On Tuesday,?? ??? ?? ?? America celebrates the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment's ratification, which gave women the right to vote nationwide (although there were still roadblocks to the ballot box for Black, Indigenous, immigrant, and poor women).
We can't forget that the lead-up to this milestone was characterized by a long fight. From pro-suffrage organizations built out of determination to parades and demonstrations that demanded women be counted to the imprisonment of prominent suffrage leaders, the path to the 19th amendment was full of grit.
The photos below show the extraordinary efforts of women who took big risks so we can enjoy a freedom many of us take for granted today. However, there is more to the story. While Black, Indigenous, and immigrant women also fought for women's suffrage, their faces are rarely seen in historical imagery celebrating the 19th amendment. Their contributions were embraced by some women's rights activists of the time, but they were also shut out by many others.
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The executive board of the Women's League of Newport Rhode Island, which advocated for women's suffrage and civil rights, in 1899. Credit: National Women's History Museum 
A woman distributes suffrage broadsides (posters or notices championing women's suffrage) in 1911. Credit: library of congress 
Inez Milholland, a suffragist and labor lawyer, sits on a white horse during the National American Woman Suffrage Association parade on March 3, 1913 in D.C. Credit: LIbrary of congress 
Nannie Burroughs, a prominent suffragist, and other women pose with a banner reading, "Banner State Woman's National Baptist Convention" in 1915. Burroughs worked for the NBC for 48 years and was very active in its women's cohort, along with other suffragists. Credit: Library of Congress 
Women on horseback demand the right to vote in the 1913 D.C. suffrage parade. Credit: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
Ida B. Wells-Barnett, an anti-lynching and women's rights activist, marching with other suffragists in 1913 at a Washington, D.C. parade. Credit: National Women's History Museum 
Members of the Congressional Union for Woman's Suffrage (Alice Paul founded this organization) pose in front of its national summer headquarters in 1914. Credit: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
Women carry ballot boxes on a stretcher during the 1915 women's suffrage parade in New York City. Credit: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
The Suffrage Bell (a near-replica of the Liberty Bell that was taken around the country to promote women's suffrage) is shown off in 1916. Credit: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute faculty who registered to vote in 1920, despite efforts to prevent Black people from voting at all. Credit: Virginia State University Special Collections and Archives 
Alice Paul, a prominent suffragist, sews stars on the suffrage flag (which represented states that ratified the 19th amendment) in 1920. Credit: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
Surrounded by mostly women, many with "Votes for Women" sashes, Kentucky Governor Edwin P. Morrow signs his state's ratification of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution on January 6, 1920. Credit: Stock Montage / Getty Images 
Women line up to vote for the first time in New York after the passage of the 19th Amendment in New York, New York, 1920. Credit: Underwood Archives / Getty Images Topics Activism Social Good