{"id":9492,"date":"2021-03-09T11:00:23","date_gmt":"2021-03-09T16:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=9492"},"modified":"2021-03-09T15:23:57","modified_gmt":"2021-03-09T20:23:57","slug":"women-in-american-politics-from-the-19th-amendment-to-madam-vice-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=9492","title":{"rendered":"Women in American Politics, from the 19th Amendment to Madam Vice President"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

March 2021 is the first Women\u2019s History Month where the phrase \u201cMadam Vice President\u201d is a reality, and Kamala Harris\u2019s election to the second-highest office in the land in the year of the 100th anniversary of Women\u2019s Suffrage in the United States makes this year\u2019s celebration extra meaningful. While major barriers to voting rights for all Americans remained after the passage of the 19th amendment in 1920 (and remain to this day), it was still an advance towards equality regardless of sex; it also helped make women\u2019s representation in government and election to high office possible on a broader scale. While the road from suffrage to the Vice Presidency has been too long, remarkable women who demanded to have their voices heard paved the way for our current reality.

SCRC is fortunate to have extensive photograph collections that document 20th century government officials in Congress, the White House, and the Judiciary, including the Arthur E. Scott photograph collection<\/a>, the Oliver F. Atkins photograph collection<\/a>, and even our own George Mason University photograph collection<\/a>. These collections include images of iconic women who blazed the trails followed by Vice President Harris and the current generation of women in politics, and some of these images feature in SCRC\u2019s current digital exhibit, \u201cThe 19th Amendment in the 20th Century.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\r\n

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US Senator Margaret Chase Smith shaking hands with an unidentified man, circa 1950s. Arthur F. Scott photograph collection, C0096, Box 4, Folder 4.<\/p><\/div>\r\n

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US Representative Patsy Takemoto Mink standing with the US Capitol in the background, May 10, 1965. Oliver F. Atkins photograph collection, C0036, Box 92, Folder 8.<\/p><\/div>\r\n

Three legislators featured in the exhibit played important roles in bringing women\u2019s voices into representative government. Margaret Chase Smith, a Republican from Maine, was the first woman elected to serve in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and she stood up to Sen. Joseph McCarthy by speaking out on the Senate floor in 1950<\/a>. Patsy Takemoto Mink, Democrat of Hawaii, was the first woman of color to serve in Congress, and she was one of the writers of Title IX<\/a>, the landmark legislation mandating equality for women in educational institutions. And finally, Shirley Chisholm (Democrat of New York, and recently played by the brilliant Uzo Aduba in the F\/X series \u201cMrs. America\u201d \u2013 if you\u2019re looking for something to watch this March, do yourself a favor!), was the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress and the first woman to run for the Democratic Party’s nomination for the Presidency<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

\"\"

Former US Representative Shirley Chisholm speaking with a group at George Mason University, 1985. George Mason University photograph collection, R0120, Box 29, Folder 35.<\/p><\/div>\r\n

After her retirement, Representative Chisholm spoke as part of George Mason University\u2019s Black History Month celebration in 1985, the event pictured in the two images we included in the exhibit. Perhaps her most well-known quote, \u201cIf they don\u2019t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair\u201d<\/a> summarizes her tireless fight for equal representation regardless of the obstacles patriarchy and white supremacy placed in the way. This monumental Women\u2019s History Month, may we all channel the determination of Shirley Chisholm, Margaret Chase Smith, Patsy Takemoto Mink, and their fellow women in Congress who refused to be silent.<\/p>\r\n

Follow SCRC on Social Media and look out for future posts on our\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a>, and\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0accounts. \u00a0To search the collections\u00a0held at Special Collections Research Center, go to our\u00a0website<\/a>\u00a0and browse the finding aids by subject or title. You may also e-mail\u00a0us at\u00a0speccoll@gmu.edu<\/a> or call 703-993-2220 if you would like to schedule an appointment, request materials, or if you have questions.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

