1848 1849 1866 1868 FIRST WOMEN'S FIRST NATIONAL WOMEN'S FORMATION OF THE RATIFICATION OF THE RIGHTS CONVENTION RIGHTS CONVENTION AMERICAN EQUAL 14TH AMENDMENT The first women's rights convention The first National Women's RIGHTS ASSOCIATION The 14th Amendment to the U.S. is held in Seneca Falls, New York. Rights Convention takes Constitution is ratified: “All persons Elizabeth Cady Stanton There, 68 women and 32 men sign a place in Worcester, born or naturalized in the United and Susan B. Anthony form Declaration of Sentiments, modeled Massachusetts, attract- States, and subject to the juris- the American Equal Rights on the Declaration of Independence, ing more than 1,000 diction thereof, are citizens of the Association, an organization outlining grievances and setting participants. Frederick United States and of the State for white and black women the agenda for the women's rights Douglass, Paulina Wright wherein they reside” and that right SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT and men dedicated to the movement. A set of 12 resolutions Davis, Abby Kelley Foster, may not be “denied to any of the (Information compiled by the American Bar Association) goal of universal suffrage. is adopted calling for equal treat- William Lloyd Garrison, male inhabitants of such State, TIMELINE OF THE WOMAN’S THE OF TIMELINE They petition Congress ment of women and men under the Lucy Stone and Sojourner being twenty-one years of age, for “universal suffrage.” law and voting rights for women. Truth are in attendance. and citizens of the United States.” Celebrating the 100 th Anniversary of the th 19HONORING THE IMPORTANT Amendment ROLES IOWA WOMEN PLAYED IN THE WOMAN’S SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT By Emily Chafa he 19th Amendment to the Arabella “Belle” Babb Mansfield, spent most summers in Iowa with her U.S. Constitution officially the first woman admitted to family, continuing to give speeches and T became the law of the land practice law in the United support the woman’s suffrage movement. on Aug. 26, 1920, 100 years States, on June 15, 1869, in ago. The 19th Amendment Mount Pleasant, was active Interesting facts: Arabella Babb Man- granted women the right to vote, in the woman’s suffrage sfield studied the law for two years in her nationwide, in all elections. movement. She chaired the brother’s law office in Mount Pleasant. The motto of Iowa’s 100th anni- 1870 Iowa Woman Suffrage Her husband, John Mansfield, studied versary celebration, HARD WON Convention, the first statewide the law with her. John and Arabella Man- NOT DONE, accurately summarizes the gathering of the newly-formed Iowa sfield took the bar examination the same decades-long struggle for women’s right Woman Suffrage Society. Arabella day and were sworn into the Iowa bar to vote, and the continuing efforts to Mansfield never actively practiced law, on the same date, June 15, 1869, in the guarantee voting rights for all. The state but frequently demonstrated her ana- Union Block Building in Mount Pleasant. and national woman’s suffrage movement lytical skills and persuasive speaking Her Iowa bar admission required an included many courageous Iowa women. skills to argue for women’s right to vote. expansive interpretation of the current Some of these women are well-known. Arabella Mansfield spent her entire statute governing bar admissions. Iowa Some are not. Some were Iowa’s first professional career in academia, teach- Code §114.2700 (1860) required Iowa women lawyers and law school graduates. ing at Simpson College, Iowa Wesleyan lawyers to be white, male, at least 21 Read on to learn their stories and a few College (now Iowa Wesleyan University), years old, reside in Iowa, of good moral interesting facts about each woman. and DePauw University, where she taught character and possess the requisite various subjects and served as the Dean learning to satisfy an Iowa district court of the School of Arts and Music. She of his qualifications. The word “male” 18 THE IOWA LAWYER AUGUST 2020 AUGUST 2020 THE IOWA LAWYER 19 19th Amendment 1870 1872 1874 1912 RATIFICATION OF THE SUSAN B. ANTHONY REGISTERS AND MINOR V. HAPPERSETT THEODORE ROOSEVELT'S BULL 15TH AMENDMENT VOTES FOR ULYSSES S. GRANT IN The Supreme Court rules MOOSE PARTY SUPPORTS in Minor v. Happersett that The 15th Amendment to the THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION the 14th Amendment does WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE U.S. Constitution is ratified: Susan B. Anthony is arrested, not guarantee women the Theodore Roosevelt's Bull “The right of citizens of the tried and convicted for regis- right to vote. Citizenship Moose Party becomes United States to vote shall tering and voting for Ulysses S. does not give women voting the first national major not be denied or abridged Grant in the presidential elec tion rights, and women’s political political