Women’s Civil Rights in North Carolina

By garrison caviness

  • The National Association of Colored Women

    The National Association of Colored Women
    The National Association of Colored Women, founded by Margaret Murray Washington, unites black women's organizations.

  • Juliette Gordon Low

    Juliette Gordon Low
    Juliette Gordon Low founds the first American group of Girl Guides, in Atlanta. Later renamed Girl Scouts of the USA, the organization brings girls into the outdoors, encourages their self-reliance and resourcefulness, and prepares them for varied roles as adults.

  • suffrage parade in washington DC

    suffrage parade in washington DC
    5,000 to 8,000 suffragists parade in Washington, D.C., drawing people away from the arrival of newly elected President Woodrow Wilson. They are mobbed by abusive crowds along the way.

  • North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice and women's suffrage activist Walter McKenzie Clark addresses the Federation of Women's Clubs

    North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice and women's suffrage activist Walter McKenzie Clark addresses the Federation of Women's Clubs
    North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice and women's suffrage activist Walter McKenzie Clark addresses the Federation of Women's Clubs in New Bern on May 8. In this speech, Clark compares the treatment of women to slavery. In 1915, Clark wrote a dissenting judicial opinion that specifically defended the rights of women to be notaries public, but also called for broader political rights for women in general. He makes this argument again in his 1916 address, "Ballots for Both."

  • the largest suffrage parade to date

    the largest suffrage parade to date
    the largest suffrage parade to date, including perhaps 500 men, marches down Fifth Avenue in New York City.

  • Equal suffrage League of NC

    Equal suffrage League of NC
    The first meeting of the Equal Suffrage League of North Carolina is held in Charlotte.

  • Women start filling jobs during WW1

    Women start filling jobs during WW1
    During World War I, women move into many jobs, working in heavy industry, mining, chemical manufacturing, and automobile and railway plants. They also run streetcars, conduct trains, direct traffic, and deliver mail. In North Carolina, women contributed in a myriad of ways.

  • First women of congress as a member of House of Representatives

    First women of congress as a member of House of Representatives
    Jeannette Rankin of Montana becomes the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress as a member of the House of Representatives.

  • 19th amendment

    19th amendment
    The Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, guaranteeing American female citizens the right to vote. It is quietly signed into law in a ceremony to which the press and suffragists are not invited.