publications

Woman Suffrage

The greatest effort of nineteenth-century suffragists in Nebraska was their attempt to amend the state constitution in 1881 and 1882 to provide for woman suffrage. In January 1881 Erasmus M. Correll of Hebron introduced in the Nebraska House of Representatives a bill to submit the question of extending suffrage to women to a vote by the state electorate, then male only. Correll deliberately allowed his first bill to die in committee to avoid prospective opposition over several minor points. On February 3 he introduced a replacement bill as a joint resolution. Both the initial bill and the resolution were aimed at eliminating the word “male” from the state constitution’s definition of the state electorate.



Correll and his few allies faced a difficult task. A quiet canvass revealed that only ten members of the Nebraska House in 1881 favored the joint resolution. Correll, however, pointed out to the doubtful that the measure would not initiate woman suffrage, but that its passage would only submit the question to a vote of the Nebraska electorate. The measure was eventually passed by both houses of the Nebraska Legislature.



An intensive campaign for the proposed change in the state constitution was waged by members of local and national suffrage groups. Both the National Woman Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association held conventions in Omaha in 1882. National suffrage leaders spoke there, and pro-suffrage literature circulated widely. Correll founded the Western Woman’s Journal at Lincoln in April 1881 to boost campaign efforts, and it achieved a national reputation.



The defeat of the proposal to amend the constitution to provide for woman suffrage in November 1882 was decisive. The final vote count was 25,756 for; 50,693 against. A number of factors were responsible. Key segments of the state’s male electorate, such as the immigrant population and opponents of prohibition, opposed it. It was not until the Progressive movement of the early twentieth century that woman suffragists regained the ground they had lost in Nebraska in 1882.

After decades of parades, debates, and rallies, the Nebraska Legislature passed a limited suffrage act in 1917, giving women the right to vote in municipal elections and for presidential electors. Women still could not vote for candidates for statewide offices. National woman suffrage efforts were more productive. In August 1919 the Nebraska Legislature, in special session, unanimously ratified the nineteenth amendment to the U.S. Constitution. A year later, Tennessee became the thirty-sixth state to ratify the federal amendment, and women were finally allowed to vote in all elections after August 26, 1920.

Become a Member!

Our members make history happen.

Join Now

Other Publications

The Bachelors’ Protective Union of Kearney

When the Bachelors' Protective Union gave a gala reception for two of its newly married, former members and their brides in March of 1890, the social club for young, ...

U.S. Weather Bureau in 1890s Nebraska

The U.S. Weather Bureau was established by an act of Congress on October 1, 1890. It took over the weather service that had been established in the office of the Chief ...

Canning the Way to Victory

During American participation in World War I the U.S. Food Administration, under the direction of Herbert Hoover, launched a massive campaign to persuade Americans to ...

The Shoemaker’s Ashes

"Edward Kuehl, one of the most peculiar characters that ever lived in Omaha, or anywhere else, was found dead in his bed last night in the back room of his place of ...

Crazy Horse Surrender Ledger Foreward

Red Dog, an Oglala Lakota who lived at the Red Cloud Agency, Nebraska, 1876-77 (Nebraska State Historical Society RG2955.ph).   In the summer of 1876, following the ...

Darryl F. Zanuck

Darryl F. Zanuck Darryl F. Zanuck (1902-1979), a native Nebraskan, produced some of Hollywood's most important and controversial films. He helped found 20th Century Fox ...

The Burlington’s Profitable Pork Special

Nebraska railroads were much concerned with developing an adequate economy in the areas they served. The Burlington, for example, had a long history of caring for the ...

Bungalow Filling Stations

After the giant Standard Oil Company was broken into thirty-four separate companies in 1911, the newly independent Standard Oil of Nebraska dominated the state's market ...

The Bull Fight

This is the perfect time of year for a visit to the old fishin' hole. But a group of fisherfolk from Plainview discovered that this bucolic pastime sometimes has ...

Buffalo Soldiers West

African-American soldiers on the western frontier are the focus of an exhibit at the Nebraska History Museum in Lincoln. Buffalo Soldiers West, on loan from the Colorado ...

Protection for Buffalo

The extermination of the buffalo on the Plains occurred largely between 1870 and 1885. The Nebraska State Journal of Lincoln on February 1, 1874, editorialized in vain ...

Buffalo Hunting

In late October 1877 young Rolf Johnson and three friends left their homes in Phelps County, Nebraska, for a buffalo hunt in northeastern Colorado. The hunt was not very ...
About History Nebraska
History Nebraska was founded in 1878 as the Nebraska State Historical Society by citizens who recognized Nebraska was going through great changes and they sought to record the stories of both indigenous and immigrant peoples. It was designated a state institution and began receiving funds from the legislature in 1883. Legislation in 1994 changed History Nebraska from a state institution to a state agency. The division is headed by Interim Director and CEO Jill Dolberg. They are assisted by an administrative staff responsible for financial and personnel functions, museum store services, security, and facilities maintenance for History Nebraska.
Explore Nebraska
Discover the real places and people of our past at these History Nebraska sites.

Upcoming Events

View our new and upcoming events to see how you can get involved.

Become a Member

The work we do to discover, preserve, and share Nebraska's history wouldn't be possible without the support of History Nebraska members.

Latest Hall of Fame Inductee

The Nebraska Hall of Fame was established in 1961 to officially recognize prominent Nebraskans.

Listen to our Podcast

Listen to the articles and authors published in the Nebraska History Magazine with our new Nebraska History Podcast.

Nebraska Collections

History Nebraska's mission is to collect, preserve, and open our shared history to all Nebraskans.

Our YouTube Video Collection

Get a closer look at Nebraska's history through your own eyes, with our extensive video collections.

Additional Research Resources

History Nebraska Research and Reference Services help connect you to the material we collect and preserve.

Support History Nebraska
Make a cash donation to help us acquire, preserve, and interpret Nebraska’s history. Gifts to History Nebraska help leave a legacy and may help your taxes, too! Support the work of History Nebraska by donating to the History Nebraska Foundation today.

Volunteers are the heroes of History Nebraska. So much history, so little time! Your work helps us share access to Nebraska’s stories at our museums and sites, the reference room, and online.