Pennsylvania Avenue is a diagonal street in Washington, D.C. and Prince George's County, Maryland that connects the White House and the United States Capitol and then crosses the city to Maryland. In Maryland it is also Maryland Route 4 (MD 4) to MD 717 in Upper Marlboro, where it becomes Stephanie Roper Highway. The section between the White House and Congress is called "America's Main Street"; it is the location of official parades and processions, as well as protest marches. Moreover, Pennsylvania Avenue is an important commuter road and is part of the National Highway System.
Official Visitor Map of George Washington Memorial Parkway (MEMPKWY) in Virginia and District of Columbia. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Official Visitor Map of Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park (NHP) in Washington D.C., Maryland and West Virginia. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Map of the U.S. National Heritage Areas. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
https://www.nps.gov/paav
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Avenue
Pennsylvania Avenue is a diagonal street in Washington, D.C. and Prince George's County, Maryland that connects the White House and the United States Capitol and then crosses the city to Maryland. In Maryland it is also Maryland Route 4 (MD 4) to MD 717 in Upper Marlboro, where it becomes Stephanie Roper Highway. The section between the White House and Congress is called "America's Main Street"; it is the location of official parades and processions, as well as protest marches. Moreover, Pennsylvania Avenue is an important commuter road and is part of the National Highway System.
A street unlike any other. It is known the world over as the heart of the Nation's Capital. America's history has marched, paraded, promenaded, and protested its way along the Avenue.
Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site is part of National Mall and Memorial Parks. The avenue is among the world's more famous streets and is known the world over as the heart of the Nation's Capital, extending through the corridors of Federal power and influence. "America's Main Street" visually connects, yet separates, the White House from the U.S. Capitol and the U.S. Supreme Court buildings.
Pennsylvania Avenue
Motorcycles pass by a crowd in a parade.
Police motorcycles pass in formation during the 2013 inaugural parade.
US Navy Memorial
A stone plaza depicting a map of the globe.
Explore the plaza, fountains, and artwork of the US Navy Memorial.
Major General Winfield Scott Hancock Monument
A bronze statue of a man on horse atop a stone plinth.
Hancock grew to fame in the Civil War at the Battle of Gettysburg.
Freedom Plaza
A grass circle in a gray stone plaza with lines resembling streets with the US Capitol in the rear.
Freedom Plaza is a large square on Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House.
Stephenson Memorial (Grand Army of the Republic)
A rather squat, stone obelisk in a plaza with a bronze figure on the face.
The Grand Army of the Republic was a veterans group of nearly half a million men formed from veterans of the Civil War. It was also the first veterans group in the United States.
National Mall and Memorial Parks - 2018 Partnership Report
Our generous partners and volunteers provided more than $34 million in philanthropic contributions in 2018 helping us fund preservation projects, programs, commemorations, and celebrations.
Aerial photo of the Washington Monument and Reflecting Pool
Forward Into Light!
“Forward into Light” was a popular rallying cry for the women’s suffrage movement. Suffragists carried banners at marches and demonstrations emblazoned with a compelling verse: “Forward out of error / Leave behind the night. / Forward through the darkness, / Forward into light!”
From BEPA, poster of Inez Milholland on a white horse carrying a Forward Into Light banner
National Park Getaway: National Mall & Memorial Parks
National Mall and Memorial Parks is a diverse national park with distinctive sites that excite and enchant visitors while they learn the history of our nation. Begin your journey through “America’s Front Yard,” home to some of the nation's more iconic memorials located in the heart of the nation's capital.
Cherry blossoms framing the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in the distance
James Garfield: The Great "What If" President
Of the four assassinated presidents, James Garfield is the least recognized. Kennedy’s administration was televised. McKinley was in his second term following the Spanish-American War. And Lincoln was, well, you know... Lincoln? But Garfield falls into that hazy, post-Reconstruction period where nothing much seems to be going on; no war, no global economic or social crisis, no real era-identifying issue.
James A. Garfield in profile. He is facing away from the camera to the right.
Your Voice Matters: Stand Up For What You Believe In!
Women fought for the right to vote for years before the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920. They did this by organizing themselves and getting others to follow them. In this activity you will learn about the 19th amendment and get a chance to create your own movement to help society. Are you up for the challenge?
Example of a mascot that a Junior Ranger submitted saying that everyone should be able to travel.
War of 1812: Burning of the Sewall House
Why did British troops burn down Robert Sewall's house on August 24, 1814?
Memorials for the Future
Memorials for the Future, is a competition that aims to rethink the way we develop and experience memorials in Washington, D.C.
Memorials for the Future Logo
National Mall and Memorial Parks - 2019 Partnership Report
Our generous partners and volunteers provided more than $34 million in philanthropic contributions in 2018 helping us fund preservation projects, programs, commemorations, and celebrations.
Aerial photo of the Washington Monument and Reflecting Pool
Suffrage in 60 Seconds Woman Suffrage Procession
"We demand an amendment to the Constitution of the United States enfranchising the women of this country." Marching women, floats, equestrian units--and a surprising ally participate in the first event of its kind on March 3, 1913. Enjoy this one-minute video story with Ranger Mannie.
