The General Federation of Women’s Clubs New Hampshire hosted a commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution on Aug. 26.

On a beautiful summer afternoon, club members from across the state gathered outside the State House, many dressed in period costumes, joined by several female members of the New Hampshire House and Senate. Gov. Chris Sununu was the keynote speaker.

The governor also presented an official proclamation, declaring Sept. 10 as New Hampshire Women’s Suffrage Day. New Hampshire ratified the 19th Amendment on Sept. 10, 1919.

In her opening remarks, GFWC New Hampshire President Jeanne O’Sullivan, from Exeter, shared that GFWC New Hampshire is comprised of 22 clubs, providing service to communities for 125 years.

Locally, GFWC New Hampshire worked to establish the Old Man of the Mountain Museum, preserve land in the White Mountains, established an audio walking tour of Odiorne Point and much more. Its parent organization, GFWC International, is a world-wide, non-partisan organization that has long been a supporter of women’s rights, dating back to 1914.

U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the first woman elected governor of New Hampshire and the first female U.S. Senator from the Granite State, was unable to attend, but sent a letter that was read by GFWC New Hampshire’s Phyllis Appler, from Hudson.

“Securing the right to vote for women was an achievement built on decades of organizing and demonstrating. Women held conventions, planned protests, organized marches and signed petitions to ensure that they would also be heard through the ballot box,” wrote Shaheen.

“We understand this in New Hampshire – where we sent the first all-female congressional delegation to Washington, D.C., and where we boast a number of community-focused women’s groups like GFWC NH. We are all a part of this proud history…. I hope we continue to draw inspiration from these fearless women who fought for change a century ago and didn’t simply wait for change to happen,” Shaheen’s letter concluded.

GFWC New Hampshire Chairman of Legislation and Public Policy Laurie Jasper, from Hudson, who organized the event, spoke of the history of women’s suffrage.

The battle for the 19th Amendment became known as a “war of the roses,” as the yellow rose became an emblem of the suffrage cause, while anti-suffragists adopted the red rose. In January 1918, the woman suffrage amendment passed the House of Representatives.

In June 1919, it was approved by the Senate and sent to the states for ratification. On Aug. 18, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment, giving it the three-fourths majority needed to make it the law of the land.

Young Tennessee State Representative Harry Burn, just 24 years old, wore a red rose in his lapel, indicating his plan to vote “no.” But, after receiving a note from his mother imploring him to vote in favor of ratification, he changed his vote and became a part of history.

“As I look out among all of you, and see many familiar faces, I see the faces of women who would have joined in the suffrage movement. I also see women such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, Lucretia Mott, Sojourner Truth and Susan B. Anthony standing shoulder to shoulder with all of you. Today, we honor all who worked for women’s right to vote. … From the first women’s rights convention held in Seneca Falls, New York, in July 1848 to 1920, and beyond. To quote the late, great Sen. John McCain, ‘Nothing in life is more liberating than to fight for a cause larger than yourself, something that encompasses you, but is not defined by your existence alone,'” said Jasper.

Jasper next introduced Sununu, thanking him for his leadership during these unprecedented times of COVID-19.

Sununu praised GFWC New Hampshire for celebrating New Hampshire’s place in the suffrage movement amidst restrictions and difficulties due to the coronavirus.

“I’m just so excited you were able to hold this event today. I think it’s a great representation, truly, of what the Live Free or Die State is all about. We have had such incredible representation in New Hampshire by women, on both sides of the aisle, who have really led the charge. I think it’s a testament of how important the issue is, the fact that you organized and that you are making sure this is being heard today and as we move forward,” Sununu said.

“I was thinking about the Founding Fathers; they called America the, ‘great democratic experiment.’ And, like any good experiment, it never really ends. You constantly have to keep pushing yourself to do better, to find another way, to open up more opportunity. Obviously, guaranteeing women the right to vote 100 years ago was a huge step forward. It wasn’t the first step, it wasn’t the last step; we’ve made a lot of steps since then, and we have many more steps to go. We have to keep challenging ourselves never to settle and to constantly push to find where there is potentially more disenfranchisement,” Sununu added.

The program concluded with photographs. Each participant received a yellow rose, compliments of Anne’s Florals and Gifts of Hudson.