The Lake Minnetonka Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution proudly announces the winners of its 2019 essay competition. This year’s competition invited middle school students to submit essays inspired by “The Women’s Suffrage Campaign” in honor of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution passed on June 4, 1919. This amendment granted all American women the right to vote and hold elective office.
Wayzata East Middle School student, Sadie Meisenheimer, won the 6th grade competition. In her essay, Sadie creatively wrote from the perspective of the daughter of Charlotte Woodward. Charlotte attended the pivotal 1848 Seneca Falls Convention organized to fight for women’s right to vote. Of the sixty-eight women who signed the convention’s “Declaration of Sentiments” outlining women’s rights, Charlotte was the only woman who lived to see the final ratification of the 19th Amendment.
Wayzata West Middle School student, Emmeline Wang, won the 7th grade competition. Emmeline’s innovative essay was written as though she was vocal women’s rights leader, Alice Paul, making entries in her diary. As Alice, Emmeline explained how she and Lucy Burns founded the National Women’s Party to fight for women’s rights at the national level in Congress, unlike the National American Women’s Suffrage Association, which concentrated on suffrage at the state level. Emmeline also described Alice’s courageous hunger strike which tragically resulted in her abusive forced feeding.
The Daughters of the American Revolution congratulate these students and commend them for their efforts to educate our community on the historical importance and impact of the women’s suffrage campaign.
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