League of Women Voters
of Umpqua Valley
Welcome to our 'History' Page!
About the State and National Leagues
Some of our History ~
Deep Grow the Roots
"The rights of the 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."
This is the language of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, adopted in 1920. These are the exact words, first offered by Susan B. Anthony in 1875, introduced in the U.S. for the first time in 1878, and every year thereafter until finally adopted by that body in 1919 and ratified by the states in 1920.
The idea had spread west and in Oregon the woman who contributed most to it was Abigail Scott Dunniway, who often road on horseback from village to village to talk to other women about women's rights. She and others joined in the work of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). In 1919 Carrie Chapman Catt, its far-sighted leader, visited Oregon and encouraged the suffrage workers here to a new effort to obtain Oregon's ratification of the proposed 19th Amendment and aroused their interest in the new organization she proposed.
On February 14, 1920, six months before the 19th Amendment was ratified, delegates from the NAWSA met for a victory convention in Chicago. NAWSA president Carrie Chapman Catt, in her convention address, proposed the creation of a League of women voters to "finish the fight" and to aid in the reconstruction of the nation. While the fight for suffrage soon ended, the League has continued to serve the nation for almost 80 years. As Mrs. Catt told convention delegates that year:
"The League of Women Voters is not to dissolve any present organization but to unite all existing organizations of women who believe in its principles. It is not to create sex antagonism but to develop cooperation between men and women. It is not to lure women from partisanship but to combine them in an effort for legislation which will protect coming movements, which we cannot even foretell, from suffering the untoward conditions which have hindered for so long the coming of equal suffrage. Are the women of the United States big enough to see their opportunity?"
From the very beginning it was apparent that the legislative goals of the League were not exclusively women's issues and that citizen education aimed at all of the electorate was in order. In its years of service, the League has helped millions of women and men become informed participants in government. And it has tackled a diverse range of public issues.
The League Today
While the League's programs and priorities have changed over the years to meet the changing times, a League pamphlet written in 1919 describes with remarkable accuracy its basic aims today: "The organization has three purposes -- to foster education in citizenship, to promote forums and public discussions and to support needed legislation."
In the best sense of the word, the League of Women Voters has always been an activist organization that derives its strength from the energy of thousands of members in state and local Leagues across the nation. Membership was broadened in 1974 to include men.
Oregon has approximately 1264 members in 14 local Leagues throughout Oregon and a State League organization located in Salem. The State Board is comprised of about 12 members from throughout the state who meet monthly or more.
National League (LWVUS) conventions are held in even-numbered years and State League conventions are held in odd-numbered years. Local Leagues choose their delegates and all members are welcome to attend as registered observers or delegates of their local League.
