August 26, 2020 marked the 100th Anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote.
This simply stated Amendment -- 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 -- required a lengthy and difficult struggle; victory took decades of agitation and protest. Beginning in the mid-19th century, several generations of woman suffrage supporters lectured, wrote, marched, lobbied, and practiced civil disobedience to achieve what many Americans considered a radical change of the Constitution. Few early supporters lived to see final victory in 1920.
Between 1878, when the amendment was first introduced in Congress, and August 18, 1920, when it was ratified, champions of voting rights for women worked tirelessly, using a variety of strategies. 50 years earlier, when Wyoming was still a territory, legislators passed the Wyoming Suffrage Act of 1869. This act gave women in the territory the right to vote. Wyomians then turned their activism towards a national referendum. They persisted and 100 years later we celebrate their sacrifices.
Celebrating Louisa Gardner Swain (1801 – 1880), was the first woman in the United States to vote in a general election. Louisa Gardner Swain made world history when on the morning of September 6, 1870, in Laramie, Wyoming, she became the first woman in the world to cast a ballot under democratically enacted laws granting women equal political rights with men.
The casting of her historic ballot caused the local newspaper, THE SENTINAL, to editorialize, "There was too much good sense in our community for any jeers or sneers to be seen on such an occasion".
Louisa Swain was born in Norfolk, Virginia in 1800. She was raised in the Quaker faith, was married and the mother of three children. A few years after casting her historic ballot she and her husband moved to Maryland to live with their daughter. It was in Baltimore that Louisa Swain died in 1878 and she is buried in the Friends Burying Groundson the Old Harford Road in Baltimore.
The Wyoming Women's History House has three flags that fly from the front of the building. Each flag signifies a state of importance in the life of Louisa Swain. Virginia for the state of her birth. Wyoming for the state of her historic ballot. Maryland for the state of her death.
Now, to find the location of the final. From the posted coordinates enter the Welcome Center (open 24/7) and locate the exhibit honoring those that fought for the right to vote. Use the information here to find the final coordinates where:
A = The number of types of rodeo events women have participated in over the years.
B = The number of events Sarah K. qualified for at the same Winter Olympics.
C = The number of decades Cris Williamson's career has spanned. Add 2.
Check sum = 14
and
D = The number of letters in the state represented here.
E = The number of full terms at the U.S. Mint served by Nellie. Add 1.
F = The last number of the year Dora represented Wyoming at the Republican National Convention.
Check sum = 15
Final is located at: N 41 03.ABC W 104 52.DEF
Enter the above coordinates into the checker below for a bonus hint:
You can validate your puzzle solution with certitude.
Update: Helen Reddy, who popularized the song, "I Am Woman," that this series was based on died on 29 September 2020. RIP Helen.