Official Program Woman Suffrage Procession March 3 1913
Suffrage in 60 Seconds: Ida B. Wells
Ida B. Wells spent her life fiercely dedicated to truth and equality, including the rights of all to vote. In this Suffrage in 60 Seconds video, hear a story about the way that determination showed up during the 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession.
Ida B. Wells-Barnett Suffrage in Sixty Seconds logo
Suffrage in 60 Seconds: Colors
Why did the National Woman's Party choose Gold, White, and Purple as their signature colors on sashes, flags, and banners in their fight for the 19th Amendment? In this episode of Suffrage in 60 Seconds, Ranger Lauren has the answer.
Alice Paul unfurling Ratification Banner. Suffrage in 60 Seconds logo
Suffrage in 60 Seconds: Picketing the White House
"Mr. President, How Long Must Women Wait for Liberty?" asked National Woman's Party picketers as they stood outside the White House gates in all kinds of weather. Ranger Mannie tells the story about the tactic of picketing in the fight for woman suffrage.
Women wearing sashes standing in front of White House with banners
Suffrage in 60 Seconds: Jail Door Pin
The women who faced arrest for protesting at the White House in support of women's right to vote were not ashamed that they had been to jail. In fact, they wore it as a badge of honor. Ranger Lauren tells the story of the Jail Door Pin, awarded to more than one hundred women by the National Woman's Party in appreciation for their sacrifice.
Blended image of jail door and suffrage banner
Suffrage in 60 Seconds: Traitors or Patriots?
When the United States entered World War I in April 1917, the National Woman's Party faced a decision. Should the NWP continue to pressure Woodrow Wilson to support woman suffrage? Or should they demonstrate their citizenship and patriotism by joining the war effort, hoping to win the vote that way? Ranger Lorne has the story.
Merged image of Woodrow Wilson and suffrage pickets
Suffrage in 60 Seconds: NAWSA Versus NWP
Carrie Chapman Catt led the National American Woman's Suffrage Association (NAWSA) which had more members, more power, and more money than the National Woman's Party. Although Alice Paul and Carrie Chapman Catt were both fighting for woman suffrage, they often fought each other as they worked for passage of the 19th Amendment. Enjoy this one-minute video telling a story of the tension. Whose side are you on?
Carrie Chapman Catt and Alice Paul. Suffrage in Sixty Seconds logo
Suffrage in 60 Seconds: The Night of Terror
The women of the National Woman's Party sentenced to prison in November 1917 for picketing the White House had no idea what awaited them when they arrived at the Occoquan Workhouse. They endured brutality and abuse from the prison guards, but remained committed to their cause. Ranger Susan provides an eyewitness account.
Lucy Burns in front of jail door
Suffrage in 60 Seconds Introduction
When was the last time you voted? Enjoy one-minute videos that highlight suffrage subjects and the heroes who made woman suffrage a reality—including those women who continued the fight for full enfranchisement beyond 1920.
Alice Paul in front of Ratification Banner. Suffrage in Sixty Seconds logo
Suffrage in 60 Seconds: Inez Milholland
Who was the New Woman of the 20th Century, the Herald of the Future, who rode a white horse at the beginning of the 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession down Pennsylvania Avenue? Inez Milholland was a lawyer, an activist, and a powerful speaker who was also known as the "Most Beautiful Suffragist."
Inez Milholland on horse in suffrage procession
Walk in the Footsteps of Suffragists
American women demanded their right to vote in a Declaration of Sentiments issued at the first Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, NY in 1848. By the 1913 inauguration of President-elect Wilson, women were still waiting for that democratic right. Explore the spectacular pre-inauguration parade that filled Pennsylvania Avenue in DC with 5,000 marching women, colorful floats and banners, ladies on horseback, and mayhem delivered by opposing forces.
Nurse Contingent in the 1913 Suffrage March LOC
Alice Paul, Woodrow Wilson, and the Battles for Liberty
President-elect Woodrow Wilson’s train pulled into Washington’s Union Station on March 3, 1913, the day before his inauguration. A relatively thin crowd greeted him and his family before a motorcade took them to a hotel. “Where are all the people?” Wilson asked as he peered out the car window. “On the Avenue, watching the suffrage parade.” Across town, Alice Paul was in the thick of that suffrage procession, an event she created, planned and executed.
women stand in front of a statue at Lafayette Park. Library of Congress
A Noble Endeavor: Ida B. Wells-Barnett and Suffrage
On March 3, 1913, the eve of Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration, Ida B. Wells-Barnett was in a Washington, D.C. drill rehearsal hall with sixty-four other Illinois suffragists. She was there representing the Alpha Suffrage Club (ASC)-- which she had founded as the first black suffrage club in Chicago just two months before. Ida planned to march with the women in what promised to be a parade of unprecedented scale and significance.
photo portrait of Ida B Wells
Alice Paul’s Crusade: How A Young Quaker from New Jersey Changed the National Conversation and Got the Vote
On March 2, 1918, a news item appeared on the front page of the Alaskan newspaper The Seward Gateway. Under the headline, “Alice Paul Has Measles,” was a report that the “militant suffrage leader” was confined to her room but carrying on her campaign through the door’s keyhole. Paul was largely unknown five years earlier when she arrived in Washington to work for an amendment to the Constitution prohibiting voter discrimination based on sex.
