Votes for Women!
100 Years of Women’s Voting Rights in Luxembourg and the United States
The 14th Annual Cultural Conference of the Luxembourg American Cultural Society
Thursday 6 August 2020 and Friday 7 August 2020
A Virtual Webinar
The conference this year celebrates the centenary of suffrage movements in both Luxembourg and the United States. Universal suffrage was adopted into law in Luxembourg in 1919, and women’s suffrage was ratified into law in the United States in 1920. While this conference is a celebration and review of past events, it is also meant to be a continuation of the discussion around suffrage and voting rights. Our expert speakers and their topics show how individuals worked together to create movements and built upon each other’s accomplishments. It is not a coincidence that women’s suffrage was a topic of discussion on two continents at the same time. This movement showed the commonalities seen in different communities throughout the world. The speakers in this conference will dig deeper into the history of these suffrage movements to show the similarities and differences of events happening at the same time on different continents.
Read more about the presentations and speakers in the downloadable Cultural Conference Booklet below.
Special thanks to the Wisconsin Humanities Council for a grant that makes it possible for all members and the general public to access this conference.
A Question of Equality: The Introduction of Women’s Suffrage in Luxembourg
By Renée Wagener, PhD
In 2019, Luxembourg celebrated the centenary of the adoption of universal suffrage, which brought political rights not only to a large part of Luxembourgish men (who had until then been excluded through the census system), but also to all Luxembourgish women. (Photo Credit: Mike Zenari)
‘Forward’ Women in Wisconsin
Genevieve McBride, PhD
Dr. McBride’s presentation was previously recorded in 2019 for the Wisconsin League of Women Voters, who graciously allowed us to show the video during the conference. This video is available on their YouTube page.
Immigrants in the Suffrage Movement: Intersections and Tensions
By Lizzie Hjelle
This presentation focuses on the role of immigrants within the U.S. Suffrage Movement and how traditional lenses used to conceptualize the history of feminist activism in the U.S. would often overlook the importance of immigrants within the movement.
Grand Duchess Marie Adelheid and the Introduction of Women’s Suffrage in Luxembourg
By Renée Wagner, PhD
This presentation will explore the role of Grand Duchess Marie Adelheid, who reigned from 1912 until her abdication in 1919, as well as the influence of the first World War. (Photo Credit: Mike Zenari)
Lucy Stone: The Forgotten Suffragist
By Katie Woods
When we think of the U.S. women’s suffrage movement, we often remember the two women considered the pillars of the movement: Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Yet in the first decades of the long road to women’s political representation, there was a third, equally significant leader—Lucy Stone.
More than the ‘Hostess with the Mostes’: Perle Mesta as Political Influencer and Diplomat
By Megan Woods
While the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920 gave women the right to vote, the fight for other women’s rights continued. In practice and in law, women saw that they remained unequal to men in many aspects of society, and they continued to work for greater equality. One woman who championed the fight for women’s rights was Perle Mesta.
