Expressing Sense of Congress With Respect to Commemoration of Women Suffragists

EXPRESSING SENSE OF CONGRESS WITH RESPECT TO COMMEMORATION OF WOMEN SUFFRAGISTS -- (House of Representatives - July 25, 2005)

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Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 59) expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the establishment of an appropriate day for the commemoration of the women suffragists who fought for and won the right of women to vote in the United States, as amended.

The Clerk read as follows:

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Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Committee on Government Reform, I rise in support of House Joint Resolution 59. This legislation, introduced by the distinguished gentlewoman from Las Vegas, Nevada (Ms. Berkley) recognizes women's suffrage as a great milestone in our Nation's history.

The resolution specifically intends to commemorate the struggle waged by suffragists such as Sojourner Truth, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony as a culmination in women's earning the right to vote. Many people reviled social reformers like these women leaders in the mid-19th Century. Today, however, they rightfully celebrate the fight to end this injustice.

I appreciate the gentlewoman from Nevada's work in further recognizing the legacy of the American civil rights movement.

From the women's rights meeting called by Mott and Stanton in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848 until the ratification of the 19th amendment in 1920, the determination of these women was as strong and has endured as any in our history. To earn the right to vote, these women chained themselves to the White House gates. They went on hunger strikes. They participated in marches and often were arrested and jailed for their disobedient action.

Despite the difficult obstacles and resistance they faced, suffragists remained committed to giving women the equal voice in American politics. Their victory was finally secured when Secretary of State Colby certified the ratification of the 19th amendment to the United States Constitution on August 26, 1920. The joint resolution under consideration marks the 19th amendment's upcoming 85th anniversary on August 26.

The 19th amendment reads: ``The rights of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.'' This single, timeless sentence ensured that our democracy would never again restrict women from voting for their leaders.

Mr. Speaker, the story of the women suffragists included many excruciating chapters, but its tumultuous activities and its conclusion is a credit to democracy and the ability to adapt and improve.

For all these reasons, I strongly urge my colleagues to support the adoption of this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers at this time, and I urge adoption of House Joint Resolution 59.

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