THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS® of the Fairfax Area 1998 ~ OUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR

Tracing Our Roots: From Seneca Falls, New York to Fairfax

In this anniversary year, "Tracing Our Roots: From Seneca Falls, New York to Fairfax, Virginia" highlights the accomplishments of the League of Women Voters of the Fairfax Area through fifty continuous years of service to the community. The League's well-known Voter Service work is documented from its earliest efforts in creating the first voting precinct map later adopted by Fairfax County; fighting for the repeal of the anachronistic poll tax; successfully urging passage of the National Voter Registration Act (aka Motor Voter) in the 1990s. The reliance of voters upon the League's nonpartisan, unbiased information on candidates prior to each November general election is pointed out; and it is noted that Facts for Voters, a directory of elected/appointed officials, has become the League's signature publication. The organization's reputation for serious study of timely issues and influencing public policy is discussed with specific examples of League advocacy on environmental quality, schools, transportation, land use, and others.

The book traces devotion to the democratic process from the start of the American Women's Movement and its dedication to the enfranchisement of women, which led to the forming of the League of Women Voters. A brief overview outlines the vast, tumultuous, and rapid changes wrought during the 1800s that made these developments possible. The official beginning of the American Women's Rights Movement in Seneca Falls, New York, July, 1848, is described as well as its prominent leaders, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, joined shortly thereafter by Susan B. Anthony. The struggle for the vote had to be passed on to a second generation of women, headed by Carrie Chapman Catt. A short biography of this intrepid woman discusses the implementation of her vision of a League of Women Voters to teach women how to exercise their hard-won right to vote. We are then introduced to the early League of Women Voters national presidents and follow the development of the organization against the backdrop of national and world affairs. The chronicle looks at the 19th century in Virginia, suffrage efforts, and the history of the League in the state. Special attention is given to the first women to sit in the state legislature in l924.

Our indebtedness to women of resourcefulness and courage, past and present, is noted and many of those individuals are profiled. The intent of this record is to celebrate the strength and diversity of women and encourage others to accept the challenge for the future. This anniversary special is available in the Fairfax County Public Libraries. (64 pages)