of women in California matched the population of women in the five states that had already approved suffrage. These rights weren’t enshrined in the U.S. Constitution until ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920.
About the California State Library: Founded in 1850, the California State Library is celebrating its 160th anniversary as the central reference and research library for the Governor’s office, legislature, state employees, and the general public. The State Library administers federal and state grants for programs in historical preservation, library construction, civil liberties education, literacy, volunteering, and broadband connectivity in public libraries.
About the California Research Bureau: The California Research Bureau (CRB), a section of the California State Library, provides nonpartisan research services to the Governor’s office, state legislature, and other statewide elected officials. These services include preparation of reports on current policy issues; data analysis; development of legislative proposals; and special projects and events.
