Program

National Votes for Women Trail

Subject

People

Location

1424 Center St, Little Rock, AR 72202, USA

Lat/Long

34.73484167, -92.27555556

Grant Recipient

National Collaborative for Women's History Sites

Clara A. McDiarmid (1847-1899) was active in the women’s club movement, was a leader in the push for temperance, and fought for women’s right to vote. She helped to found the Arkansas Equal Suffrage Association in Little Rock in February 1888 and served as president of the organization. McDiarmid continued to lead state suffrage efforts in Arkansas until her death in 1899. Her former home stands on Center Street in Little Rock, Arkansas.

On June 4, 1919, the United States Congress passed the Nineteenth Amendment which states, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” That July, 31 years after McDiarmid helped to establish the Arkansas Equal Suffrage Association, the Arkansas State Legislature ratified the Nineteenth Amendment. This was due to the tireless efforts of Arkansas suffragists like McDiarmid. By August 1920, the necessary 36 states had ratified the amendment, securing women’s right to vote across the United States.