By Michael Swanger

 

As we approach the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on Aug. 26, granting women the right to vote, it is important to remember the monumental work and legacy of women’s suffrage leader Carrie Chapman Catt.

 

Catt, who was born in Wisconsin in 1859 and moved with her family to a farm near Charles City in 1866, seemingly broke new ground for women during every phase of her adult life. From her days as a student at Iowa State Agricultural College in Ames where she founded an all-girls debating club and Ladies Military Company, to her work with the Iowa Woman’s Suffrage Association, to her leadership of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, to her creation of the League of Women Voters and the International Alliance of Women, she remained a world-renowned trailblazer until her death in 1947. 

 

Her intelligence, ambition, hard work, organization, political savvy and oratory skills made her a powerful force on the front lines of the women’s suffrage movement of which she was among the leaders of its second generation. She also fought for women’s equality in property rights, wages, education and other areas.

 

“Catt is one of the truly significant and charismatic figures in U.S. history, one who courageously led the battle for political and economic rights for half the human population,” wrote Jerry Harrington in his estimable 2019 series for Iowa History Journal, “Carrie Chapman Catt — Special series examines women’s suffrage leader.” 

 

The passage of the 19th Amendment remains Catt’s single greatest accomplishment and celebrations of its centennial and Catt’s work abound, though some will be tempered by the COVID-19 pandemic. (Coincidentally, the Spanish flu in 1918 presented a challenge to the women’s suffrage movement and Catt was hospitalized in October 1918. “These are sad times for the whole world, grown unexpectedly sadder by the sudden and sweeping epidemic of Influenza,” she wrote to suffrage workers. “This new affliction is bringing sorrow into many suffrage homes and is presenting a serious new obstacle in our referendum campaigns and in the Congressional and Senatorial campaigns.”)

 

The Carrie Lane Chapman Catt Girlhood Home and National 19th Amendment Society in Charles City will convert a year of planned events into social and digital media content to celebrate the 19th Amendment centennial. Cheryl Erb, president of the National 19th Amendment Society, said the group will continue to celebrate the amendment’s milestone next year while this year’s Fourth of July parade has been cancelled. Open houses are available by appointment. Visit catt.org. 

 

The Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics, which was founded in 1992 at Iowa State University and is located in Catt Hall, works to educate and engage the public about Catt and the political process. It features a new exhibit that documents contributions of African-American women to the suffrage movement in Iowa. Visit cattcenter.iastate.edu.

 

The nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Iowa has suspended many of its activities this summer, several of which will occur later this year or next year. Their website, lwvia.org, contains a variety of digital content about the 19th Amendment as well as a link to 19th-amendment-centennial.org, which offers additional content and a schedule of events to commemorate Iowa’s ratification of the 19th Amendment on July 2, 1919. 

 

The State Historical Society of Iowa will also commemorate the adoption of the 19th Amendment — and the Iowans who marched toward it — with a series of monthly programs and events through August. They include a “Lunch & Learn Webinar: Toward a Universal Suffrage” on July 7, “Iowa History 101 Series — Iowans at Work: Women’s Suffrage” on Aug. 15 and “Women’s Suffrage,” in which children can join Goldie the Goldfinch for an at-home summer expedition exploring women’s suffrage in Iowa and the nation, Aug. 10-23. The State Historical Museum of Iowa will also host a traveling exhibit through Aug. 1, “Toward a Universal Suffrage: African-American Women in Iowa and the Vote for All.” Visit iowaculture.gov.

 

On the eve of the centennial of Catt’s crowning achievement, in this election year, remember her work and legacy.