New U.S. National Monument Is First To Honor Women’s Equality
The long-time headquarters of the National Woman’s Party, the Sewall-Belmont House, will now be a part of the National Park Service.
A house and museum that was home to one of the nation’s leading women’s rights organizations will be the United States’ first national monument to women’s history.
On Tuesday, the Obama administration will designate the Sewall-Belmont House & Museum in Washington, D.C., as the Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument, underlining the National Park Service’s desire to acquire more sites that highlight women’s achievements. The monument joins three national parks that also focus on women’s history (parks are approved by Congress, while monuments are chosen by the president and do not require congressional approval).
Suffragist Alice Paul moved the National Woman’s Party to the house in 1929. It remained the party’s headquarters until 1997, when the NWP became an educational organization,
