The Army of the Severn

The Army of the Severn. Women's Suffrage and the 19th Amendment. , Members of the Just Government League, a women's suffrage organization, gathered at the Maryland State House on January 7, 1914. Known as The Army of the Severn, this contingent delivered a suffrage petition to the General Assembly after marching from Baltimore to Annapolis., Established in 1909, the Just Government League became the largest organization in Maryland advocating for women's suffrage., After Congress adopted the 19th Amendment in 1920 guaranteeing women the right to vote, the League turned its focus to women's civil and political rights and in 1922 won the right for women to hold public office in Maryland., Despite the efforts of women across the street, Maryland did not ratify the 19th Amendment until March 29, 1941 and the vote was not certified until February 25, 1958., This project was undertaken in celebration of the 19th Amendment Centennial August 26, 2020 by Senator Sarah Elfreth, Maryland General Assembly, in collaboration with the Downtown Annapolis Partnership, City of Annapolis, Maryland State Archives, and property owners Cheerharan Thakur, Andrew Fox and John Miller, and is entirely funded by the State of Maryland. The original photograph was taken by the Schutz Studio of Washington, D.C. [Maryland State Archives, Margaret Moss Dowsett Collections, MSA SC 4247-1]