Program

National Votes for Women Trail

Subject

People, Site

Location

204 E Main St, Westminster, MD 21157, USA

Lat/Long

39.569683, -76.990417

Grant Recipient

National Collaborative for Women's History Sites

In 1913, Mary B. Shellman (1849-1938) helped to establish the Just Government League of Carroll County, Maryland serving as the group’s first president. At its founding, the Carroll County Just Government League had 11 members, and by 1914, had increased to include 89 members. The group distributed literature promoting women’s suffrage and held regular public meetings, including two mass meetings in Westminster.

In June 1919, the United States Congress passed the Nineteenth Amendment, which would give women the right to vote once ratified by the necessary 36 states. Despite the efforts of Maryland suffragists, the state rejected ratification of the amendment. However, by August 1920, 36 states had ratified the Nineteenth Amendment, securing women’s right to vote across the United States, including in the state of Maryland. By October 1920, Mary B. Shellman was working to educate newly registered voters in the voting process at her home on Main Street in Westminster.