At the Nevada State Museum, there were many interesting topics to learn about. The one that caught my attention most was the first woman to run for U.S. Senate—Nevada native, Anne Henrietta Martin.
The reason she ran for U.S. Senate was to knock the fear out the hearts of women. She stated, “Even if I should not win, it will never seem so strange when a woman tries it.” Her campaigns helped with changes like women’s rights and public consciousness. At the time, women lacked the right to vote or obtain an education.
She was born in Empire City, Nevada, and in 1875, she earned a bachelor’s degree from UNR at just nineteen years old! [Editor’s note: Anne went on to earn a second bachelor’s degree in 1896 and a master’s degree in history in 1897 from Stanford University.]
Fast forward to 1918, when she was campaigning as an independent in Nevada during the 1918 and 1920 elections. Back then, men across the country were heavily divided, but many enthusiastically supported the women’s labor movement.
Anne fought for women’s equality, labor rights, and social welfare. It had taken 70 years for women to win the right to vote, when the Constitution was amended on August 20, 1920, giving female Americans the power to vote in national elections. [Editor’s note: Anne’s campaigns focused on illuminating how women could act as a positive influence in politics. She went on to receive an honorary Doctorate of Laws from UNR in 1945.]
Thank you to the Nevada State Museum for our visit. It was such a fun experience, and I learned lots of new things.
Additional Sources
Photo credit: Main image by Ramaz Bluashvili from Pexels.
