Granting women the right to vote was a hot topic of the early 20th Century, and the folks of Selma took sides in a big way. In 1915, all of Dallas County's state representatives supported the bill until a group of local attorneys passed around an anonymous pamphlet declaring the danger of such a proposal! Patriotism and manhood were questioned, and one Selmian called it a Yankee plot. Even the women were divided. The president of the Alabama Equal Suffrage Association was from Selma, but so was the president of the Alabama Association Opposed to Women Suffrage.
The pro-suffrage leader addressed the all-male legislature and told them:
"We feel we are your equals, and we want our right to vote to count at the polls. Women have been too long treated as irresponsible children, and now they want to share in the things that are going on."
The 19th Amendment passed, and Alabama's Legislature approved it, so the women of Selma voted for the first time in November 1920. In 1922, Selmian Harriet Hooker Wilkins was elected as the first woman legislator in Alabama. She defeated the state representative who first introduced the bill, then denounced it when he was accused of being less than manly.
School students from Selma and surrounding areas toured monuments and museums this week as part of Black History Month activities. Selma sponsors a Black Heritage Tour that includes a visit to the Old Depot Museum, National Voting Rights Museum, Brown Chapel AME Church and a walk across the Pettus Bridge. This museum, which once was the L&N train depot, has a black history room that features photos, murals and memorabilia from the Civil War era to Reconstruction, the Depression and Civil Rights era.
February is Black History Month in the USA, and a rare collection of late-19th Century photographs of tenant farmer families is displayed at the Old Depot Museum. The Keipp Collection is a series of stunning black and white photos made by Mary Morgan Keipp, daughter of a German immigrant. Her home was near an area where farm wagons parked to sell produce, so many of the pictures portray children playing as their parents sold or bought produce. However, some pictures such as this one, show life on the tenant farm.
What do you think this woman and child are doing?
*(I am told by the museum guide that during dry weather, water could be found by digging into the earth. The little girl is digging for water with a stick while the woman appears to be washing clothes. I would guess this might be a dry stream bed.)
Ever seen a bottle tree? If you looked closely at Wednesday's Picket Fences post, you would have noticed a bottle tree in the yard. Bottle trees are said to ward off evil spirits, and the idea was brought to America along with the Africans who became slaves. Today's bottle trees, however, are simply ornamental. They are primarily associated with southern gardens.
You can chat across the picket fences at one of Selma's newest gift shops, or you can nap on the porch's picket swinging bed! Purchase picket plank birdhouses or a variety of other local homemade crafts...pillows, soap, honey, baby and children's items, vintage kitchen towels and dishes like the ones your grandmother had. Picket Fences is located on Church Street, and the proprietor's husband not only makes houses for the birds but primitive furniture for people.
Today is Super Tuesday when voters in 24 states choose preferences for their party's presidential nomination. Selma's Woodrow Avenue Fire Station serves as a polling place for elections.
Democrats are choosing between frontrunners Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Republican frontrunners are John McCain, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee. It is likely that today's election will give a clear edge to who might be the parties' eventual nominee. The general election is in November.
Paperwhite narcissus is blooming in a few yards around town. This delicate, aromatic flower is related to the daffodil and among my favorite of all blossoms.
Can the feline prognosticator be wrong? In my February 2 post, she predicted six more weeks of winter. Yet, here is proof that Spring is here! It's a daffodil, our first spring flower of the year...the ONLY flower in my yard so far...but there will be more... SOON. Just two weeks ago, we had snow.
Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
Selma doesn't have groundhogs, but it does have cats, and this feline prognosticator saw her shadow today. Like Puxatawny Phil predicted in Pennsylvania, we will have six more weeks of winter before Spring!
When people think of Selma, Alabama, USA, they think of "Civil War to Civil Rights" history. Our town is also known for its abundance of historic homes and structures.
At left, the Confederate Monument reigns over Old Live Oak Cemetery where numerous Confederate veterans, including a few generals, are buried. Confederate Circle is flanked by cannons and includes a bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest, the general who defended Selma in one of the last battles of the War Between the States. Selma played an important role in the war with its large foundry and navy yard, which supplied munitions and shipbuilding for the Confederacy.
