all weekend long, "american history tv" is joining our comcast cable partners to showcase the history of tacoma, washington. to learn more about the cities on our current to her, visit c-span.org/citiestour. to continue with our look at the history of tacoma. washington's importance in the national suffrage effort comes by the fact that we were the first state in the 20th century and follows almost a 20 states adopting their own suffrage amendment, and it takes a certain number of states to pass a national amendment to the constitution, and we were the fifth state. weref the first six located here in the west.

washington became a pivotal state, making that leap into the 20th century, and after we passed it in 1910 there was a domino effect across the country. immediately, oregon passed in 1911, followed by california, and then the dakotas, nebraska, montana, and then progressed across to new york in 1919 and of course the national amendment in 1920. you can call is a big turning point in the effort to gain suffrage for women in the united states. event thate big then the suffrage was when women's commission and seneca falls with susan b anthony, among other leaders. interestingly enough, right

after that, susan b anthony began a whirlwind trip to territorial areas in the united states to advocate for women's rights to vote. one of the early leaders in the 20th century in washington state saw her in 1848 as an eight-year-old, barnstorming through illinois. that is emma smith defoe, who ends up coming a leader of the washington state suffrage movement, and lived and worked right here in tacoma near our history museum. she saw susan b anthony in central illinois when she was eight years old, and susan b is the asked, "who audience believes women should have the right to vote?" as an eight-year-old, she stood up. that was a memorable experience that definitely has the connection to our state from 1848 right through to 1910.

right about the same time as the women's convention in seneca falls, women and men -- families wereere traveling west -- hearty people, and at that time in 1850, congress passed to the organ donation -- the oregon donation land claim laws. anyone who came to the oregon territory before 1849 got out right 640 acres of land. after 1850 they cut that in half to 320 acres. the interesting thing is that that amount of land, half of it was in the woman's name. 320 acres were given to a couple. if you were a single man, you got half of that. if you were a single man, you best a single woman, you got half of that. -- a single woman, you got half of that. right away, women have land claim ownership.

that was an important part of the oregon trail era. 1853, washington becomes a separate territory from oregon. in the first territorial ,egislative meeting in olympia which of course because our capital city eventually, the delegatesies, early once to pass women's suffrage in washington. that was part of the platform for the first legislative session in that territorial congress for washington, and it got voted down. but it was brought up right away, and there were very early man in the legislature who advocated for women's suffrage. 1880's, and to the washington is working very hard at the effort to become a state, which is achieved in 1889. but in the 1880's, women in the

territory when the right to vote -- territory win the right to vote in 1883. immediately they start to vote for a more progressive agenda and the territorial legislature, and they also unseat some of the more corrupt leaders in communities like the seattle mayor, who was known to have influence with the saloons, prohibition -- prostitution and gambling. they vote him out of office. you can imagine that suffrage is not proving that popular with a lot of people. while the legislature in those days before we were a state could vote day or may and pass -- could vote yea or nay and passed suffrage, it was argued

that the first territorial in a lotion said "he" of places, and it should say women or men. ity voted for it in 1883 and passed, but who got it rescinded in 1888? court,ritorial supreme who was opposed to women voting, and one particular justice really, really opposed it. men didon came because not want women serving on juries. that is where the division came up. the territorial supreme court chart version is devoted to resent -- not voted, they passed a decision that removed women's right to vote. and that little girl who stood up for susan b has relocated8 here with her husband -- she has

in the interim years been a paid staff are working on behalf of suffrage and temperance throughout the midwest. she was paid i think $100 a month by the national american women's suffrage association, so she comes out here to become the leader of the washington state suffrage movement. by 1906, her husband worked for the great northern railroad, so she has a salary and he gets her railroad passes. she can travel all over on a free railroad ticket, which was a great advantage. they moved to tacoma, and she along with others establishes equal suffrage association, which she is president of. i thought it was interesting that her message becomes the most powerful.

to counteract this view that washington women don't want suffrage, they really work hard through 1905, 19 oh know07, 1908, and we that we what to get the suffrage bill passed, so we have to get an amendment out there to the voters passed by 2/3 a majority of male voters in the state of washington. -- ad a common nation of combination of important women coming together. in a smith -- emma smith devoe joins up with this very colorful tton. named may hu she was a camp cook in the silver mines in northern idaho in the quarterly district.

she married a railroad engineer by the name of hutton, and they buy an interest in the hercules mine. the hercules mind become the most profitable silver mine of that era in idaho, and they become millionaires almost overnight. she is a very colorful figure. you have emma, who is kind of comes out of the temperate abolitionist suffrage movement, and you have may, who comes to this from a colorful past. together they do send on olivia -- they descend on olivia and the legislature -- all men, of of courseh and 8 -- -- and they were to get an amendment to the ballot. 1909, the house votes for the amendment, and it

passes by i think 10 to 20 votes. then in february, the senate votes, the washington state senate. by a bigger majority, and on february 25, 1909, the governor signed the bill to create the opportunity for washingtonians to vote for suffrage for women in washington state. upthat vote is going to come before washington men in november of 1910. so the suffrage amendment passes on november 8, 1910, and washington because the fifth state in the union to pass suffrage. the people coming west were people who were probably

risktakers, where looking to break out of some conventional life that they might have experienced in the east, and a lot of suffragette came out here and worked from the east and worked hard as they saw the opportunity. cities tour step recently traveled to tacoma, washington to learn about its rich history. learn more about tacoma and other stops on our tour at c-span.org/citiestour. you are watching "american history tv," all weekend, every weekend on c-span3. announcer: up next on "american history tv," from history professor michael vorenberg speaks about the 14th amendment forefforts african-americans during the post-civil war era.