Bill Text: IL HR0894 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Recognizes August 18, 2020 as a day to celebrate the right to vote for all women in America and acknowledges the contributions of the women from Illinois who worked so hard for so long to bring women across the United States the full benefit of citizenship.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-01-08 - Referred to Rules Committee [HR0894 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2019-HR0894-Introduced.html

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HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The year 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the
ratification of the 19th Amendment to the United States
Constitution, guaranteeing and protecting the right to vote for
women in the United States; and
WHEREAS, This centennial provides an opportunity to
celebrate a milestone in our democracy, that the right of
citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or
abridged by federal or state governments on account of gender;
and
WHEREAS, Illinois has a history of being at the forefront
of the women's suffrage movement, as Illinois women played a
pivotal role in obtaining the right to vote for women; and
WHEREAS, In 1855, Susan Hoxie Richardson, cousin of Susan
B. Anthony, organized the first suffrage association in
Illinois in Earlville, a small town in LaSalle County west of
Chicago; and
WHEREAS, In 1869, the first statewide suffrage
organization in Illinois, the Illinois Woman's Suffrage
Association (IWSA), was formed, and it held its first annual
convention in the state capitol of Springfield in 1870; and

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WHEREAS, In 1890, Catherine Waugh McCulloch was elected
IWSA Superintendent of Legislative Work and drafted
legislation that would give Illinois women the right to vote;
and
WHEREAS, In 1891, Illinois women gained the right to vote
in school board elections; and
WHEREAS, From 1911 to 1914, Jane Addams, who long fought
for suffrage in Illinois, served as Vice-President of the
National American Women Suffrage Association as the
organization helped to push for a national amendment for the
right to vote for women; and
WHEREAS, In 1913, Illinois became the first state east of
the Mississippi River to grant women the right to vote with the
passage of the Presidential Suffrage Bill; and
WHEREAS, On June 4, 1919, the U.S. Congress passed the 19th
Amendment that guaranteed all American women the right to vote;
and
WHEREAS, On June 10, 1919, Illinois became the first state
to vote to ratify the 19th Amendment; and

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WHEREAS, On August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment was
ratified, thanks to the efforts of women from Illinois,
including Elizabeth Boynton Harbert, Frances E. Willard, Jane
Addams, Ida B. Wells, Catharine McCulloch, and Grace Wilbur
Trout; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we recognize August 18, 2020 as a day to celebrate the right to
vote for all women in America and acknowledge the contributions
of the women from Illinois who worked so hard for so long to
bring women across the United States the full benefit of
citizenship.