At right, this window in the National Voting Rights Museum recognizes some of the voting rights leaders. Outside the window, you can see the Pettus Bridge. One hundred years after the Battle of Selma, the town became pivotal for its role in the Civil Rights/Voting Rights Movement.
There are well over 100 other City Daily Photo Blogs participating in this month's Theme Day. Be sure to check them out!Portland (OR), USA - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Memphis (Tennessee), USA - Manila, Philippines - San Diego (CA), USA - Anderson (SC), USA - New York City (NY), USA - San Diego (CA), USA - Mexico City, Mexico - San Francisco (CA), USA - Mumbai (Maharashtra), India - Mainz, Germany - Weston (FL), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Turin, Italy - Las Vegas (NV), USA - Hobart (Tasmania), Australia - Bicheno, Australia - Durban, South Africa - Joplin (MO), USA - Nashville (TN), USA - Stockholm, Sweden - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Brussels, Belgium - Chicago (IL), USA - Montpellier, France - Seattle (WA), USA - Mazatlan, Mexico - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Sharon (CT), USA - Sesimbra, Portugal - Toulouse, France - Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina - Susanville (CA), USA - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Prague, Czech Republic - Helsinki, Finland - Pilisvörösvár, Hungary - Lisbon, Portugal - Mexico (DF), Mexico - Trujillo, Peru - Dunedin (FL), USA - Albuquerque (NM), USAPort Angeles (WA), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - London, UK - Baziège, France - Jefferson City (MO), USA - Greenville (SC), USA - Selma (AL), USA - Mumbai, India - Naples (FL), USA - Norwich (Norfolk), UK - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Setúbal, Portugal - Stayton (OR), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Sofia, Bulgaria - Arradon, France - Montego Bay, Jamaica - Athens, Greece - Austin (TX), USA - Singapore, Singapore - West Sacramento (CA), USA - Jackson (MS), USA - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Budapest, Hungary - Rotterdam, Netherlands - St Malo, FranceChandler (AZ), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Port Vila, Vanuatu - Cleveland (OH), USA - Nottingham, UK - Kansas City (MO), USA - The Hague, Netherlands - Crystal Lake (IL), USA - Wrocław, Poland - Chateaubriant, France - Cheltenham, UK - Moscow, Russia - Monrovia (CA), USA - Saigon, Vietnam - Toruń, Poland - Grenoble, France - Lisbon, Portugal - New Orleans (LA), USA - Sydney, Australia - Boston (MA), USA - American Fork (UT), USA - Boston (MA), USA - Montréal (QC), Canada - Wichita (KS), USA - Radonvilliers, France - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Christchurch, New Zealand - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Wailea (HI), USA - Aliso Viejo (CA), USA - St Francis, South Africa - Port Elizabeth, South Africa - Seattle (WA), USA - Pasadena (CA), USA - Vienna, Austria - Orlando (FL), USA - Torun, Poland - Delta (CO), USA - Santa Fe (NM), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Haninge, Sweden - Paris, France - Stavanger, Norway - Niamey, Niger - Le Guilvinec, France - Bogor, Indonesia - Saarbrücken, Germany - Auckland, New Zealand - Wellington, New Zealand - Budapest, Hungary - Juneau (AK), USA - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Glasgow, Scotland - Chicago (IL), USA - Jakarta, Indonesia - Adelaide (SA), Australia - Sydney, Australia - Riga, Latvia - Subang Jaya (Selangor), Malaysia - -
Granting women the right to vote was a hot topic of the early 20th Century, and the folks of Selma took sides in a big way. In 1915, all of Dallas County's state representatives supported the bill until a group of local attorneys passed around an anonymous pamphlet declaring the danger of such a proposal! Patriotism and manhood were questioned, and one Selmian called it a Yankee plot. Even the women were divided. The president of the Alabama Equal Suffrage Association was from Selma, but so was the president of the Alabama Association Opposed to Women Suffrage. 
