The museum exhibit at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre that celebrated South Dakota’s participation in the women’s suffrage movement will close on Wednesday, Nov. 4.
“‘The Right is Ours’: Women Win the Vote” has been popular in spite of lower attendance due to the COVID-19 virus, according to Museum Director Jay Smith.
“We are happy that we were able to join the national celebration of women’s suffrage,” said Smith. “The museum is proud to assist the public in understanding how difficult it was to win the right to vote and what a profound impact it had on American society – an impact that continues to be felt today.”
The exhibit provides an overview of the movement, led by three generations of women across both South Dakota and the United States to give women the right to vote in state and national elections. It focuses primarily on the period from 1848 through 1920, but also addresses the legacy and lessons of the women’s suffrage movement to the present day.
The exhibit follows the multi-faceted women’s suffrage movement from the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 through the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution on Aug. 18, 1920. It also focuses on people and events in our state that led to the state legislature granting women in South Dakota the right to vote in November 1918. The exhibit features historical photographs of people and events important to the movements as well as reproductions of banners, hats, and other materials used by suffragists.
The South Dakota State Historical Society continues to honor the importance of the suffrage movement with several projects.
“We are still working closely with the South Dakota Historical Society Foundation on the Her Vote. Her Voice. project,” said State Historical Society Director Jay D. Vogt. “And we want to encourage people to visit their website at hervotehervoice.org in order to participate in activities that will be ongoing into 2021.”
The museum is open from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. CDT Monday through Saturday and 1-4:30 p.m. CDT on Sundays and most holidays. The museum is now free for all South Dakota residents. Call 605-773-3458 for more information about exhibits, special events, and upcoming activities.
About the South Dakota State Historical Society
The South Dakota State Historical Society is a division of the Department of Education. The State Historical Society, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution since 2013, is headquartered at the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. The center houses the society’s world-class museum, the archives, and the historic preservation, publishing, and administrative/development offices. Call 605-773-3458 or visit www.history.sd.gov for more information. The society also has an archaeology office in Rapid City; call 605-394-1936 for more information.
