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.

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!

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