August 26th marks the 100th Anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. Members of the Woman’s Club of Fredericksburg will be joining Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw on the steps of the City Hall as she reads a proclamation declaring August 26, 2020 as the week of the 100th Anniversary of the passage and ratification of the 19th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America.
They will be joined by Dr. Marcie Catlett, Superintendent of Fredericksburg Public Schools, Mrs. Meg. Bohmke, Chairman of the Stafford Board of Supervisors, and Dr. Janet Gullickson, President of Germanna Community College. They, along with the Mayor, will share their thoughts about the Celebration.
The procession of women will begin at 10:45. They will march across Princess Anne Street dressed as 1919 Suffragettes who marched and lobbied for the amendment. The women will honor the dedication and sacrifice made by those who tirelessly worked to gain support for the amendment in both houses of Congress.
Following the off-year elections in 1918, both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed the amendment. By the spring of 1920, thirty-four states had ratified the amendment. On August 18, 1920 members of the Tennessee House of Representatives met to consider the amendment. When the roll call occurred one young man switched his vote in support of the amendment after receiving a telegram from his mother. She told him to be a good boy and vote for the amendment. He did. With his vote, Tennessee became the thirty-sixth state to ratify the 19th Amendment. On August 26, 1920, Secretary of State, Brainbridge Colby, signed a proclamation adding the women’s suffrage amendment to the US Constitution.
The public is welcomed to attend and join in the celebration of this momentous and historical occasion.