Black and white portrait of Alice Paul seated at a desk. LOC
Suffragette & Suffragist: The Influence of the British Suffrage Movement
“I am what you call a hooligan,” Emmeline Pankhurst announced to the standing-room only crowd of women packed into Carnegie Hall in October 1909. Hundreds more gathered outside, hoping to hear the famous “suffragette” speak. The American suffrage and labor activists in attendance cheered as Mrs. Pankhurst regaled the audience with stories about the fight to win the vote for British women.
Black and white portrait of emmeline pankhurst LOC
The Great Suffrage Parade of 1913
On the afternoon of March 3, 1913, the day before the inauguration of Woodrow Wilson as the nation’s 28th president, thousands of suffragists gathered near the Garfield monument in front of the U.S. Capitol. Grand Marshal Jane Burleson stood ready to lead them out into Pennsylvania Avenue at exactly 3:00, in what became the first civil rights march on Washington, DC. It also proved to be turning point in the fight for the vote.
A woman in white sits atop a white horse
1913 Woman Suffrage Procession
The Woman Suffrage Procession along Pennsylvania Avenue on March 3, 1913, the day before Woodrow Wilson's presidential inauguration, used pageantry to raise awareness about women's exclusion from the nation's political process. The publicity following the event re-energized the woman suffrage movement in the United States.
Cover of the Woman Suffrage Procession program with herald on horseback
Places of Mary Church Terrell
Mary Church Terrell was a prominent advocate for African American civil rights and African American women’s suffrage. After receiving her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Oberlin College, Terrell relocated to Washington, D.C. to work as a teacher. Living in Washington, D.C. provided Terrell access to other prominent civil rights activists and federal lawmakers.
Three quarter length portrait of Mary Church Terrell, circa 1920. Library of Congress
Series: On Their Shoulders: The Radical Stories of Women's Fight for the Vote
These articles were originally published by the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission (WSCC) as a part of the WSCC blog, The Suff Buffs. The Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission was created by Congress to commemorate 100 years of the 19th Amendment throughout 2020 and to ensure the untold stories of women’s battle for the ballot continue to inspire Americans for the next 100 years. In collaboration with the WSCC, the NPS is the forever home of these articles
Logo of the Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission
Series: Suffrage in Sixty Seconds
When was the last time you voted? For the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution enfranchising women, park rangers at the Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument created these one-minute videos that highlight suffrage subjects and the heroes who made woman suffrage a reality—including those women who continued the fight for full enfranchisement beyond 1920.
Alice Paul raises glass above ratification banner
Teaching Justice: Ida B. Wells in the Suffrage Procession
Have you ever wondered how to respond when you are told that you cannot do something? Have you seen someone else being excluded or left out? In this Teaching Justice activity using the Suffrage in 60 Seconds video about Ida B. Wells, students discuss the experience of being excluded unfairly. What responsibility do we have to stand up to exclusion, prejudice, and injustice?
Head and shoulders portrait of Ida B. Wells looking over her left shoulder
Series: Teaching Justice
Identity. Diversity. Justice. Action. These learning activities engage students with the history of women's ongoing struggle for equality. Each lesson uses an item from the National Woman's Party collection or an aspect of the story of suffrage to make connections to broad questions of equity and the work of social change using anti-bias objectives from the Learning for Justice framework.
A word cloud at Belmont-Paul with the question
How Long Must Women Wait?
The Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument was home to the National Woman’s Party for more than 90 years and served as the epicenter of the struggle for women’s rights. Over the last two years, the National Park Service and Quinn Evans have collaborated on a Historic Resource Study for this nationally significant site. The study highlights the people, places, and stories that helped propel the Women’s Suffrage and Equal Rights movements in the Washington, DC, area.
Purple shaded photo of women on the steps of NWP headquarters
Sea Level Rise in the DC Area
Learn about current and projected rates of sea level rise in the greater DC area, based on local water level data collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
A tall white cylinder attached to a wooden pier with Hains Point in the background.
Woman Suffrage Pageants
Hazel MacKaye designed and directed many suffrage pageants during the campaign for the 19th Amendment. Women wore elaborate costumes to represent ideals like Liberty and Justice and dramatized the accomplishments of women. Pageants were a popular type of entertainment in the early 20th century. They provided an opportunity for the community to perform along with professionals. Pageants were an effective form of propaganda in the cause of women's right to vote.
Woman dressed as "Columbia" with other suffrage pageant participants standing in background
Series: Curiosity Kit: Mary Church Terrell
Curiosity Kits inspire exploration and learning of history through place. These multi-piece resources include articles that explore historic places and provide educational activities for life-long learners. This kit focuses on the life and legacy of Mary Church Terrell, a women’s rights and Black civil rights activist.
Mary Church Terrell