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On August 16, 1973, the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America passed a Joint Resolution to declare August 26, as Women’s Equality Day. The public law, allowed the 37th President of the U.S, Richard Nixon, to proclaim the national holiday to certify the Nineteenth Amendment (Amendment XIX) of the Constitution. This hard-won right was adopted in 1920, prohibiting the government from denying the right to vote to women.
“Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That August 26, 1973, is designated as ‘Women’s Equality Day,’ and the President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation in commemoration of that day in 1920 on which the women of America were first guaranteed the right to vote,” reads the official document.
The same day, President Nixon issued the Proclamation 4236 for Women’s Equality Day to highlight the immeasurable value in women’s contribution to society. “The struggle for women’s suffrage, however, was only the first step toward full and equal participation of women in our Nation’s life. In recent years, we have made other giant strides by attacking sex discrimination through our laws and by paving new avenues to equal economic opportunity for women,” he stated. “Today, in virtually every sector of our society, women are making important contributions to the quality of American life. And yet, much still remains to be done.”
To ratify and honor the women’s suffrage movement, every President of the United States, issued a proclamation designating August 26 as Women’s Equality Day. Including the current mandatary of the Nation. “On the commemoration of this historic day, I was proud to issue a Proclamation honoring the women’s suffrage movement and sign a full pardon for one of its greatest leaders, Susan B. Anthony, who was unjustly convicted for voting on account of her sex,” affirmed Donald Trump. “On Women’s Equality Day, we remember the trailblazers like Anthony, who worked tirelessly to achieve a more just and equal United States, and we recognize the myriad ways in which women contribute to our society and strengthen our country.”
Today, after 47 years celebrating Women’s Equality Day, we take time to proudly remember Susan B. Anthony, the leader of the American woman suffrage movement, as well as Mathilde Franziska Anneke, Alice Stone Blackwell, Antoinette Brown Blackwell, Harriet Stanton Blatch, Amelia Bloomer, Carrie Chapman Catt, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Julia Ward Howe, Lucretia Coffin Mott, Anna Howard Shaw, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, and Sojourner Truth, early leading feminists and influential suffragists that fought for women’s rights and improved the Nation.
Thanks to all of them, and many more, female citizens of the United States of America can benefit from the Nineteenth Amendment. For their bravery, women can make their decisions and choose who can represent them through a democratic system. The freedom to vote has a tumultuous past; however, it is up to females to keep exercising their rights and honoring the suffragists’ legacy.
Happy Women’s Equality Day!
