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Handout E: Suffrage by State – Shall Women Have the Right to Vote? (1866-1890)

Directions:

Refer to Appendix B: Timeline and Quotes as you fill in the map according to the instructions. You will use this map again in the next lesson.

The “right to vote” was not always clear and consistent. Some states offered some women the right to vote in some elections. For example, Kentucky gave unmarried or widowed women the right to vote in school elections as early as 1838. Kansas allowed women to vote in local school elections in 1861 and in municipal elections in 1887.

By 1890, several Western states had granted full suffrage to women. What are some of the reasons they may have had for doing so?

On the map below, color the following areas green and write the territory/state name and the year when the territory or state granted women the right to vote in local or state elections

  • 1869 Territory of Wyoming/State of Wyoming 1890
  • 1870 Territory of Utah
  • 1883 Territory of Washington
  • 1887 Territory of Montana