Women's Equality Day

American celebration
Women’s Equality Day
Page 1 of House Bill
Observed byUnited States
TypeHistorical
SignificanceAnniversary of 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote
DateAugust 26
Frequencyannual
Nancy Pelosi, Anna Eshoo, Barbara Lee and Jackie Speier on the 96th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, when women won the right to vote.

Women's Equality Day is celebrated in the United States on August 26 to commemorate the 1920 adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment (Amendment XIX) to the United States Constitution, which prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex. It was first celebrated in 1971, designated by Congress in 1973, and is proclaimed each year by the United States President.

History

The date was chosen to commemorate the day in 1920 when the Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby signed the proclamation granting American women the constitutional right to vote.[1] In 1971, following the 1970 nationwide Women's Strike for Equality,[2] and again in 1973, as the battles over the Equal Rights Amendment continued, Congresswoman Bella Abzug of New York introduced a resolution to designate August 26 as Women's Equality Day.[3]

In 1972, President Richard Nixon issued Proclamation 4147, which designated August 26, 1972, as "Women's Rights Day" and was the first official proclamation of Women's Equality Day.[4] On August 16, 1973, Congress approved H.J. Res. 52, which stated that August 26 would be designated as Women's Equality Day and that "the President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation in commemoration of that day in 1920 on which the women in America were first guaranteed the right to vote".[5] The same day, President Nixon issued Proclamation 4236 for Women's Equality Day, which began, in part: "The struggle for women's suffrage, however, was only the first step toward full and equal participation of women in our Nation's life. In recent years, we have made other giant strides by attacking sex discrimination through our laws and by paving new avenues to equal economic opportunity for women. Today, in virtually every sector of our society, women are making important contributions to the quality of American life. And yet, much still remains to be done".[6]

As of 2021[update], every president since Richard Nixon has issued a proclamation each year designating August 26 as Women's Equality Day.[7]

See also

Other holidays honoring women

References

  1. ^ Gustafson, Melanie (August 26, 2016). ""Women's Equality Day"". We're History.
  2. ^ "Women's Equality Day", Click! The Ongoing Feminist Revolution
  3. ^ Berman, Eliza (August 26, 2016). "Meet the Woman Behind Women's Equality Day". Time.
  4. ^ "Proclamation 4147—Women's Rights Day".
  5. ^ Text of Public Law 93-105, authorizing the designation of Women's Equality Day (pdf). August 16, 1973.
  6. ^ 1973 Proclamation by President Nixon, The American Presidency Project.
  7. ^ Search page, "Equality Day", The American Presidency Project.

External links

Presidential Proclamations of Women's Equality Day by decade

Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Portal:Women's Equality Day
  • 1970s: 1972 (called Women's Rights Day), 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980
  • 1980s: 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990
  • 1990s: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
  • 2000s: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
  • 2010s: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017., 2018, 2019, 2020
  • 2020s: 2021, 2022, 2023

19th Amendment

  • National Archives – 19th Amendment
  • v
  • t
  • e
Holidays, observances, and celebrations in the United States
January
January–February
February
American Heart Month
Black History Month
February–March
March
Irish-American Heritage Month
Colon Cancer Awareness Month
Women's History Month
  • Saint Patrick's Day (religious)
  • Spring break (week)
    • March–April
  • Easter (religious)
    • April
    Arab American Heritage Month
    Confederate History MonthMay
    Asian American and
    Pacific Islander Heritage Month
    Jewish American Heritage Month
    Military Appreciation Month
    June
    Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
    Transgender Pride Month
  • Juneteenth (federal, cultural)
  • Father's Day (36)
    • JulyJuly–AugustAugust
  • American Family Day (AZ)
  • Barack Obama Day in Illinois (IL)
  • Bennington Battle Day (VT)
  • Dormition of the Theotokos (religious)
  • Eid-e-Ghadeer (religious)
  • Fast in Honor of the Holy Mother of Lord Jesus (religious)
  • Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (religious)
  • Hawaii Admission Day / Statehood Day (HI)
  • Krishna Janmashtami (religious)
  • Lammas (religious)
  • Lyndon Baines Johnson Day (TX)
  • Naga Panchami (religious)
  • National Aviation Day (36)
  • Paryushana (religious)
  • Raksha Bandhan (religious)
  • Transfiguration of the Lord (religious)
  • Victory Day (RI)
  • Women's Equality Day (36)
    • September
    Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
    Childhood Cancer Awareness MonthSeptember–October
    Hispanic Heritage Month
  • Chehlum Imam Hussain (religious)
  • Oktoberfest
  • Pitri Paksha (religious)
  • Rosh Hashanah / Feast of Trumpets (TX, NY, religious)
  • Shemini Atzeret (religious)
  • Simchat Torah (religious)
  • Vijaya Dashami (religious)
  • Yom Kippur / Day of Atonement (TX, NY, religious)
    • October
    Breast Cancer Awareness Month
    Disability Employment Awareness Month
    Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month
    Filipino American History Month
    LGBT History MonthOctober–November
  • Birth of the Báb (religious)
  • Birth of Baháʼu'lláh (religious)
  • Day of the Dead (VI)
  • Diwali (NY, religious)
  • Mawlid al-Nabi (religious)
    • November
    Native American Indian Heritage Month
    December
  • Christmas (religious, federal)
  • New Year's Eve
    • Varies (year round)
  • Eid al-Adha (NY, religious)
  • Eid al-Fitr (NY, religious)
  • Islamic New Year (religious)
  • Yawm al-Arafa (religious)
  • Hajj (religious)
  • Laylat al-Qadr (religious)
  • Navaratri (religious, four times a year)
  • Obon (religious)
  • Onam (religious)
  • Ramadan (religious, month)
  • Ghost Festival (religious)
  • Yawm Aashura (religious)
    • Legend:

    (federal) = federal holidays, (abbreviation) = state/territorial holidays, (religious) = religious holidays, (cultural) = holiday related to a specific racial/ethnic group or sexual minority, (week) = week-long holidays, (month) = month-long holidays, (36) = Title 36 Observances and Ceremonies

    See also: Lists of holidays, Hallmark holidays, Public holidays in the United States, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands.
    • v
    • t
    • e
    Basic topics
    By country
    Events
    UK
    US
    Women
    (memorials)
    Related
    Popular
    culture