#OTD20 | September 9, 1916

Wilson Speaks on Women's Suffrage

September 9, 1916: President Woodrow Wilson speaks in Atlantic City on the issue of women’s suffrage.

The president recognizes the gravity of the movement, calling it “…one of the most astonishing tides in modern history.” But also urges patience, saying: “…when the forces of nature are steadily working and the tide is rising to meet the moon, you need not be afraid that it will not come to its flood. We feel the tide; we rejoice in the strength of it; and we shall not quarrel in the long run as to the method of it.”

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The women’s suffrage movement is chronicled in our curriculum-aligned film, The Progressive Era, from AMERICA IN THE 20TH CENTURY.

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Additional Resources

Access more information from Media Rich Learning and curated off-site sources.

MILLER CENTER

Read Wilson's entire speech at UVA | Miller Center.

SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE

Read the blog post How Edith Wilson Kept Herself—and Her Husband—in the White House.

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