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In 1870, the political corridors of the American nation were rocked with dramatic news from Salt Lake City. With little fanfare the Utah territorial legislature had decided to give women the right to vote. Seraph Young. . .a grand niece of Brigham Young cast the first woman's vote in a city election that same year.
Suffragettes Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton traveled to Utah to congratulate the nation's newest voters.
Anti-polygamy forces viewed this as the key to a women's rebellion to throw off the yoke of polygamy. But, slowly, the outside world realized that suffrage had tripled the number of voting Mormons in Utah, solidifying their hold on local politics.
Taking the vote away from Utah women became a national political cause. . .and in 1885, Congress revoked the right as part of its battle against polygamy.
It's a page from Utah's political history. . .in 2000 you can exercise that right to vote to help write the next chapter.
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Susan B. Anthony (pictured with Utah suffrage leaders) traveled to Utah to congratulate the nation's newest voters in 1870.