Malcolm Rivera
The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, also known as Amendment XIX, was added on August 18, 1920, following a long and arduous campaign by women's suffrage activists. The amendment was first introduced in Congress in 1878 but was rejected. It was not until 1919 that the amendment, guaranteeing women's constitutional right to vote, was passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification. Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment, and on August 26, 1920, U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the 19th Amendment, marking a pivotal moment in the history of American democracy and the women's rights movement.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year first proposed | 1878 |
| Year approved by Congress | 1919 |
| Year ratified | 1920 |
| Date of ratification | August 18, 1920 |
| Number of states required for ratification | 36 |
| Date of certification | August 26, 1920 |
| Amendment number | 19th |
| Amendment name | Nineteenth Amendment |
| Amendment topic | Women's suffrage |
| Amendment text | "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." |
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What You'll Learn
The long campaign for women's suffrage
The campaign for women's suffrage in the United States was a long and arduous struggle that spanned several decades. The movement began in the mid-19th century, with early agitation for women's voting rights recorded as early as the Jackson Administration. However, progress was slow and discouraging, with only a handful of states granting women suffrage rights by the early 20th century.
Women's rights leaders, such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, played a pivotal role in advocating for women's suffrage. They brought the issue to federal court, arguing that existing amendments guaranteed voting rights to women. However, their efforts were struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Minor v. Happersett case in 1874. This setback spurred a shift in tactics, with suffrage organizations focusing on advocating for a new constitutional amendment to guarantee women's voting rights.
In 1878, the first women's suffrage amendment was introduced in Congress but was rejected in 1887. Despite this setback, suffrage organizations continued to work at the state and local levels while also pushing for a national amendment. By the late 19th century, new states and territories, particularly in the West, began to grant women the right to vote.
During World War I, militant suffragists intensified their campaigns, demanding that President Woodrow Wilson reverse his opposition to a federal amendment. In 1917, New York achieved state-level suffrage, and a year later, President Wilson endorsed women's suffrage in his State of the Union address. This shift in political support was crucial in advancing the cause of women's suffrage.
Finally, in 1919, the long-awaited breakthrough arrived. On May 21, 1919, the House of Representatives passed the amendment, and two weeks later, on June 4, the Senate followed suit. The amendment was then submitted to the states for ratification, requiring the approval of three-fourths of the states (36 states at the time). On August 18, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment, marking the culmination of a decades-long struggle for women's suffrage. The 19th Amendment, also known as the Nineteenth Amendment, legally guarantees American women the right to vote and prohibits the denial of this right based on sex.
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The 1878 proposal and its rejection
The 1878 proposal for the 19th Amendment was introduced in Congress by Senator Aaron Sargent of California. This proposal, which would eventually become the 19th Amendment, was a joint resolution that aimed to prohibit federal and state governments from restricting US citizens' voting rights based on sex. In other words, it sought to grant women the right to vote.
At the time, the Senate did not act on Senator Sargent's proposal. However, it was reintroduced in 1887, and this time, the Senate voted it down. The proposal had sat in a committee until it was considered by the full Senate, where it was rejected in a 16-34 vote.
The 1878 proposal was the first women's suffrage amendment introduced in Congress. It was the culmination of early efforts to secure voting rights for women, which had been deeply intertwined with the fight to end slavery and continued into the post-Civil War era, known as the Reconstruction Era.
The proposal's introduction in 1878 was preceded by the founding of the National Woman Suffrage Association in 1869 by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. They brought the issue of women's voting rights to federal court, arguing that the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments together guaranteed voting rights for women. However, the Supreme Court rejected their justification in Minor v. Happersett, which spurred a shift towards advocating for a new constitutional amendment.
In the late 1800s, several House and Senate committee reports recommended the passage of joint resolutions proposing a women's suffrage amendment. For example, in 1882, the Senate Committee on Woman Suffrage reported favourably on a suffrage amendment, stating that denying women the right to participate in creating the laws by which they are governed, simply because of their sex, is "political despotism" and "taxation without representation".
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State-level successes and setbacks
The 19th Amendment, which prohibits the United States and its states from denying any citizen the right to vote on the basis of sex, was the culmination of a decades-long movement for women's suffrage in the United States, at both the state and national levels.
The women's rights movement began at the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention in New York, and the women’s suffrage movement picked up during the Reconstruction Era, after the Civil War. Women’s rights leaders fought for the inclusion of universal suffrage as a civil right in the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments. In 1869, the National Woman Suffrage Association was founded by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. They brought the issue to federal court, arguing that the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments together guaranteed voting rights to women, but the Supreme Court rejected their justification in Minor v. Happersett.
