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When historian and author Laurel Hatcher Ulrich originally
coined the phrase, “Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History,”
she was referring to the many ways that women have helped shape
history over the years. She had no idea at the time how that simple
group of words would take on a life of its own for years to come.
The word behave is defined as conducting oneself in accordance
with the accepted norms of a society or group. The basic premise of
Ulrich’s statement is that those who simply uphold the status quo are
not going to stand out or move society forward.
In the interest of moving Virginia forward in February of 1915, a
group of suffragists—both men and women—took a stand to shape
history by gathering on the Capitol steps in Richmond to ask the
General Assembly to take action.
The women’s suffrage movement, which sought voting rights for
women, had begun in Virginia as early as 1870. In 1909, the Equal
Suffrage League of Virginia joined with national organizations in an
effort to pass an amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
One of the main leaders and strategists of that national campaign
was a woman named Alice Paul. Because of her efforts and those of
groups like the Equal Suffrage League, the Nineteenth Amendment
giving women the right to vote was passed in Congress in 1919 and
ratified by most states a year later. It would be over thirty years,
however, before Virginia would ratify it in
1952.
From 1920 on, Paul spent another
half century fighting for an amendment to
secure total constitutional equality for
women. In fact, she was the original author
of a proposed Equal Rights Amendment in
1923. She died in 1977, living long enough to see the ERA passed in
Congress, but not ratified.
The purpose of the ERA is to guarantee equal rights for both
women and men. It specifically states “Equality under the law shall
not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on
account of sex.” The amendment cleared both the U.S. House
and Senate in 1972 and was submitted to all state legislatures for
ratification. Final adoption required approval by 38 states, but only
35 did so within the original 10 year deadline.
This past February another group of dedicated men and women
began to gather on the steps of Mr. Jefferson’s Capitol to honor those
who stood there over a hundred years before. The day brought with
it inclement weather that prevented a large number of participants
around Virginia from making the trek to the Richmond. Those who
did make it had to move inside the nearby Patrick Henry building to
continue the rally, where the attendance was standing room
only.
This Centennial Rally for Equal Rights was originally
inspired by a photo that League of Women Voters member,
Pat Fishback, had discovered of the suffragists from 1915.
Fishback began to coordinate a commemorative event with
representatives from equal rights groups around Virginia,
but planning a gathering at the Capitol is not as simple as
one might think. Candace Graham, Co-Founder of the group
Women Matter, says, “Pat pursued a permit for the Capitol
steps, which was NOT easy. Only four years ago, women
were arrested by Capitol (and State) Police in riot gear for
being on those same Capitol steps.”
This rally was not only organized to honor Women’s
Suffrage in Virginia, but also to call attention to the fact
that the Commonwealth had yet to ratify the Equal Rights
Amendment. Graham points out, “It also happened to
be crossover day in the General Assembly.” The added
significance of that day was that the Senate’s ERA joint
resolution, SJ1, was heading to the House for consideration.
Part of the difficulty in emphasizing the importance
of the ERA today is that many people don’t realize that it
was never ratified. Others mistakenly believe that the 14th
Women of Virginia Make History –Again
By Sarah Alderson