Date of Award

12-1-1996

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

History

Abstract

Most people know the League of Women Voters for its election-related activities; however, the League of Women Voters of Greater Omaha is also a recognized force in shaping public policy and in promoting citizen participation at all levels of government. In addition to voter registration activities and preparing voters' guides, League members also study important civic issues and give the public the information they need in deciding questions requiring potential political action. Six months before the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, the National League of Woman Voters was launched as an independent organization. The Omaha League was formed six months later in August, 1920. From the beginning, the League of Women Voters served primarily as a voters' organization and secondarily as a women's organization. Since 1920 the League of Women Voters of Greater Omaha has pursued the same general objectives, changing and adapting its action according to the needs and demands of the times. As the late twentieth century brought great changes in women's activities, particularly in the workplace, the League has supported these efforts and changed its structure and procedures. Despite the significance of the Omaha League, there has never been a history written on this organization. This thesis, prepared to mark the Seventy-Fifth anniversary of the League of Women Voters of Greater Omaha, is a general history of the organization from its roots in the suffrage movement to the issues facing it today.

Comments

A Thesis Presented to the Department of History and the Faculty of the Graduate College University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts University of Nebraska at Omaha. Copyright Deborah C. O'Donnell December, 1996

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