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- Registration will close on March 28, 2026 @ 11:00am.
Program Description
Event Details
Patriotism, War, and Woman Suffrage with Anne Gass
Help us celebrate Women's History Month with a special program about women's voting rights, an issue from our past and present.
In February 1917 voting rights activists were jubilant when the Maine legislature approved the state’s first ever referendum on woman suffrage. The vote was set for September 10th. But even as Maine suffragists prepared their campaign to convince their men that women deserved the vote the country was preparing to enter the war in Europe. The wave of patriotism that followed the US joining the war collided with women’s efforts- in Maine and nationally- to secure voting rights for women. It also reversed hard-fought gains in greater equality for women and working people. There are some interesting parallels to events happening today. This is an engaging talk accompanied by historic slides. There will be time for questions and answers at the end of the presentation.
Registration is not required. You may register if you wish to receive an email reminder. Join us!
About Anne Gass
Anne B. Gass is an independent historian and author of Voting Down the Rose: Florence Brooks Whitehouse and Maine’s Fight for Woman Suffrage, published in 2014. Anne is Whitehouse’s great-granddaughter, and she speaks regularly on suffrage and women’s rights history. Her most recent book is We Demand: The Suffrage Road Trip, based on the true story of an epic cross-country road trip that took place in 1915. Anne retraced their route in 2015, a century later. Anne is a member of Maine's Permanent Commission on the Status of Women and sits on the Gray Town Council.