As delicately depicted on our filmy chiffon scarf, the ghost of a Founding Father stands by, as an American woman retouches the Declaration of Independence, editing the famous line to read: “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men and women are created equal.” An Archives Store exclusive, this piece is from our collection, which recognizes the efforts of America’s activists in their push for equal rights for women.

Paul Stahr’s Life magazine cover illustration from July 1915 portrays the radical changes that were taking place in American society a century ago, with women pushing for equal rights, particularly the right to vote in national elections. Women lectured, wrote, marched, lobbied, and practiced civil disobedience to achieve what many Americans considered a radical change of the Constitution. Finally, Congress passed on June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment, which guarantees all American women the right to vote. The Nineteenth Amendment Joint Resolution of Congress and many other records related to women’s equal rights are preserved and protected in the National Archives