1Recognizing August 26, 2014, as "Women's Equality Day" in
2Pennsylvania.

3WHEREAS, In 1971, the Congress of the United States
4designated August 26 as Women's Equality Day at the request of
5Representative Bella Abzug, Democrat, of New York; and

6WHEREAS, The observance commemorated the passage and
7ratification in 1920 of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution
8of the United States, granting women the right to vote; and

9WHEREAS, Passed by Congress in 1919, the 19th Amendment
10resulted from a peaceful women's civil rights movement which had
11officially begun in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York; and

12WHEREAS, The Seneca Falls Convention yielded the Declaration
13of Sentiments, a key document which Frederick Douglass called

1the "grand movement for attaining the civil, social, political,
2and religious rights of women"; and

3WHEREAS, From the mid-19th century through the early 20th
4century, women's rights activists, such as Elizabeth Cady
5Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Susan B. Anthony, Lucy Stone, Alice Paul
6and Lucy Burns, organized, wrote, spoke and picketed in order to
7gain voting rights for all women; and

8WHEREAS, On June 4, 1919, after much congressional debate,
9the proposed constitutional amendment providing for women's
10suffrage passed by a vote of 56-25; and

11WHEREAS, On August 18, 1920, Tennessee was the final state to
12ratify the 19th Amendment; and

13WHEREAS, The monumental passage of the 19th Amendment marked
14the first of many victories in the women's rights movement; and

15WHEREAS, Women's Equality Day commemorates the landmark
16achievement of the passage and ratification of the 19th
17Amendment, while calling attention to continuing efforts in the
18attainment of full equality for women; therefore be it

19RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize August
2026, 2014, as "Women's Equality Day" in Pennsylvania and
21encourage all Pennsylvanians to participate in related events in
22their communities.