Colorado women gain the right to vote, nearly 30 years before the rest of the country (1893)

National History Day
2024 Guides - Turning Points in History
Research Guide Image
Photograph of unidentified woman putting up billboard with bucket and broom. Billboard reads: "'Women of Colorado, you have the vote. Get it for women of the nation by voting against Woodrow Wilson and the Democratic Candidate for Congress. Their party opposes national woman suffrage. The National Woman's Party." Billboard features image of young woman and a hat with "The Woman's Party" feather and a "50-50" price tag, above which is the motto "Our Hat's in the Ring."

Getting Started

Begin your research by brainstorming keywords - the words and phrases you’ll use to search for books, articles, websites, government documents, and other resources. These may include names of people and places or historical concepts like eras and movements. A librarian can suggest “subject headings” to find the most relevant resources.

Example Keywords & Catalog Subject Headings

Women
Suffrage
Suffragists
Sufragettes
Voting Rights
Colorado
Colorado Women's Suffrage Association
Colorado State Equal Suffrage Association
Colorado Non-Partisan Suffrage Association
Colored Woman's Suffrage Association
Territorial Woman Suffrage Society
Congressional Union ( later known as the National Woman's Party)
Caroline Spencer
Elizabeth Piper Ensley
Women -- Suffrage -- Colorado.
Women's rights -- Colorado.

Books/Print Resources at DPL

No place for a woman : the struggle for suffrage in the wild west
Suffrage : women's long battle for the vote / Ellen Carol DuBois.

Special Collections and Archives Resources

The Special Collections and Archives at the Central Library focus on Colorado and the West, including the Tenth Mountain Division, Conservation history, and the history of Denver, and feature many primary source materials. 

The Special Collections and Archives at the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library focus on African American history and culture in Colorado and the West, and also feature many primary source collections.

Items from these two locations do not check out and are available to see during the hours we are open. Our Special Collections staff are available to assist by phone and email and can provide scans of collection items for your project. To determine which of these two locations is best for your project, email history@denverlibrary.org and include "National History Day" in your subject line. You may also call 720-865-1821 (Central) or 720-865-2401 (Blair-Caldwell). 

The women did it in Colorado :how the Colorado women learned to vote and the re…
Queen bee. (Denver suffragette newspaper)
CO Equal Suffrage Leaflet. Colorado Equal Suffrage Association. [1890-1895?]

Database/Online Resources

Library databases are online collections of information, organized for research. Databases contain articles, eBooks, images, maps, primary sources and more. If you don’t have a library card, register online for immediate access to these resources. The following recommended databases are available on our Research and Teen Social Studies pages.

Sample Articles
Colorado's Women Voters: The Work They Have Accomplished Since Receiving the Right of Suffrage. Politics Have Been Materially Purified in the State by the Influence of Women. Female Officeholders Have Proved Efficient. 1897. (Library card required.)
Women Victors in Colorado: Returns Indicate a Majority for Equal Suffrage. (1893) (Library card required.)

Prospector: Materials from Other Colorado and Wyoming Libraries

​​As a Denver Public Library customer, you can also borrow materials from other libraries in Colorado and Wyoming. Use Prospector to request materials that DPL does not own.

1893 Colorado suffrage centennial 1993 : celebrating 100 years of Colorado wome…
History of equal suffrage in Colorado, 1868-1898 / Joseph G. Brown.

Internet Sources

Before using information you find on the internet for assignments and research, it is important to establish that the information comes from a reliable and appropriate source. The following websites, from government, academic and nonprofit organizations, have been evaluated for authority, accuracy, content and currency.

Women's Suffrage Movement: Colorado Encyclopedia
Judge Bromwell’s Minority Report on Suffrage, 1876
Transcript of report from Western History Collection, The Denver Public Library, Denver, Colorado.

Contact the Reference Services department for help with your research project