The Women's Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote

Elaine Weiss

Friday, 14 Feb 2020 at 1:00 pm – Great Hall, Memorial Union

Elaine Weiss is an award-winning journalist and writer whose latest book, “The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote,” chronicles one of the greatest political battles in American history: the ratification of the constitutional amendment that granted women the right to vote. It tells the story of American women’s seven-decade struggle to win the ballot, as it all came down to a pitched battle in Nashville, Tennessee, to gain the final state needed to ratify the 19th Amendment. The central character is Iowa State alumna and national suffrage leader Carrie Chapman Catt. As part of her visit to Iowa State, Weiss will speak about the lessons of the woman suffrage movement and the relevance of its themes in 2020, as the nation marks the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. Weiss holds a graduate degree from the Medill School of Journalism of Northwestern University. Weiss’ keynote is part of the larger celebration of the commemoration centennial. Mary Louise Smith Chair in Women and Politics


Let's celebrate 100 years of women's suffrage!

19th Amendment Centennial Commemoration Statewide Kickoff

This event is the kickoff of a whole year of events that are being scheduled across the state of Iowa to celebrate 100 years of women's suffrage.

Join us for a half-day commemoration of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which will celebrate the diverse voices of the women’s suffrage movement in Iowa and note other important landmarks in the American journey to universal adult suffrage. Although the vote was hard won, the work is not yet done.

Click Here for more information and schedule of events.

WHY CELEBRATE ON VALENTINE'S DAY?
In her presidential address at the National American Woman Suffrage Association’s 50th convention in St. Louis in 1919, Carrie Chapman Catt proposed the creation of a league of women voters to “finish the fight” and aid in the reconstruction of the nation. On Feb. 14, 1920, the national League of Women Voters was formally organized by Catt at NAWSA’s convention in Chicago, six months before the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granting women the right to vote was ratified.

This event is free and open to the public.

Stay for the entire event, including the brief question-and-answer session that follows the formal presentation. Most events run 75 minutes.

Sign-ins are after the event concludes. For lectures in the Memorial Union, go to the information desk in the Main Lounge. In other academic buildings, look for signage outside the auditorium.

Lecture Etiquette

  • Stay for the entire lecture and the brief audience Q&A. If a student needs to leave early, he or she should sit near the back and exit discreetly.
  • Do not bring food or uncovered drinks into the lecture.
  • Check with Lectures staff before taking photographs or recording any portion of the event. There are often restrictions. Cell phones, tablets and laptops may be used to take notes or for class assignments.
  • Keep questions or comments brief and concise to allow as many as possible.