In this 250th anniversary year of our country, return to 1776 when New Jersey drew up a surprising constitution. This founding document, alone among the 13 colonial constitutions, allowed “all inhabitants” of the colony to vote, opening the door for some women and free Black persons to vote. And they did! Meet these suffrage pioneers who went to the polls for 31 years, until they were stripped of the vote in 1807.

The women of New Jersey and the other 12 colonies did everything they could to aid the Patriot cause in the American Revolution: women who acted despite having just been told they’d have no voice in our new nation. These brave and selfless women helped the Patriots win the war, yet when the Constitution was drawn up in 1787, women were not rewarded for their patriotism with a citizen’s right to vote, setting the stage for the eventual women’s suffrage movement.

Join us for this illustrated talk at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, October 16, at the Hightstown-East Windsor Historical Society, 164 N. Main St., Hightstown, NJ 08520. This event is free and open to the public. To register, contact the historical society at hightsewhs@gmail.com. This event is co-sponsored by the Hightstown-East Windsor Historical Society and the Hightstown Friday Club.