Texas became the first state in the South to ratify the 19th Amendment in 1919.
“With high hopes and enthusiasm, women stepped forth into a world in which they were citizens at last,” concluded Jane Y. McCallum.
McCallum had been particularly effective convincing Texas legislators that women deserved the right to vote. The fact that she had four children helped counter the contention of many legislative opponents that all suffragettes were “childless, short-haired communists.”
We learned about Jane Y. McCallum in a special exhibit about women and the vote at the 2017 Texas State Fair.