Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote

Shall Not Be Denied Exhibition. In the “intro” area, visitors see a four-minute video montage of contemporary women stating the Nineteenth Amendment with photos of the suffragists who fought for it. (Video by Upswell.) The exhibition identity’s bold directional typographically leads visitors to the “street” area.

Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote illuminates the struggle for women’s suffrage—the largest reform movement in U.S. history—through artifacts, documents, and items from the personal collections of the suffragists who championed equality.

The fight for women’s voting rights lasted more than seven decades and was the largest reform movement in United States history. Although few of the women who began the campaign before the Civil War lived long enough to witness its victory with the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in August of 1920, their work was carried on by their daughters, granddaughters, and others whom they had taught and inspired. Their collective story is one of courage, perseverance, savvy, creativity, and hope. It continues to motivate activists in our own time.

Curator: Janice E. Ruth

Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote illuminates the 70- year struggle for women’s suffrage—the largest reform movement in U.S. history—through artifacts, documents, and items from the personal collections of the suffragists who championed equality.

The fight for women’s voting rights lasted more than seven decades and was the largest reform movement in United States history. Although few of the women who began the campaign before the Civil War lived long enough to witness its victory with the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in August of 1920, their work was carried on by their daughters, granddaughters, and others whom they had taught and inspired. Their collective story is one of courage, perseverance, savvy, creativity, and hope. It continues to motivate activists in our own time.

Curator: Carroll Johnson-Welsh

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Shall Not Be Denied Exhibition Opening: The “street” is comprised of large, backlit, lenticular images of suffragists protesting—first in private spaces, and then in public—across the 160+ years of the struggle for the vote and the fight for women’s rights.

Photo Courtesy of Shawn Miller, Library of Congress.

Video Courtesy of Exhibits Office, Library of Congress.

Shall Not Be Denied Exhibition. The “street” is comprised of large, backlit, lenticular images of suffragists protesting—first in private spaces, and then in public—across the 160+ years of the struggle for the vote and the fight for women’s rights.
Shall Not Be Denied Exhibition. The section areas display discrete artifacts, documents, and ephemera from the movement.
Shall Not Be Denied Exhibition Opening

Photo Courtesy of Shawn Miller, Library of Congress.

Shall Not Be Denied Exhibition. P+A recommended a color palette that would both harmonize with the southwest curtain’s floor and walls and honor the American suffragists, who used the colors purple and yellow.
Shall Not Be Denied Exhibition. In addition, P+A incorporated imagery into the case displays, lending greater visual context to the documents on view.
Shall Not Be Denied Exhibition. In addition, P+A incorporated imagery into the case displays, lending greater visual context to the documents on view.
Shall Not Be Denied Exhibition. The exhibition’s final area to explore is the “plaza.” Here, visitors gather to watch a video showing clips of different organizers, activists, and politicians engaged in the fight for women’s rights.
Shall Not Be Denied Exhibition. In the “plaza,” the suffragists’ activism finally results in the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, and visitors explore the social and political aftermath.
Shall Not Be Denied Exhibition Opening. Visitors use a digital interactive table to explore the contributions of suffragists from all 50 states. (Upswell designed the user interaction and worked with the LOC team to organize the content.)

Photo Courtesy of Shawn Miller, Library of Congress.

Shall Not Be Denied Exhibition Opening. As visitors gather in the “plaza,” they can pause (standing or sitting) to reflect on the struggle for the right to vote.

Photo Courtesy of Shawn Miller, Library of Congress.

Shall Not Be Denied Brochure. P+A designed the Shall Not Be Denied exhibition brochure. It folds out to show a reproduction of Henry Mayer’s illustration The Awakening; a timeline of “States and Territories Extending Full Suffrage to Women” prior to the Nineteenth Amendment; and a condensed version of the exhibition’s “More to the Movement” section.
Shall Not Be Denied Brochure. P+A designed the Shall Not Be Denied exhibition brochure. It folds out to show a reproduction of Henry Mayer’s illustration The Awakening; a timeline of “States and Territories Extending Full Suffrage to Women” prior to the Nineteenth Amendment; and a condensed version of the exhibition’s “More to the Movement” section.
Shall Not Be Denied Brochure. P+A designed the Shall Not Be Denied exhibition brochure. It folds out to show a reproduction of Henry Mayer’s illustration The Awakening; a timeline of “States and Territories Extending Full Suffrage to Women” prior to the Nineteenth Amendment; and a condensed version of the exhibition’s “More to the Movement” section.
Shall Not Be Denied Brochure. P+A designed the Shall Not Be Denied exhibition brochure. It folds out to show a reproduction of Henry Mayer’s illustration The Awakening; a timeline of “States and Territories Extending Full Suffrage to Women” prior to the Nineteenth Amendment; and a condensed version of the exhibition’s “More to the Movement” section.

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