Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Ratification Stars

Recently, I watched the 4 hour American Experience documentary "The Vote".  I realized I had forgotten so much about the struggle women endured for generations to obtain my right to vote.  I highly recommend the show.    Here is what is said about the show:


One hundred years after the passage of the 19th Amendment, The Vote tells the dramatic culmination story of the hard-fought campaign waged by American women for the right to vote — a transformative cultural and political movement that resulted in the largest expansion of voting rights in U.S. history.

In its final decade, from 1909 to 1920, movement leaders wrestled with contentious questions about the most effective methods for affecting social change. They debated the use of militant, even violent tactics, as well as hunger strikes and relentless public protests. The battle for the vote also upended previously accepted ideas about the proper role of women in American society and challenged the definitions of citizenship and democracy.

Exploring how and why millions of 20th-century Americans mobilized for — and against — women’s suffrage, The Vote brings to life the unsung leaders of the movement and the deep controversies over gender roles and race that divided Americans then — and continue to dominate political discourse today.


See the source image

I could relate to the suffragists sewing stars on their Ratification Banners as each state ratified the amendment.  Above is a photo of Alice Paul hanging her completed banner after the 36th state (Tennessee) made the amendment the law of the land.




I decided to add some ratification stars in purple and gold to my "Vote" quilt to honor those three generations of women who fought for my vote.

I decided not to applique my stars - instead I used ThreadBareCreations' Christmas Star pattern.
You can download it for free and it comes in lots of sizes.  I made mine 4".





I think maybe I will put them between my big letters as shown above.
So far, here are all the blocks I have completed to date.

If you want to read any additional information on any of the blocks above, you can do a search of my blog for "vote".




The 19th amendment was the culmination of more than 70 years of struggle by woman suffragists.  It is important that today's women honor that fight by voting.

Please make sure you are registered to vote - above are the deadlines by state to request a vote-by-mail ballot for the November election.  
Please take any necessary measures as soon as possible!


Image result for free vote graphics




14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a great documentary! And yes, I will be voting. I always have. Like you, I’ve forgotten a lot of the details of the fight for women’s right to vote, but I would never dishonor these women by skipping it. Great post!

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

I always do vote and can do it by mail this year as covid concerns are ok'd well make sure to get my ballot early- 17 year old granddaughter has already found out when she can register as she turns 18 before election day and so happy to have this be her first year to vote

Susie H said...

I too vote and I love your stars! The perfect place is absolutely between those big letters. Love how the quilt is shaping up!

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

Those stars are wonderful, Cyndy - they look three dimensional! This quilt is going to be a masterpiece! My book club read Votes for Women by Winifred Conkling earlier this year and went to a presentation about it at our museum, too - and learned so much. We owe those women a lot!

Anne / Springleaf Studios said...

Just watched Part 1 yesterday. Love that you're adding the stars.

Momma Bear said...


remember to mail in your ballots by october 30th! Since the post office has anticipated massive delays in mail delivery the advise every one get their ballot in the mail by october 30th to be sure it gets there.

MissPat said...

The new Postmaster General of the USPS (a big Trump donor) is making a concerted effort to slow down the mail delivery and is beginning to restrict hours of operation at local PO's. This is a veiled attempt to interfere with vote-by-mail efforts. It will be up to individual voters to make sure they get their mail-in votes in way before whatever deadlines are established. In addition to issues with postal delivery, the other big concern is that many state election systems are not prepared for the huge increase in mail-in votes that are likely to occur this year. Sorry, Cynthia, to rant on your blog post, but I assume you are as concerned about getting out the vote as I am.
Pat

Ann D said...

In California, we can drop off our completed ballots at selected sites, usually each city's town hall. It's an alternative to worrying if your mailed ballot will arrive in time.

PatriciaLud said...

Love your stars, I'll have to try to make some. Thank you for your vote push. While driving my elderly grandmother, I asked her if she still voted. She replied, "Of course! I've voted every year since we got the vote." I've always remembered to be grateful to those who made it possible for us.

kupton52 said...

I love your stars...they look so three-dimensional. I downloaded the pattern and subscribed to Threadbare's newsletter. I always vote and have since my 21st birthday several decades ago. That was when 21 was the legal voting age in West Virginia. I could actually get married before I was allowed to vote. I do take exception to one of the above commenters whose implication was that Trump and the Postal Service are colluding to stop mail-in voting. I agree 100 percent with the President that mail-in voting if rife for fraud. Wear your mask if you're still afraid to get out in public, but vote in person. We go everywhere else. We shop, we go to church, we go to restaurants----we can go vote! Post offices in rural areas have cut back on hours long before the "pandemic" ....urban area post offices have cut back hours in light of the "pandemic". I am sick and tired of blaming President Trump for every ill on the planet. I know some won't agree with me---that's ok----for the time being this is still America. What happened to the America we used to live in where one did not get "cancelled" for merely stating their opinion? Blessings to all....

Marianne said...

I used to enjoy reading about your quilting endeavors, sorry to see you take a political tilt. If I wanted to read about politics I'd go to the appropriate place. I hope that didn't come out snarky, not my intent at all.

Women fought for the right to vote in order to embrace Prohibition. They were tired of their husbands stopping off at the local bars on payday and drinking away their paychecks. Nothing is as it seems.

Louise said...

I love how your Vote QUILT is taking shape! Learning the history behind your inspiration is 100% appropriate.

Emily said...

Sounds like a great documentary; I will look for it. I like the idea of adding the ratification stars to your voting blocks!

Quilter Kathy said...

I am really enjoying watching you create your VOTE quilt! The stars are so symbolic and a great addition to your project!

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