The U.S. Congress designated August 26 as "Women's Equality Day" in 1971 to commemorate the 1920 passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which granted women in the United States the right to vote. Each year a Presidential Proclamation recognizes the hard work and perseverance of those who have helped secure women's suffrage.

The women's rights movement originated in Seneca Falls, New York, in July 1848, when Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott initiated a convention "to discuss the social, civil and religious condition and rights of woman." The convention's "Declaration of Sentiments" affirmed that women are entitled to the same rights as men. One of the resolutions called for universal women's suffrage, and one hundred women and men from all walks of life signed the Declaration.

Today, American women are leaders in business, government, law, science, medicine, the arts, education, and many other fields. Remarkable American women have broadened opportunities for themselves and women around the world. The observance of Women's Equality Day not only commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment, but also recognizes women's continuing efforts toward full equality.

In a series of articles commemorating Women's Equality Day, USINFO explores the history of the Senaca Falls Convention, the 19th Amendment and contemporary American women: