WASHINGTON, D.C

WASHINGTON, D.C. | WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE

By Wendy O’Dea

IT’S A CONTENTIOUS TIME in the world of politics. But history has proven that even some of the most challenging periods in our nation’s past have given voice and hope to the marginalized.

Numerous museums and institutions in

Washington, D.C., continue to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. The amendment was passed on June 4, 1919, and ratified on Aug. 18, 1920, so this election year is an ideal time to visit sites that celebrate the suffragists who advanced the freedoms of women.

Here are some of the most notable spots, according to USA TODAY’s 10Best:

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS One of the most architecturally stunning buildings on Capitol Hill, the Library of Congress has curated the exhibit Shall Not Be Denied; Women Fight for the Vote, which is scheduled to run through September.

Handwritten letters, speeches and photographs of American suffragists who persisted for more than 70 years to win voting rights for women are on display, along with records from the National American Woman Suffrage Association and National Woman’s Party .

The exhibition explores women’s struggles for equality, tracing the movement from before the first women’s rights convention at Seneca Falls, N.Y., in 1848, through the divergent political strategies and internal divisions the suffragists overcame. ▶ loc.gov/exhibitions/ women-fight-for-thevote

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS DAR

DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION MUSEUM Located five blocks from the White House, this museum features the exhibit Ordinary Equality: DAR Members and the Road to Women’s Suffrage, 1890-1920, highlighting how Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) members took advantage of increased opportunities for women to participate in social reform activities.

It was at DAR headquarters that Helen Keller was going to address suffragists after their 1913 parade down Pennsylvania Avenue — until she became unnerved when the participants were attacked en route by groups of men. ▶ dar.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. | WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE

BELMONT-PAUL WOMEN’S EQUALITY NATIONAL MONUMENT Located near the U.S. Capitol and U.S. Supreme Court building, this 220-year-old house is at the heart of the women’s rights movement . Home to the National Woman’s Party since 1929, this was the epicenter for Alice Paul and other leaders who strategized and advocated for equal rights. It was here that they expanded the equal rights movement from a state-by-state approach to a national effort focused on a constitutional amendment.

In 2016, President Barack Obama designated it a national monument. ▶ nps.gov/bepa

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

NATIONAL ARCHIVES Rightfully Hers : American Women and the Vote examines the relentless struggle of diverse activists to secure voting rights for all American women. The 3,000-square-foot exhibit displays more than 90 photographs, records and other artifacts from the landmark voting rights victory, most notably the original 19th Amendment document (on limited display).

Visitors can also view World War I-era Red Cross uniforms, a National Woman’s Party banner and a collection of political campaign buttons. ▶ museum.archives.gov/ rightfully-hers

NATIONAL ARCHIVES 10Best.com is your source for what’s tops in travel, food and culture, providing inspiration to explore the world around you. U.S. CAPITOL In addition to statues of past presidents, Alexander Hamilton and Martin Luther King Jr., the Capitol Rotunda houses a monument dedicated to a trio of significant women suffragists. The 14,000-pound group portrait monument immortalizes Elizabeth Cady Stanton , one of the first women to demand the right to vote; Susan B. Anthony , who paved the way for the 19th Amendment ; and Lucretia Mott , a Quaker activist who fought for women’s equality in the 1800s.

The National Woman’s Party presented the monument as a gift to the Capitol in 1921, a year after women got the vote, unveiling it on what would have been Anthony’s 101st birthday. ▶ aoc.gov/capitol-hill/ other-statues/portrait

STANTON ANTHONY MOTT/ ARCHITECT OF THE U.S. CAPITOL

monument