New Online University Archive Documents Women’s Suffrage Movement in Arkansas

The Center for Arkansas History and Culture at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has created an online exhibit documenting the history of the women’s suffrage movement in Arkansas.

Arkansas gave women the right to vote in primary elections three years before the United States passed the 19th Amendment, which established women’s right to vote throughout the nation. Arkansas was the first southern state to ratify the 19th Amendment.

The virtual exhibit, “Arkansas Women’s Suffrage Centennial,” features historic documents and photographs as well as essays and critiques on various aspects of women’s suffrage. Additionally, the virtual exhibit includes lesson plans and educational materials for teachers.

“Creating this virtual exhibit will give the world access to important resources and scholarly perspective on this critical leap in Arkansas’s long history of civil rights struggles,” said Chad Garret, director of technology and digital initiatives for the University of Arkansas Little Rock Collections and Archives. “The fact that it’s online means that anyone can access valuable information on the struggle Arkansas’s women endured to access their right to vote and be full participants in our democracy.”