Women suffragists picketing in front of the White House in 1917.

Suffragettes like Alice Paul remind us how ordinary citizens can successfully hold governments accountable and bring about extraordinary changes together.

Alice Paul, full-length portrait.

Beginning in January of 1917, six days a week for over two years, suffragists joined lead organizer Paul in protesting outside the White House with banners that called for an amendment, which would give women the right to vote. The banners emphasized America’s unfulfilled promise of democracy. One banner quoted from a speech made by President Wilson, the sitting head of state at the time, back to him –

“We shall fight for the things which we have always carried nearest our hearts—for democracy, for the right of those who submit to authority to have a voice in their own governments.”

The banner highlighted the hypocrisy of a government that touted democratic ideals and yet silenced half its citizens’ political voices by banning them from the ballot box.

Today, the fight to uphold the integrity of our elections and America’s democratic ideals continues in our republic. In the post-Citizens United era, unrestricted big money has flooded our elections and silenced the voices of ordinary citizens. Simply put, if you don’t have billions of dollars to support a politician’s race, your vote is increasingly worthless.

But like the suffragists, citizens are coming together to protest the effects of recent, misguided Supreme Court decisions, which has diminished the value of our votes and our right to influence our nation’s political process.

The tactic of the Stamp Stampede, a grassroots campaign that involves rubber-stamping cash with messages like “Stamp Money Out of Politics” in order to create a mass visual protest, was directly inspired by the women’s suffrage movement.

StampStampede.org bill that reads “Stamp Money Out of Politics”

In nineteenth century England, local groups calling for women’s suffrage carved “Votes for Women” onto pennies to get their rallying cry circulating as money exchanged hands. These pennies are now exhibited in the “History of the World in 100 Objects” at the British Museum.

The women in the suffrage movement tapped into the viral circulation of money to demand their right to vote. Now, 100 years later, American citizens are coming together in this generation’s ultimate fight to defend the power of everyone's vote.

In 1919, Paul and fellow activists saw the passing of the 19th amendment in Congress, which was then successfully ratified by the states in the following year. Today we are halfway to passing a 28th amendment that will stop big money’s takeover of our republic. And history is on our side – people-power works.