Women have been a part of the American political scene even before they were able to legally vote.
From the middle of the 1800s to the beginning of the 20th century, women worked tirelessly for the right to vote and to participate in politics.
Their tireless efforts became known as the Suffrage movement which led to the passage of the 19th Amendment which gave women the hard-fought right to vote and participate legally in the political arena.
Kerr County historian, Bunny Bond, will present this fascinating history at the Frontier Times Museum on Saturday, September 14th, at 2:00 pm.
Bond will discuss the history of the Women’s Suffrage movement in the United States and in Texas and the origin of the League of Women Voters in Texas in this timely presentation on the eve of the 2024 national elections.
Before 1920, women had very few political or social rights.
Women were not expected to work in politics or even participate in political discussions and it was considered rude and unladylike for a woman to even speak her mind.
Though the Constitution did not say women could not vote, individual states had laws that banned women from voting. In 1848, activists organized the Seneca Falls Convention, a two-day meeting of people who wanted to win voting rights for women.
Throughout the twoday convention, attendees shared ideas on how to achieve their goal. News of the event inspired women all over the country to join the fight for the right to vote. These women became known as “suffragettes.”
By 1915, a few states allowed women to vote in state elections, but they still were not allowed to vote nationally. However, the work that women did on the home front during World War I, combined with the perseverance the suffragettes had shown over the last 70 years, caused many people to change their thinking about a woman’s role in society.
In 1920, the Suffrage movement achieved success when Congress passed the 19th Amendment, which said no one could be excluded from voting in an election because of their gender.
A graduate of the University of Texas in Austin, Bond worked as an elementary school teacher in two Texas school districts, a middle school librarian in another Texas school district, an administrator in two private schools, and retired from Kerrville State Hospital as Director of Rehab.
She has resided in Kerrville since 1985 and attended St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Bandera since 1988. Bond serves as the Voter Services Coordinator for the League of Women Voters of the Texas Hill Country, the First Vice Chair of the Kerr County Historical Commission, and President of the Kerrville affiliate of National Alliance on Mental Illness.
In conjunction with the presentation, the museum will unveil a new display, Politics, Party, & Polls, featuring historical political memorabilia from the museum’s permanent collection.
The presentation is offered with museum admission and refreshments will be served.
The museum is located at 510 13th Street, Bandera, Texas.
Rebecca Norton is the Director of the Frontier Times Museum.
