The next special exhibit at the Kansas Museum of History commemorates the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the courageous women who made it possible. A special exhibit opening reception will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, March 20, 2020. 

For Kansas women the path toward suffrage was incremental. Women began working for voting rights as they fought to keep Kansas free from slavery. Women such as Clarina Nichols brought the topics of women’s rights into the constitutional conventions. They ensured that Kansas women had opportunities other women in the nation did not. From the time Kansas was admitted as the 34th state, women had the right to vote in school board elections.

Women's organizations continued to push for the vote. When they gained the right to vote in municipal elections, Kansas elected the first woman mayor in the nation, and all-women city councils.

The road to full suffrage brought women in partnership with political groups and organizations that shared both common and competing goals. It was an experience of successes, failures and eventually the success that made Kansas the eighth state to provide full voting rights for women. 

This special exhibit features an introduction by Governor Laura Kelly, and highlights objects, photographs and historical records connected with the generations of women who fought for suffrage. The exhibit will run through the end of the year.

“I would like to thank the Kansas Museum of History for making this special exhibit possible,” Governor Kelly said. “Upward to Equality serves as a reminder to us all that Kansans have always been at the forefront of progress. The exhibit also allows us to celebrate the women and men who worked tirelessly to ensure women’s voting rights. When you go to the polls, remember the Kansans who were trailblazers for this momentous cause.”    

The Kansas Museum of History is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday; and closed state holidays. The museum is located at 6425 SW 6th Avenue, Topeka. More at kshs.org/museum.