Carrie Chapman Catt

Hello! My name is Carrie Chapman Catt. I was born on a farm in Iowa on January 9th, 1859. When I was a young girl, I loved my family and our life on the farm. But one day in 1872, when I was just 13 years old, I learned something that surprised me very much. It was an election day, and I saw my father getting ready to vote. I asked my mother if she was going, too. She told me that women weren't allowed to vote. I couldn't believe it! My mother was so smart and wonderful. It just didn't seem fair, and it made me start asking big questions about how we could make things right.

I always loved to learn and read as many books as I could. As I grew up, I decided I wanted to go to college. In those days, not many girls went to college, but that didn't stop me. I worked hard at different jobs to earn money to pay for my school. In the year 1880, I graduated from Iowa Agricultural College. I was very proud because I was the only woman in my entire graduating class! After I finished my studies, I became a teacher and later a school superintendent, which meant I was in charge of many schools.

That feeling I had as a girl—that it wasn't fair for women not to vote—never went away. I decided to join a group of brave women who were working to change the rules. This was called the 'suffrage' movement, which is a big word that just means fighting for the right to vote. I worked very hard, and in the year 1900, I was chosen to be the president of our biggest group, the National American Woman Suffrage Association. I came up with what I called a 'Winning Plan.' The idea was to work together to convince the whole country, one state at a time, that women deserved to have their voices heard in elections, just like men.

We worked for many, many years. We gave speeches, organized parades, and talked to important leaders all across the country. We never gave up! And finally, all our hard work paid off. I will never forget the wonderful feeling when our dream came true. In the year 1920, a very important new rule called the 19th Amendment was added to the U.S. Constitution. This new rule meant that women all across the United States finally had the right to vote. It was a day of great celebration for everyone who had fought for so long.

Even after we won the right to vote, my work wasn't finished. In 1920, I started a new group called the League of Women Voters to help women learn how to be smart and informed voters. That group is still helping people today. I also spent many years of my life working for peace between different countries. I lived to be 88 years old. Today, people remember me as someone who believed in fairness and fought to make sure that everyone's voice had a chance to matter.