This year the coronavirus pandemic effectively cancelled April Fools' Day.  A century ago, suffragettes were not amused either. 

On March 29, 1920 Mississippi voted against ratifying the proposed 19th Amendment, prompting Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Clifford K. Berryman to draw the following April Fools’ Day lampoon:

Published 100 years ago today in the Washington Evening Star, the cartoon shows Uncle Sam wearing a Mississippi hat and gleefully waiting to snatch the 19th Amendment—prohibiting states from denying voting rights on the basis of sex—away from a passing suffragist.

It is, like Berryman’s many other cartoons, clever and funny, but it also illustrates a serious point, one that still resonates a century later. Equality is elusive, even when you think you have it in your grasp.

Although the 19th Amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920—four and a half months after this cartoon was published—Mississippi did not vote to ratify the amendment until March 22, 1984, 64 years after the fact.  More importantly, for many black women, voting rights were not a “fact” until long after the date of ratification. Indeed, although the jury is still out, many would argue that even today, voting rights remain out of reach for many citizens.

In its upcoming exhibition to commemorate the centennial of the 19th Amendment, the New York Public Library will explore the successes, defeats, and complexities of women’s continuing struggle for gender equality.  Check the Women’s Suffrage New York City Centennial Consortium website for details on when it will open, and information on related exhibits around the city. 

In the meantime, we’ve posted a new online resource to help you explore your ancestors’ involvement in the women’s suffrage movement. Many of the resources identified in How to Find Your Suffragette Ancestors are available online, so you don’t have to wait to get started.

In addition, NYPL has arranged with its vendors to make some databases that were previously only available on-site accessible to NYPL cardholders at home. Among them is Newspapers.com, which includes the Washington Evening Star —so you can view this cartoon as it was originally published from the comfort of your home as well.

---> LibGuide: How to Find Your Suffragette Ancestors