Rhode Island Historical Society Hosts Smithsonian Curator for Talk on Women’s Suffrage History
Providence, RI – Americans are often told that the ballot box is the best means to achieve change. But how is that possible if the ballot is the very thing you want?
These questions are as relevant today as they were over 100 years ago as women were advocating for suffrage. In 1920, the 19th Amendment was passed which gave women the right to vote. To mark this centennial anniversary, the Rhode Island Historical Society is hosting Dr. Claire Jerry, Curator of Political History at the National Museum of American History, for a virtual presentation called “Winning the Vote with Words” on Wednesday, October 28th at 6pm for its annual Newell D. Goff lecture. In this virtual talk, Jerry will discuss the language and rhetoric women used in the 19th and early 20th centuries to gain this right. “We are delighted to again partner with the Smithsonian Institute through our
Dr. Claire Jerry
Smithsonian Affiliation to bring Claire Jerry’s scholarship and enthusiasm to our audiences. This virtual format will also allow us to reach more people interested in learning about the rhetoric of woman suffrage to participate,” said Geralyn Ducady, Director of the Newell D. Goff Center for Education and Public Programs.
Dr. Claire Jerry has worked at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History since 2016 as a curator in the Division of Political and Military History. She specializes in political rhetoric, presidential history, and the history of woman suffrage. Jerry has also served as Chief Curator at McKissick Museum at the University of South Carolina and Guest Curator at the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum. She holds an M.A. in Public History from the University of Illinois Springfield, and a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Public Address from the University of Kansas.
Prior to the talk, RIHS’s Deputy Executive Director of Collections and Interpretation Richard Ring will present a few relevant images drawn from the Historical Society’s collection of nearly 200 portraits of Rhode Island women, whose lives span four centuries.
“Winning the Vote with Words” is free and open to the public. This project received support from the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative. Registration required: https://bit.ly/3bLviW3
About the Rhode Island Historical Society
Founded in 1822, the RIHS is the fourth-oldest historical society in the United States and is Rhode Island’s largest and oldest historical organization, as well as its only Smithsonian Affiliate. In Providence, the RIHS owns and operates the John Brown House Museum, a designated National Historic Landmark,
built in 1788; the Aldrich House, built in 1822 and used for administration and public programs; and the Mary Elizabeth Robinson Research Center, where archival, book and image collections are housed. In Woonsocket, the RIHS manages the Museum of Work and Culture, a community museum examining the industrial history of northern Rhode Island and of the workers and settlers, especially French-Canadians, who made it one of the state’s most distinctive areas.