BEVERLY EAVES PERDUE
GOVERNOR
WOMEN’S EQUALITY DAY
2011
BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
A PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, on August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, granting all
women in the United States the right to vote; and since 1971, when the United States Congress designated August
26th as Women's Equality Day, our nation has recognized the struggle for equal rights for women; and
WHEREAS, throughout our nation’s history, women have played a pivotal role in shaping our way of life,
and have fought for equality and the right to vote; and
WHEREAS, Lydia Taft is recognized as the first woman to legally vote in Colonial America in 1756; and
WHEREAS, in 1848, the Declarations of Rights and Sentiments was signed by 68 women and 32 men of the
300 attendees at the Seneca Falls Convention, including Lucretia Mott, Mary Ann M’Clintock, Elizabeth Cady
Stanton and Frederick Douglas; and
WHEREAS, in 1869, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony formed the National Woman Suffrage
Association, which allowed only female membership; in 1869, Lucy Stone formed the American Woman Suffrage
Association, which supported the Fifteenth Amendment and invited men to participate; in 1890, these organizations
merged to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association; and
WHER1 AS, in 1872, Susan B. Anthony voted in the 1872 presidential election and was arrested and tried; and
WHEREAS, in 1916, Alice Paul and Lucy Bums formed the National Woman’s Party, and their non-violent
demonstrations gained supporters and media coverage that advocated for equal voting rights for women; and
WHERE AS, the United States suffrage movement involved the efforts of dedicated women and men of all
races and from all backgrounds; and
WHEREAS, women are consistently among the largest voter groups in national elections; and
WHEREAS, the State of North Carolina joins our nation in recognizing the passage of the 1 9th Amendment
and the continuing struggle for equality for women;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BEVERLY EAVES PERDUE, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby
proclaim August 26, 201 1, as "WOMEN’S EQUALITY DAY" in North Carolina and commend its observance to
all citizens.
BEVERLY EAVES PERDUE
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North
Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this twenty-third day of August in the year of our Lord two thousand and eleven,
and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.
