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News
Dowling College Celebrates Constitution Day with Women's Suffrage Debate -- Hear the Issues Surrounding the Nineteenth Amendment Live
In celebration of Constitution Day, we the people of Dowling College invite you to witness a historic debate on women's suffrage between Alva Vanderbilt-Belmont and First Lady Edith Wilson, wife of President Woodrow Wilson.
Step back in time to the era leading up to passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1920, which granted women the right to vote. The event, which is free and open to the public, takes place during Constitution Week on Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 4:00 p.m. in the Fortunoff Hall Ballroom at Dowling College's Rudolph Campus in Oakdale, NY.
The matriarch of the Vanderbilt family, Alva welcomes the First Lady to her Oakdale home, "Idle Hour". Being a staunch advocate for women's rights and the suffrage movement, Alva is surprised to learn of Mrs. Wilson's reluctance to support the cause. These two strong willed and very opinionated women clash on the subject of a woman's right to vote, with surprising and thought provoking results.
The event also is part of Dowling's yearlong series of events "Celebrating Long Island". Alva Vanderbilt-Belmont, who resided in the "Idle Hour" mansion in Oakdale, was an early leader in the women's movement. She lectured, handed out flyers, walked picket lines, opened soup kitchens and established housing for unfortunate women.
An invitation has been extended to Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, who spearheaded Public Law 108-477, which requires educational institutions that receive Federal funds to hold an educational program on the U.S. Constitution in conjunction with Constitution Day.
"Celebrating Long Island" is made possible through the generous support of the Gardiner Foundation.
About Dowling College
Dowling College is an independent, coeducational college that serves more than 6,500 students at
its historic Rudolph Campus on the banks of the Connetquot River in Oakdale, NY, and the 105-acre
Brookhaven Campus in eastern Long Island and a business center located near the Nassau-Suffolk
border in Melville. Dowling offers Bachelor′s, Master′s, and Doctoral degrees in several
disciplines through its four schools: Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Education.
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