19th State to Ratify | Maine | Amie Kennedy, Artist
Her Flag Artist, Amie Kennedy
The Maine Stripe for Her Flag 2020 is my interpretation of the intensity and labor that went into changing the social and political views of the women’s suffrage movement.
The statement, “The Miles Under Their Heels Led Us to Where We Stand,” is paying homage to the early suffragist’s plight and a reminder to never forget why we as women have the right to vote by virtue of the footsteps that came before. By referencing real life photos of participants in the movement, my intent is to show the reality of where the first line was drawn for a woman’s voice in the control of civic conditions. Appearing multiple times in the Maine stripe, is Florence Brooks Whitehouse, a figurehead in Maine’s suffrage movement. Whitehouse began her plight in 1913, after realizing that the civic structure of a society which made people hungry, and children sick, and girls go wrong, was solely controlled by laws made by and voted for by men. It became clear to her that a woman’s right to vote was imperative in order to make changes and improve society. Whitehouse joined the Maine branch of the upstart Congressional Union, later changed to the National Women’s Party (NWP), serving as the chairwoman for 13 years. In 1918-1919 Whitehouse led the effort in Maine to put pressure on US Senator Frederick Hale to vote in favor of the federal amendment that would enfranchise women. In the spring of 1919, Congress sent the Nineteenth Amendment to the US Constitution to the states for ratification, Maine “antis” immediately called for another referendum. Suffragists began a frantic effort to line up state representatives and push for a special session before the referendum could be held. On November 4, 1919, Governor Milliken called a special session of the Maine state legislature. By a vote of 72 – 68, Maine became the 19th state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment.