League of Women Voters of Maryland records
Collection
0088-MDHC
The League of Women Voters of Maryland was founded in 1921, shortly after the passage of the nineteenth amendement granting women the vote. The League has antecedents in a number of suffrage organizations, including the Just Government League of Maryland and the Women's Suffrage League of Maryland. The League of Women Voters has organized county leagues and developed a program for voicing the concerns and furthering the interests of its members. The League has also been particularly interested in elections and voting; efficiency in government; social and child welfare; women's rights; world peace; and education. Among the controversial areas in which the League has been active over the years are child labor; collective bargaining; food and drug administration; housing; the merit system in civil service; the United Nations; disarmament; the poll tax; civil rights; and the Equal Rights Amendment. League activities are documented in newsletters, press releases, correspondence, reports, and minutes.
This collection is open for research.
Photocopies of original materials may be provided for a fee and at the discretion of the curator. Please see our Duplication of Materials policy for more information. Queries regarding publication rights and copyright status of materials within this collection should be directed to the appropriate curator.
35.75 Linear Feet
The League of Women Voters of Maryland records cover the years 1910 to 2014. Records include correspondence, memoranda, reports, minutes, newsletters, printed material, and newspaper clippings. Key subjects include elections and voting, legislation, state and local government, domestic and foreign policy, child welfare, and public welfare.
In 1921, the Women's Suffrage League of Maryland affiliated with the recently formed League of Women Voters of the United States. The new League of Women Voters of Maryland, led by its president, Mrs. Charles Ellicott, organized County Leagues and developed a program for voicing the concerns and furthering the interests of its members. The non-partisan organization has, throughout its history, focused on a number of causes helping to shape American history. In particular, the League has been interested in elections and voting, efficiency in government, social welfare, child welfare, women's rights, world peace, and education. Thus, the League has consistently supported voter education, effective government, and the rights of the under-represented. Using these areas of concern to organize its activities, the League has responded to important issues as they have arisen and has generated interest in questions that may have been overlooked. Among the controversial areas in which the League has been active over the years are child labor, collective bargaining, food and drug legislation, housing, the merit system in civil service, the United Nations, disarmament, the Poll Tax, civil rights, and the Equal Rights Amendment. In addition to these concerns, the Maryland League has been interested in local issues, including redistricting and reapportionment, state taxes and expenditures, the Maryland constitution, and state and local elections and election laws.
The collection is organized as five series.
The University of Maryland Libraries accessioned the records of the League of Women Voters of Maryland in 1972 and 1973. Oral histories (Series 5) were added in 1981 (Williamson) and 1985 (Wood and Satterthwaite).
Paper clips were replaced with plastic clips. All materials were placed in acid-free folders and acid-free boxes. Some fragile items were set apart in their folders by sheets of acid-free paper. In 2003, one folder of materials on Howard County was separated from the records of the League of Women Voters of Prince George's County and incorporated into Series 2: Counties.
Part of the Special Collections and University Archives