March 2021 is the first Women\u2019s History Month where the phrase \u201cMadam Vice President\u201d is a reality, and Kamala Harris\u2019s election to the second-highest office in the land in the year of the 100th anniversary of Women\u2019s Suffrage in the United States makes this year\u2019s celebration extra meaningful. While major barriers to voting rights for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9499,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,3,198,5,121],"tags":[873,350,595],"class_list":["post-9492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exhibits","category-news","category-photography-collections","category-scrc-interest","category-scrc-picks","tag-19th-amendment","tag-womens-history","tag-womens-history-month"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/R0120B029F35_001.jpg?fit=1112%2C717&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Ep5i-2t6","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6270,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6270","url_meta":{"origin":9492,"position":0},"title":"Women’s History Month","author":"admin","date":"March 29, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"March is Women's History Month! Here in the Special Collections Research Center, we are honoring Women's History Month by highlighting the collections and ephemera that document women's contributions to American history. Below, we have a pamphlet from the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia, dated from 1910. Here the authors connect\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "miscellaneous"","block_context":{"text":"miscellaneous","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=93"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/womens-history-blog-post-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9519,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=9519","url_meta":{"origin":9492,"position":1},"title":"Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment in the Midst of COVID-19 – Part 1","author":"Bob Vay","date":"March 12, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"This is Part 1 of a two-part article. Part 2 can be accessed here. SCRC planned an exhibit of materials to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in the fall of 2020. The exhibit was intended to coincide with a panel discussion\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Digital Collections"","block_context":{"text":"Digital Collections","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=557"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/awomanregistered-scaled.jpg?fit=714%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/awomanregistered-scaled.jpg?fit=714%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/awomanregistered-scaled.jpg?fit=714%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/awomanregistered-scaled.jpg?fit=714%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9554,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=9554","url_meta":{"origin":9492,"position":2},"title":"Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment in the Midst of COVID-19 – Part 2","author":"Bob Vay","date":"April 15, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"This is Part 2 of a two-part article. Part 1 can be accessed here. On November 17, 2020 the University Libraries and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) conducted their yearly co-sponsored panel presentation. 2020's presentation focused on the Womens' Movement and was entitled: \u201cThe Equal Rights Amendment\u201d. Because of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Digital Collections"","block_context":{"text":"Digital Collections","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=557"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/olli.jpg?fit=900%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/olli.jpg?fit=900%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/olli.jpg?fit=900%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/olli.jpg?fit=900%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5266,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=5266","url_meta":{"origin":9492,"position":3},"title":"Celebrating 95 Years of the League of Women Voters","author":"admin","date":"March 13, 2015","format":"image","excerpt":"Special Collections & Archives is happy to announce a new exhibition in Fenwick Library\u2019s lobby: Celebrating 95 Years of the League of Women Voters. Also coinciding with Women\u2019s History month, this exhibition features items from the League of Women Voters of the Fairfax Area collection. The collection includes bulletins, pamphlets,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "exhibits"","block_context":{"text":"exhibits","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"lwvfa","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/lwvfa.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/lwvfa.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/lwvfa.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/lwvfa.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8150,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=8150","url_meta":{"origin":9492,"position":4},"title":"Before and Beyond 1968: Three Civil Rights Movements in America, an SCRC Exhibition","author":"Bob Vay","date":"December 4, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"SCRC's current exhibition documents three Civil Rights movements using archival materials in our holdings.\u00a0The exhibition will be on display until February 21, 2019.\u00a0 A reception for the exhibition will be held on Thursday, January 31, 2019 in SCRC, Fenwick 2400. The reception will include comments on the exhibition by the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "exhibits"","block_context":{"text":"exhibits","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/correttascottking-300x234.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8182,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=8182","url_meta":{"origin":9492,"position":5},"title":"Before and Beyond 1968: Margaret Fuller","author":"admin","date":"January 7, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"This post was written by Emily Rusch, Research Services Assistant. Come visit Fenwick Library and check out our civil rights exhibit on the second floor! This exhibit highlights three different civil rights movements that took place in the United States. These three movements focused on equal rights for African-Americans, women,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "exhibits"","block_context":{"text":"exhibits","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Memoirs-of-Margaret-Fuller.jpg?fit=475%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9492"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9492\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9510,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9492\/revisions\/9510"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}