FAYETTEVILLE, NY -- The Matilda Joslyn Gage Center in Fayetteville is drawing on history to bring the 4th of July to life.
Organizers of Wednesday's event celebrated the 4th of July by honoring the work of suffragists in American History.
About 50 people gathered at the center to listen to a reading of "The Declaration of the Rights of the Women of the United States." It was written by Gage and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
Organizers say the document was first read on July 4, 1876 in Philadelphia, and they say it's important to remember what suffragists like Gage accomplished at a time when authorities threatened to arrest her for promoting women's rights.
"In 1876, women were not free," says Dave Kellogg, a trustee at the center. "They could not vote, have a jury over their peers. That's what we're celebrating today, that we have many of these freedoms for women."
Volunteers at the Gage Center capped off the afternoon with strawberry shortcake and 19th century children's games.
