By Jessica Jenkins
(c) Connecticut Explored Inc. Summer 2020
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During this centennial year commemorating the ratification of the 19th Amendment, look around and explore Connecticut. The stories of women’s suffrage, its advocates, opponents, and legacy are all around us. Evidence can be found in the least expected places. It hovers over landscapes and within the walls of historic structures. It is embodied in the objects cared for by many of the state’s museums and libraries. But the state’s suffrage history is not only found within Connecticut institutions. With an active suffrage force, Connecticut’s role in promoting women’s voting rights often seeped beyond its own borders. On the next pages are a sampling of objects and ephemera from museums and archives that are part of the Connecticut suffrage story. Several of them are featured in my new book, Exploring Women’s Suffrage through 50 Historic Treasures (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020), which brings together a selection of cultural gems representing the milestones, people, and legacy of the long campaign for women’s voting rights across the nation.
For the full suffrage story in Connecticut, read Jessica’s story in the Spring 2016 issue, “The Long Road to Women’s Suffrage in Connecticut” and read all of our stories about women’s suffrage on our TOPICS page.
Jessica Jenkins is the director of collections at Minnetrista, a museum and cultural site in Muncie, Indiana. Her book Exploring Women’s Suffrage Through 50 Historic Treasures was published earlier this year. She last wrote “The Long Road to Women’s Suffrage in Connecticut,” Spring 2016.
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Read all of our stories about Women’s Suffrage including African American women’s fight for the right to vote HERE.