The Jackson Purchase Historical Society will host a program at 10:30 on Saturday, August 16, in the Tennessee Room at Discovery Park of America, 830 Everett Blvd., Union City, Tennessee. Dr. Renee LaFleur who will discuss her extensive research on the Women’s Suffrage Movement in Tennessee. She is associate professor of history at the University of Tennessee-Martin. She has her PhD from Ohio University and teaches and does research on women’s history.
The issue of women’s suffrage was part of American politics for many years and was controversial. Between January 1918 and June 1919, the House and Senate voted on the federal amendment five times. Each vote was extremely close. Finally in early June the proposed Amendment passed the Senate and was sent to the states. Tennessee played an important role in the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. Dr. LaFleur’s presentation will explore this important and interesting episode in our history. “We are pleased that Dr. LaFleur is sharing her extensive research on this important topic with us today. Through our meetings and our Journal, we share research about important aspects of our region’s history with the larger community. Dr. LaFleur’s research brings to forefront the important role Tennessee played in women gaining the right to vote. We also appreciate partnership for this event from Discovery Park of America, which includes historical exhibits and programming in its mission,” said JPHS President Bill Mulligan. Those attending the program will enjoy free admission to the Discovery Park, excluding special exhibits.
In 1958, a group of historians met in Murray, Kentucky led by faculty from Murray State University and University of Tennessee-Martin and formed the Jackson Purchase Historical Society to promote interest, study, and preservation of the regional history of the territory encompassed in the Treaty of Tuscaloosa, known as the Jackson Purchase. The society holds several meetings each year with a speaker on Jackson Purchase history and publishes an award-winning journal on regional history. Members include a wide range of people who simply share a love of history and a love of the Jackson future Purchase area.
Articles are welcome for issues of the JPHS Journal and can be sent to the editor at billmulligan@muray-ky.net The editor also welcomes inquiries about topics for articles, books for review, or offers to review a book. Copies of the Journal are available from the Jackson Purchase Historical Society, PO Box 531, Murray, KY 42071. The cost is $15.90 including postage and sales tax. Anyone interested in Jackson Purchase history is welcome to join the JPHS. Information about membership and future programs is available on the society’s website: http://jacksonpurchasehistoricalsociety.org/. Free electronic access to back issues of the Journal through 2021 is also available through the Society’s website.