In the 1850s and 1860s, bids to give women the right to vote in the territories of Washington, Nebraska, and Dakota all failed. However, in 1869, Wyoming Territory lawmakers enacted the first women’s suffrage law in the United States, extending the right to vote to women without any restrictions based on property ownership or marital status. Beginning in 1869, women in Western territories and new states, particularly in the West, began to win the right to vote. In 1878, a suffrage proposal that would eventually become the Nineteenth Amendment was introduced to Congress but was rejected in 1887. In the 1890s, suffrage organizations focused on a national amendment while still working at state and local levels.
In the decade leading up to the 19th Amendment’s passage, 23 states granted women full or partial voting rights through a series of successful campaigns. New York achieved state-level suffrage in 1917. A year later, President Woodrow Wilson endorsed women’s suffrage in his State of the Union address and appealed to Congress. A new Nineteenth Amendment was proposed, with wording identical to the Fifteenth Amendment, except it prohibited the denial to vote on the basis of sex instead of race.
The entry of the United States into World War I helped to shift public perception of women's suffrage. The National American Woman Suffrage Association, led by Carrie Chapman Catt, supported the war effort, arguing that women should be rewarded with enfranchisement for their patriotic wartime service. The National Woman's Party staged marches, demonstrations, and hunger strikes while pointing out the contradictions of fighting abroad for democracy while limiting it at home by denying women the vote.
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The 1919 proposal and its passage
The proposal for the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, also known as the "Susan B. Anthony Amendment", was first introduced in Congress in 1878. However, it was rejected in 1887. In the 1890s, suffrage organisations continued to focus on a national amendment while working at the state and local levels.
In 1914, the proposal was again considered by the Senate but was rejected. In April 1917, the "Anthony Amendment" was reintroduced in the House and Senate. Members of the National Woman's Party, nicknamed the "Silent Sentinels", staged protests outside the White House. On July 4, 1917, 168 protesters were arrested and sent to prison in Virginia. This led to an increase in public pressure, resulting in the women's release a few months later.
In 1916, almost all major suffrage organisations united behind the goal of a constitutional amendment. In 1917, New York adopted women's suffrage, and in 1918, President Woodrow Wilson announced his support for an amendment. In January 1918, the women's suffrage amendment was reintroduced in the House of Representatives and passed with a two-thirds majority. In September 1918, Wilson made a direct appeal for women's suffrage in the Senate chamber, but the proposal fell two votes short of passage.
In May 1919, Wilson called a special session of Congress, which finally secured the necessary two-thirds majorities in both the House and Senate. On May 21, 1919, the House of Representatives passed the amendment, and two weeks later, on June 4, 1919, the Senate followed suit. The amendment was then submitted to the states for ratification, requiring the approval of at least 36 states (three-fourths of state legislatures at the time) to be adopted into the Constitution. Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment on August 18, 1920, and Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the ratification on August 26, 1920.
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Ratification and the final hurdles
The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibits the United States and its states from denying any citizen the right to vote based on sex, was added after a long and arduous campaign by women's suffrage activists. The campaign for women's suffrage in the United States began in the mid-19th century, with supporters employing various tactics such as lectures, writing, lobbying, and civil disobedience to achieve what many considered radical change.
The first women's suffrage amendment was introduced in Congress in 1878 but was rejected in 1887. Despite this setback, suffrage organizations continued to work at the state and local levels, and by the late 19th century, several states and territories, particularly in the West, began to grant women the right to vote. In 1917, New York achieved state-level suffrage, and in 1918, President Woodrow Wilson endorsed women's suffrage in his State of the Union address, marking a significant shift in the political landscape.
On May 21, 1919, the House of Representatives passed the amendment, and two weeks later, on June 4, 1919, the Senate followed suit. The amendment was then submitted to the states for ratification, requiring the approval of three-fourths of the states (36 states at the time). This process took fifteen months, with Tennessee providing the final ratification on August 18, 1920. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the ratification on August 26, 1920, officially granting women the constitutional right to vote and changing the face of the American electorate forever.
While the ratification of the 19th Amendment was a significant milestone, it did not ensure full enfranchisement for all women. The struggle to include African American and other minority women in the promise of voting rights continued for decades, highlighting that the achievement of women's suffrage was just the beginning of a longer journey towards full equality and representation in the democratic process.
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Frequently asked questions
The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the United States and its states from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex, in effect recognizing the right of women to vote.
The 19th Amendment was added to the Constitution on August 18, 1920.
The first women's suffrage amendment was introduced in Congress in 1878. However, it did not pass the House and Senate until 1919. It was then submitted to the states for ratification, achieving the requisite 36 ratifications to secure adoption and thereby went into effect on August 18, 1920.
Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Burns, Alice Paul, and Carrie Chapman Catt were some of the key figures involved in the women's suffrage movement and the passage of the 19th Amendment.
The campaign for women's suffrage was long and difficult, with activists facing hostility, violence, and arrest. Early efforts to pass state laws extending voting rights to women did not gain much traction, and judicial efforts were also largely unsuccessful. Advocates for women's suffrage had to shift their focus to pressuring Congress for a constitutional amendment.
