The year 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing and protecting the right of women to vote. The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources celebrates this milestone with “She Changed the World: North Carolina Women Breaking Barriers,” a series of public programs and activities to honor the achievements of women in our state.
As part of this initiative, the State Archives of North Carolina will tour An Absolute Moral Certainty: The Woman Suffrage Movement in North Carolina — 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. This document — along with pro- and anti-suffrage propaganda, hand-held fans, facsimiles of legislation, political cartoons, and a suffragist’s sash — will travel the state from November 2019 through November 2020.
“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.”
The exhibit will travel to public libraries, colleges, historic sites, museums, and universities across the state. It opens at Mars Hill University’s Renfro Library Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019, from 3:30-8 p.m. Speakers will address women’s suffrage topics, and State Archivist Sarah Koonts will present a program about some of the treasures held at the State Archives. The exhibit’s full touring schedule can be viewed online 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.
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/.
About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state's natural and cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational and economic future of North Carolina. NCDNCR's mission is to improve the quality of life in our state by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history, libraries and nature in North Carolina by stimulating learning, inspiring creativity, preserving the state's history, conserving the state's natural heritage, encouraging recreation and cultural tourism, and promoting economic development.
NCDNCR includes 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, two science museums, three aquariums and Jennette's Pier, 39 state parks and recreation areas, the N.C. Zoo, the nation's first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, State Preservation Office and the Office of State Archaeology, along with the Division of Land and Water Stewardship. For more information, please visit www.ncdcr.gov.