History - first local league chartered in the State of Ohio.

Women's Suffrage in The United States

On July 19-20, 1848, 68 women and 32 men met at Seneca Falls, NY, in the United States' first women's rights assembly. This group at the Seneca Falls Convention passed a Declaration of Sentiments which paralleled the language of the Declaration of Independence and listed 16 forms of discrimination against women, including denial of suffrage and control of their wages, their own persons, and their children. The Seneca Falls gathering established the women's rights cause as an organized movement.

After the Civil War, women became increasingly vocal about the ballot. In 1869, a rift developed among feminists over the proposed 15th Amendment which gave the vote to black men, but did not give women the ballot. Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and others refused to endorse the amendment because it excluded women, then formed the National Woman Suffrage Association to work for suffrage on the federal level and to press for more extensive rights changes. Lucy Stone, with Julia Ward Howe and other suffragists who supported the 15th Amendment, formed the American Woman Suffrage Association which aimed to secure the ballot through state legislation. In 1890 the two groups united under the name National American Woman Suffrage Association.

As the pioneer suffragists began to withdraw from the movement because of age, younger women assumed leadership roles. Carrie Chapman Catt, one of the most politically astute, was named president of NAWSA in 1915. Another prominent suffragist was Alice Paul who was forced to resign from NAWSA because of her insistence on the use of militant, direct-action tactics. Paul organized the National Woman's Party. Perseverance on the part of both organizations eventually led to victory. On August 20, 1920, the 19th Amendment granted the ballot to American women.

The League of Women Voters

Founded in Chicago on February 14, 1920, the League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization which furthers political awareness through participation. An offshoot of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, the league was organized to educate the female electorate in the use of their right to vote. Though originally limited to women, the League voted in 1974 to extend membership to men. Today, more than 90,000 women and men in 1,000 communities work together on the local, state and national levels to promote positive solutions to public policy issues through community education and advocacy, and to build greater, broad-based citizen participation in the democratic process. The League conducts studies, distributes responsibly prepared information on issues and candidates, runs voter-registration drives, takes stands on pending legislation, and sponsors candidate debates.

League of Women Voters of Lakewood

In 1917 there was a "Political Study Club" functioning in Lakewood with 123 members. Prior to passage of the 19th amendment, this group succeeded in its drive for municipal suffrage giving women the right to vote on local issues. This considerable achievement encouraged the members to actively participate in the 19th amendment campaign. Church bells rang on August 20, 1920, to celebrate that victory, as Tennessee became the critical 36th state to ratify the amendment. In August 1922, the Lakewood club was granted a charter and Mrs. J. W. Woods was elected the first president of the Lakewood League of Women Voters. Lakewood's was the first local league chartered in the State of Ohio.

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League of Women Voters - Cuyahoga Area
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