This year marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, guaranteeing and protecting the right of women to vote. To honor this historic event, the State Archives of North Carolina will tour an exhibit of original archival documents and materials relating to suffrage, including a copy of the 19th Amendment sent to North Carolina for ratification in June of 1919.
An Absolute Moral Certainty: The Woman Suffrage Movement in North Carolina will open at Southern Pines Public Library Wednesday, Jan. 29 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Multipurpose room. Educators from the State Archives will be available to explain the exhibit, and members from the League of Women Voters of Moore County will appear in period dress.
This exhibit is part of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources’ “She Changed the World: NC Women Breaking Barriers,” a series of public programs and activities to honor the achievements of women in our state.
“The State Archives holds materials that document the history and development of North Carolina,” said Sarah Koonts, state archivist. “Our copy of the 19th Amendment is kept in our climate-controlled vault and we don’t often travel it. This exhibit provides an opportunity to see it and some of the other history-making documents we preserve.”
This document, along with pro- and anti-suffrage propaganda, hand-held fans, facsimiles of legislation, political cartoons, and a suffragist’s sash, will travel to public libraries, colleges, historic sites, museums, and universities across the state through spring of 2021.
The exhibit’s full touring schedule can be viewed online along with WUNC-TV’s brief film about the exhibit and documents. The exhibit’s full touring schedule can be viewed online at the State Archives of North Carolina, along with WUNC-TV’s brief film about the exhibit and documents.
Learn more about the “She Changed the World” series of programs including demonstration projects, lectures, and online resources featuring photographs and stories of women who have helped shape the story of our state.
"She Changed the World" is generously sponsored by Catering Works, the N.C. Zoological Society, N.C. General Federation of Women’s Clubs, the Mary Lynn Richardson Fund, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina.
About the State Archives of North Carolina
The State Archives of North Carolina collects, preserves, manages, and provides access to information that protects citizen rights, documents North Carolina history and culture, promotes transparency, and encourages stewardship of government records. To learn more about historical records at the State Archives, visit, https://archives.ncdcr.gov/.