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A Brief History of Women in Bars: A Minnesota Story in Three Rounds

A collage of three photos of three Minnesota women
From left: Sarah Burger Stearns, Nellie Francis, Ruth Tanbara. The three Minnesota women helped break down barriers and paved the way for women’s suffrage.
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections | Minnesota Historical Society | Private collection of Judy Nomura Murakami

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One hundred years ago, two major constitutional amendments went into effect. The 18th Amendment marked the start of Prohibition and the 19th Amendment granted many women the right to vote. It wasn’t a coincidence that these laws went into effect adjacent to one another. The movements were linked in some surprising ways.

In this new documentary, “A Brief History of Women in Bars: A Minnesota Story in Three Rounds,” Fulbright fellow, historian and podcaster Katie Thornton looks at how the state’s temperance movement set the stage for its women’s suffrage movement. But she also looks at how temperance leaders — and, by proxy, many early suffragists — failed to engage many women who weren't wealthy and white.