Letter from the Editors

New York State has always played a central role in American history. The pages of this journal are filled with New Yorkers whose creations and concepts, innovations, activism—and at times, errors—have changed the world. In fact, it was here in the Empire State that the women's rights movement was born in Seneca Falls in 1848.

This year marks the centennial anniversary of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, which states, "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." Historians recognize that this proved a hollow promise, as many African American women (and men) would not have the real opportunity to vote until passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. However, the Nineteenth Amendment was a fundamental step in the right direction, and it would not have happened without New York. Voter approval of the New York State women's suffrage referendum in 1917 was the national movement's first electoral win east of the Mississippi River. At a moment when the Empire State's political influence was approaching its zenith—including forty-three seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and forty-five electoral college votes—the New York suffrage victory semaphored the approaching national triumph; and beginning in August 1920, women's suffrage was constitutionally guaranteed.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the planned celebrations in honor of the suffrage centennial have been curtailed or cancelled. However, by the time you receive this issue there will be a new statue in Central Park honoring women's rights pioneers Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Sojourner Truth—New Yorkers all. This is the first statue in the park to depict real women. Other statues are in the works elsewhere in the state memorializing Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm (Brooklyn), as well as one in Seneca Falls depicting Sojourner Truth, Quaker and early activist Marth Coffin Wright, a Seneca Woman (Laura Cornelius Kellogg), and the abolitionist and women's rights activist Harriet Tubman. At a moment of intense public debate about statues and historical memory, the unveiling of these monuments is a crucial step toward a more realistic presentation of our state's past, for even in 2020, women's representation in history still lags far behind that of men.

In honor of the suffrage centennial, this issue of New York History celebrates new historical research about the women's movement produced by women historians. Susan Goodier's article chronicles the African American activist Louisa Jacobs and the challenge of racism within the women's movement. Karen Pastorello's article discusses the variety of ways religion was used in the New York women's suffrage movement. Shellie Clark's article investigates gender and marriage roles in the nineteenth century through the lives of New Yorkers William Henry and Frances Seward. Lastly, our features (Artifact NY, Community NY, and Teach NY) all reveal dynamic ways the suffrage movement's history is being presented to the public throughout the Empire State.

As we celebrate the long struggle of women's suffrage in New York State and across the nation, let us not forget the most important gift these women and men bestowed upon us—the right to vote. Be sure to exercise this right in November.

Excelsior!

The Editors