Category: American

One of the most unusual American flags was that of explorer and first Republican Party candidate for President, John C. Fremont.  

Fremont led several expeditions into the American West, some into areas claimed by Mexico. His wife Jessie created a unique banner for his exploration.  The Stars and Stripes design is clearly represented, with 26 stars waving, but there is an eagle holding arrows and a peace pipe. (A peace pipe was a good symbol of “no harm intended” to Native Americans that would be encountered.).

One of the places he took his flag was Snow Peak mountain in the Rockies. He wrote that he “unfurled the national flag to wave in the breeze where never a flag had waved before.” The original flag still exists todayFremont is remembered for his planting of the American flag on the Rocky Mountains during his first expedition, symbolically claiming the West for the United States. For his botanical records and information collected on his explorations, several plants bear his name in his honor.  Pathfinder Regional Park in Colorado displays a large sculpture of Fremont

Fremont’s wild side of his character came out during his third expedition. He was involved in actions that supported the rebellion against Mexico that lead to the California Republic and later statehood. He organized the first California volunteer militia, was one of its first Senators, and was a Major General in the Civil War. His reports about and actions in the American West were of major historical importance. We cannot overstate his influence on opening the West to settlement and American expansion to the Pacific.

In his memoirs, Fremont coined the phrase “Golden Gate” for the strait between Marin County and San Francisco County.

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The 19th Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote, was formally adopted into the U.S. Constitution on August 26, 1920. Women suffragists struggled for more than 70 years to obtain their goal. The Amendment read,

“The right 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” and  “Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”

The suffrage movement was founded in the mid 19th century through the efforts of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. They had been politically active through their work in the abolitionist and temperance movements. In July 1848, they and 200 woman suffragists met in Seneca Falls, New York, to discuss women’s rights. They passed a resolution declaring,

“It is the duty of the women of this country to secure to themselves their sacred right to the elective franchise.”

This was just the beginning of the woman suffrage movement in America.

During Reconstruction, the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was adopted, granting African American men the right to vote, but Congress declined to grant voting rights to include women.  

By 1869, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton had founded the National Woman Suffrage Association to push for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Lucy Stone founded the American Woman Suffrage Association, to work through state legislatures. In 1890, the two groups were combined. That year, Wyoming became the first state to grant women the right to vote.

By early 20th century, women’s roles in society were changing drastically. They worked more, were better educated, and had fewer children. Three more states, Colorado, Utah, and Idaho, granted female enfranchisement.

In 1916, the National Woman’s Party decided to take more aggressive action. Instead of using questionnaires and lobbying,  members picketed the White House, marched, and staged acts of civil disobedience.

When America entered World War I in 1917, women helped the war effort in ways that helped break down opposition to their cause. Fifteen states had now endorsed their right to vote along with both political parties.

In January 1918, the woman suffrage amendment passed the House of Representatives, followed by the Senate, and then went to the states for ratification. When Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution granting women the right to vote became the law of the land.

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