Program

National Votes for Women Trail

Subject

Event, People

Location

227 Main St, Farmington, ME 04938, USA

Lat/Long

44.668007, -70.149264

Grant Recipient

National Collaborative for Women's History Sites

Maine suffragist Isabel Whittier Greenwood (1862-1958) helped to form the Franklin County Equal Suffrage League in 1906, serving as president of the organization. In October 1907, the Franklin County Equal Suffrage League was host to the 27th annual convention of the Maine Woman Suffrage Association. The convention was held in the Old South Church on Main Street in Farmington. As president of the local association, Greenwood gave a welcome address on the first day of the convention. In addition to the other addresses, Rev. Anna Howard Shaw, president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, addressed the convention on “The Fate of Republics.” Reports on the work of the state and local suffrage groups were given and resolutions to be submitted to the state legislature were presented and discussed.

Thanks to the efforts of Maine suffragists in organizing and petitioning, the Maine legislature passed a state constitutional amendment for women’s suffrage in in 1917. However, the amendment was ultimately rejected by voters of the state. Then, on June 4, 1919, the United States Congress passed the Nineteenth Amendment which reads, “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.” On November 5, the Maine legislature ratified the Nineteenth Amendment and by August 1920, the necessary 36 states had ratified the amendment, securing women’s right to vote across the United States.