Where Are the Women?

Girl Scouts want to honor women leaders with a statue in New York City.

The Alice in Wonderland statue honors a fictional girl.

In New York City’s Central Park, 22 statues honor men. Four statues show fictional × fictional JAMIE GRILL—JGI/GETTY IMAGES made-up; not real ( ) Gina uses her imagination to write fictional stories. females. One is of Alice, a character from the book Alice in Wonderland. Pam Elam wants to honor real women.

Elam started the Statue Fund. The group wants to raise more than $1 million. It will be used to build a statue of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. They fought for women’s rights (see “Leading the Way”). “We want to make it easier for people to learn about their history and be inspired × inspire GETTY IMAGES to make someone excited to do something ( ) Tom hoped his speech would inspire kids to help others. by it,” Elam says.

Helping Hands

Charlotte Hartog, 10, is a Girl Scout in Troop 3484. The New York City troop is helping spread the word about the Statue Fund. “It’s important to have all types of role models,” Charlotte says.

If the Statue Fund raises enough money, an artist will make a statue of Stanton and Anthony. It will be placed in Central Park on August 26, 2020. That date will mark 100 years since the U.S. Constitution gave women the right to vote.

Do you want to make a change in your community? “Pick a cause you are interested in,” Charlotte says. “Small steps can make a huge difference.”

These women fought for women’s rights.

Leading the Way

Elizabeth Cady Stanton (left) and Susan B. Anthony (right) met in 1851. They led the charge for women’s right to vote. When Anthony was in New York City, she would walk across Central Park to visit Stanton. Anthony made speeches all over the U.S. People called her bossy. Anthony said she just wanted to succeed. Stanton died in 1902. Anthony died four years later. They did not live to see their dream come true. The 19th Amendment was passed in 1920. It gave women in the U.S. the right to vote. To learn more, visit monumentalwomen.org.

Think!

Was it easy for women to get the right to vote? Explain your answer.

Votes for Women

March is Women’s History Month. Did you know that women have not always had the right to vote? They worked hard to get equal rights. Read the time line to learn about their struggle. Then answer the questions.

1. In what year did Stanton and Anthony form a women’s rights group? 

2. In what year did women first vote in a U.S. presidential election? 

3. What did the 19th Amendment do?