North Bay Woman

S P R I N G | S U M M E R 2 0 2 0 NORTH BAY WOMAN 27 1848 The first meeting to focus on the need for women's rights takes place in Seneca Falls, NY. One hundred delegates, including some men, sign a Declaration of Sentiments outlining their demands. 1850 California joins the Union. Because state law is based on Spanish law, women have the right to own property, unlike women in most other states, but they cannot vote. 1869 The legislature of the Wyoming Territory grants women suffrage. Louisa Ann Swain of Laramie becomes the first woman to vote in a general election the following year. 1896 Women's suffrage conventions take place in Napa and St. Helena, attracting standing-room-only atten- dance. A statewide campaign demands suffrage for women, but a referendum is unsuccessful, losing by a narrow margin. 1911 California voters approve Proposition 4, an amendment to the state constitution, on Oct. 10, 2011, giving women the right to vote. 1912 Women in California vote in a state election for the first time on March 28, 1912. 1920 Carrie Chapman Catt founds the League of Women Voters on Feb. 14, 1920. The founding principles decree that it is to be nonpartisan and work for the common good. 1920 The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is signed on Aug. 16, 1920, giving women the right to vote in all elections. Women vote in a federal election for the first time on Nov. 2, 1920. 1923 The first version of the Equal Rights Amendment is introduced. 1961 The President's Commission on the Status of Women investigates the inequality of women in areas such as education, the workplace and law. 1963 "The Feminine Mystique" by Betty Friedan is published, dispelling common stereotypes about women and launching the Women's Liberation Movement. 1966 The National Organization for Women is founded on June 30, 1966. Betty Friedan is a cofounder. 1972 The U.S. Senate approves the Equal Rights Amendment, which man- dates equal rights for all Americans regardless of gender. It requires 38 states ratify it and has 35, when, conservative Phyllis Schafly begins to campaign against it, leading five states to revoke their ratifi- cation. It fails to get sufficient support by its deadline in 1982. 1984 Presidential Candidate Walter Mondale chooses Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate, making her the first woman on a presidential ticket. 1992 The Year of the Woman: Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein are elected as U.S. Senators, along with Patty Murray of Washington State and Carol Mosely Braun of Illinois, in a record number of women elected to the Senate in the same year. Lynn Woolsey wins Boxer's former seat in the House of Representatives. 2016 Hillary Clinton is the first woman to run for pres- ident and wins the popular vote but loses the electoral college. 2017 Women began speaking out against sexual assault and harassment, leading to the launching of the #MeToo Movement. The movement grows, and women around the world come together in marches to raise awareness and de- mand justice. 2019 Women in the United States earn 79 cents for every dollar men make. 2020 Six women, including Sen. Kamala Harris of California, run for nom- ination as the presidential candidate for the Democratic Party, but all drop out by the end of March. The State of Virginia becomes the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, even though the deadline has long passed. n Geraldine Ferraro campaigns for Walter Mondale in 1984; U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer on the campaign trail; U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein; Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris at the Democratic State Convention. – AP Photo/ Jeff Reinking, AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images, AP Photo/Jeff Chiu The women's movement and North Bay milestones

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