Then & Now
by Highlands Historian Stella Bailey
It is almost time for another election as verified by all the TV commentary. It is clear that women will play a great role in this important issue and there is even the possibility of a woman vice president. This comes in the time of the 19th Amendment Centennial Commemoration.
The 19th amendment was ratified in 1920. This Constitutional amendment states and guarantees that “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.”
The fight for women’s suffrage was a long, dangerous struggle with abuse, alienation, imprisonment and determination. In some instances this struggle continues to this day, such as for equal pay.
In 1906 a referendum was held to discuss the establishment of a separate Village government. A vote was held and passed. The vote was influenced in part by the fact that a provision in State Law granted women who owned real property, the right to vote in local elections. Former historian Dr. Sidney Forman then concluded that Women of New York State apparently first voted in the Village of Highland Falls. This was contested by many and considered incorrect just as the beginnings of who started baseball! Confusion still reigns in both regards.
The important fact here is that every vote counts. If you are disgusted with the carrying on in government and you don’t feel you will vote at all, keep these facts in mind. One vote does count:
In 1645 Oliver Cromwell gained control of England by one vote and in 1649 Charles 1 of England was executed due to one vote. 1n 1776 one vote gave America the English language instead of German. In 1845 one vote brought Texas into the Union. President Andrew Johnson was saved from impeachment in 1868 by one vote. In 1876 one vote made Rutherford B. Hayes the president. One vote in 1923 gave Adolph Hitler leadership of the Nazi party.
The right to vote is not given to everyone. Use it wisely.
