26 Aug 2025 at 12:49 PM
Edited on 26 Aug 2025 at 5:00 PM by SPC J.Erickson
Equality Day for women!
Women’s Equality Day commemorates the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, which granted American women the right to vote. But the story doesn’t start—or end—there. In 1848, the Seneca Falls Convention marked the beginning of the organized women’s rights movement in U.S. Suffragists like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony who led decades of advocacy, protests, and petitions among others like her throughout that time. On August 26, 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment was certified as part of our Constitution, assuring that "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."
The struggle for women's suffrage, however, was only the first step toward full and equal participation of women in our Nation's life. In recent years, we have made other giant strides by attacking sex discrimination through our laws and by paving new avenues to equal economic opportunity for women. Today, in virtually every sector of our society, women are making important contributions to the quality of American life. And yet, much remains to be done. American women, though they represent much of our population, still suffer from myriad forms of discrimination.
The 19th Amendment was introduced in 1878 but wasn’t ratified until 1920, after women’s contributions during World War I highlighted their indispensable role in society. In 1971, Congress officially designated August 26 as Women’s Equality Day to honor the passage of the 19th Amendment. The day also serves as a platform to spotlight ongoing issues such as wage gaps, workplace discrimination, and reproductive rights. The story of women's voting rights in the United States cannot be fully explained in one moment or one day on a calendar. Genuine progress on this issue was limited, piecemeal, and slow-moving. 1920 is but one date on a larger timeline of struggle and activism for women's rights in U.S. history., designated August 26, 1973, as Women's Equality Day, and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in commemoration of that day in 1920 on which women of America were first guaranteed the right to vote.
Now, Therefore, I, Richard Nixon, President of the United States of America, do hereby call upon the people of the United States and interested groups and organizations to observe August 26, 1973, as Women's Equality Day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. I further urge all our people to use this occasion to reflect on the importance of achieving equal rights and opportunities for women and to dedicate themselves anew to that great goal. For the cause of equal rights and opportunities for women is inseparable from the cause of human dignity and equal justice for all.
Equality Day for women!
Women’s Equality Day commemorates the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, which granted American women the right to vote. But the story doesn’t start—or end—there. In 1848, the Seneca Falls Convention marked the beginning of the organized women’s rights movement in U.S. Suffragists like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony who led decades of advocacy, protests, and petitions among others like her throughout that time. On August 26, 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment was certified as part of our Constitution, assuring that "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."
The struggle for women's suffrage, however, was only the first step toward full and equal participation of women in our Nation's life. In recent years, we have made other giant strides by attacking sex discrimination through our laws and by paving new avenues to equal economic opportunity for women. Today, in virtually every sector of our society, women are making important contributions to the quality of American life. And yet, much remains to be done. American women, though they represent much of our population, still suffer from myriad forms of discrimination.
The 19th Amendment was introduced in 1878 but wasn’t ratified until 1920, after women’s contributions during World War I highlighted their indispensable role in society. In 1971, Congress officially designated August 26 as Women’s Equality Day to honor the passage of the 19th Amendment. The day also serves as a platform to spotlight ongoing issues such as wage gaps, workplace discrimination, and reproductive rights. The story of women's voting rights in the United States cannot be fully explained in one moment or one day on a calendar. Genuine progress on this issue was limited, piecemeal, and slow-moving. 1920 is but one date on a larger timeline of struggle and activism for women's rights in U.S. history., designated August 26, 1973, as Women's Equality Day, and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in commemoration of that day in 1920 on which women of America were first guaranteed the right to vote.
Now, Therefore, I, Richard Nixon, President of the United States of America, do hereby call upon the people of the United States and interested groups and organizations to observe August 26, 1973, as Women's Equality Day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. I further urge all our people to use this occasion to reflect on the importance of achieving equal rights and opportunities for women and to dedicate themselves anew to that great goal. For the cause of equal rights and opportunities for women is inseparable from the cause of human dignity and equal justice for all.