Exhibits

A group of Minnesota Suffragists with their banners at suffrage headquarters, in the winter of 1917. With the death of first-generation leaders like Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1902) and Susan B. Anthony (1906), the suffrage movement entered a period of stagnation. Organizations like the National Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage formed.

Clara Ueland Clara H. Ueland (1869-1927) was president of the Minnesota Woman Suffrage Association from 1914 until 1920. The MWSA became the Minnesota League of Women Voters. Her leadership, organizational skills, and persistence gave the Minnesota suffrage movement the direction it needed to succeed. She worked as a teacher before…

Clara Hardenbrook and her daughters. Suffragists came from many different backgrounds. Many were working class women with jobs in factories and stores. Some were from ethnic and racial minority groups. Some lived in small towns or on farms. Some were career women—doctors, lawyers, teachers, reporters. Others were middle or upper…

Nellie Griswold Francis in the 1920s. Photo from Ramsey County History magazine, Winter 2017, article by Paul D. Nelson. Photo courtesy of MNHS. Women’s Clubs and Suffrage After the Civil War, the number of women’s clubs exploded. Women organized clubs around a variety of causes and interests. They learned how…

Theresa Peyton The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution passed in Congress on June 4, 1919. It was ratified, or approved, by three-fourths of the states on August 18, 1920. In thirty-nine words, women gained the right to vote throughout the country. At that time, and still today, some…

Ramsey County Historical Society Presents Persistence: Continuing the Struggle for Suffrage and Equality, 1848-2020 This exhibit recognizes the champions at all levels of work who struggled to achieve voting rights for women in Minnesota, and whose example still serves activists in our community today. We commemorate these women and…