party to support by the United States or in New York. Her defense, that rights are under individ- woman’s suffrage. by any State on account the Equal Protection Clause of ual states’ jurisdictions, of race, color, or previous th the 14 Amendment entitled her the Court determines. condition of servitude.” to vote, was not successful. was construed as gender neutral, relying George Catt, supported her by allow- Their motive has always been the hope that on Iowa Code §3.29(3) (1860), the ing Carrie ample time and funds to women would aim higher than their selfish statutory construction section, which travel as needed to advance woman’s ambitions; that they would serve the common stated “words importing the masculine suffrage state by state and nationwide. good. The vote is won. Seventy-two years the gender only may be extended to females.” Carrie’s organizing skills quickly came battle for this privilege has waged, but human This statutory interpretation opened to Susan B. Anthony’s attention. She affairs with their eternal change move on the door for Arabella Mansfield to take chose Carrie Chapman Catt as her suc- without pause. Progress is calling on you to the bar exam and be admitted to the cessor as president of the National Amer- make no pause. Act.” Iowa bar. Thankfully, the pertinent Iowa ican Woman Suffrage Association in Code section was soon amended, by 1900. Carrie served in this position from Interesting facts: The 19th Amend- removing the words “white” and “male” 1900-1904 and again from 1916-1920. ment was ratified by the Tennessee to explicitly allow women, and men and Carrie was a great writer, a persuasive legislature on Aug. 18, 1920, the neces- women of color, to study law and be speaker, an effective organizer and stra- sary 36th state to make it part of the U.S. admitted to practice law in Iowa. (See tegic planner. Her winning plan included Constitution. Carrie Chapman Catt spent Iowa Code §9.208, 1873 edition.) focusing on state constitutional amend- several weeks in Tennessee that July and ments and limited voting rights in various August, organizing, writing, speaking, Carrie Chapman Catt grew states as well as the federal constitutional rallying the troops, overcoming numer- up on a farm near Charles amendment. Her strategic winning plan ous obstacles. The deciding vote was cast City. She became a suf- is generally credited with moving the by Frank Burn, the youngest member of fragist at age 13 when she 19th Amendment past the finish line the legislature, after he received a letter learned that her well-in- in August 1920. Her famous speech in from his mother, Phoebe Burn, encour- formed mother could not August of 1920 is still relevant today. aging him to “vote for suffrage…help vote in the presidential “That vote of yours has cost millions of Mrs. Catt put the “Rat” in Ratification.” election, but her father, dollars and the lives of thousands of women. Carrie Chapman Catt founded the her brother, and their unin- The vote has been costly. Prize it. Understand League of Women Voters in February formed hired men could vote. Carrie what it means and what it can do for your 1920. She co-founded the International attended the State Agricultural College country. No soldier in the great suffrage army Woman Suffrage Alliance in 1902. in Ames (now Iowa State University). has labored and suffered to get a place for you. She was the only woman in her class. She graduated at the top of her class in 1880. She worked before and during her college years to pay for her education. Carrie decided to become a lawyer and began to study law while working in an attorney’s office to earn money. She abandoned this plan when she received an offer to serve as prin- cipal of the high school in Mason City. She soon became superinten- dent of the Mason City Schools, at age 24, the first woman to do so. Carrie Chapman Catt married two men who fully supported her work in the woman’s suffrage movement. Leo Chapman supported her work through the newspaper he owned and published. Sadly, he died shortly after they married. Her second husband, 18 THE IOWA LAWYER AUGUST 2020 AUGUST 2020 THE IOWA LAWYER 19 1913 1916 1919 1920 SUFFRAGISTS ORGANIZE A FIRST WOMAN ELECTED THE WOMAN SUFFRAGE AMENDMENT THE 19TH AMENDMENT PARADE IN WASHINGTON, D.C. TO THE HOUSE OF IS PASSED BY CONGRESS TO THE CONSTITUTION Suffragists organize a parade down Penn- REPRESENTATIVES The Woman Suffrage Amendment, IS CERTIFIED AS LAW sylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. Known originally written by Susan B. Anthony Jeannette Rankin of After Tennessee becomes as the Woman Suffrage Procession, it was and introduced in Congress in 1878, is Montana is the first woman the 36th state to ratify, the first public demonstration in the nation’s passed by the House of Representatives elected to the House of the 19th Amendment capital for woman’s suffrage and called and the Senate.