International Relations

Following the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the suffrage movement shifted its focus. The fight for equality was not entirely finished in 1920; it was necessary to inform voting women in the United States about their rights as voters and their responsibilities as citizens. The League of Women Voters can be said to have been established as a continuation of the fight for fairness and a voice for those in need. This was not limited to the borders of a particular city, state, or country. The League of Women Voters of Baltimore City have been internationally focused in their Program since their inception in 1920. Their organization has had international contacts from the very beginning. Below one can see the return addresses from the Pan-American Conference Letter. The significance of this should be evident as the one hundredth anniversary of the women's suffrage movement and as confirmation of the global significance of the city of Baltimore within said movement. The League's involvement with the international community continues to this day, evident from the photographs such as the Farewell Party for Russian Guests or the meeting with then City Council President Sheila Dixon and Zambian Visitors. Since Mrs. Crockin's tenure they have organized multiple lectures and produced a series of publications on the effects nuclear war, the benefits of United Nations peace talks, and US-China relations, efforts which continue today. 

The objects below showcase at the League's international purview: a conference attended by the famous Lady Astor (b.1879-d.1964), the first seated female member of Parliament in the United Kingdom; briefings detailing relations of the United States with China; lecture announcement on the state of the Persian Gulf and photographs of guests from Zambia and Russia.