Omar Bennett
The Nineteenth Amendment (Amendment XIX) to the United States Constitution was passed by Congress on June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920. The amendment prohibits the United States and its states from denying any citizen the right to vote based on sex, effectively recognizing and protecting women's right to vote. The adoption of the amendment was the culmination of a long and arduous campaign by women's rights activists, spanning decades and employing various strategies, including lobbying, protests, and civil disobedience, to achieve this milestone in the history of women's rights in the United States.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of Amendment | 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution |
| Date Proposed | 1878 |
| Date Passed by Congress | June 4, 1919 |
| Date Ratified | August 18, 1920 |
| Purpose | To grant women the right to vote |
| Key Figures | Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Alice Paul, Lucy Burns, Carrie Chapman Catt, Lucretia Mott, Belle La Follette |
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What You'll Learn
The Nineteenth Amendment
> 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. Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
The campaign for women's suffrage was long and difficult, with several generations of women's rights activists playing a role. The Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, which called for equality between the sexes, is traditionally held as the start of the American women's rights movement. In 1865, a "Petition for Universal Suffrage", signed by prominent activists like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, called for a national constitutional amendment to prohibit states from denying any of their citizens the right to vote based on gender.
In the late 19th century, new states and territories, particularly in the West, began to grant women 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 1890, the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) and the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) merged to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), which directed its efforts toward winning state-level support for suffrage. Despite their efforts, no state granted women suffrage between 1896 and 1910, and the focus shifted back to a national constitutional amendment.
During this time, suffragists employed a variety of tactics, including lecturing, writing, marching, lobbying, and civil disobedience, to achieve what many Americans considered a radical change to the Constitution. Some suffragists, like Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, organized nonviolent protests, such as the Silent Sentinels, who picketed outside the White House gates for 18 months between 1917 and 1919. Paul's arrest and harsh treatment in prison garnered significant national sympathy, and in 1918, President Woodrow Wilson announced his support for the suffrage amendment.
The entry of the United States into World War I also helped shift public perception of women's suffrage, as women's patriotic wartime service was seen as a reason to grant them the right to vote. Finally, on June 4, 1919, Congress passed the Joint Resolution proposing a constitutional amendment extending the right of suffrage to women, which was ratified on August 18, 1920, when Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment. This historic achievement changed the face of the American electorate forever, enfranchising 26 million American women in time for the 1920 U.S. presidential election.
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Women's right to vote
The right of women to vote, also known as women's suffrage, has been a heavily contested issue throughout history. In ancient Athens, often regarded as the birthplace of democracy, only adult male citizens who owned land were allowed to vote. For centuries, various forms of parliament arose in Europe, which was predominantly ruled by monarchs.
In the United States, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified on August 18, 1920, granted women the right to vote. The road to achieving this milestone was long and arduous, requiring decades of agitation and protest. The movement for women's suffrage in the U.S. began in the mid-19th century, with several generations of women's rights activists lecturing, writing, marching, lobbying, and practising civil disobedience to achieve what many Americans considered a radical constitutional change.
The first women's suffrage amendment was introduced in Congress in 1878, but it was not until May 21, 1919, that an amendment finally passed the House of Representatives, quickly followed by the Senate on June 4, 1919. The 19th Amendment reads: "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."
The campaign for women's suffrage in the U.S. was not without its challenges and setbacks. Supporters of women's voting rights faced fierce resistance, including heckling, jail time, and physical abuse. Additionally, the ratification of the 19th Amendment did not ensure full enfranchisement for all women. While it legally guaranteed the right to vote for white women, women of colour, particularly in the South, continued to face barriers due to discriminatory state voting laws and the racially discriminatory tactics of the Jim Crow era.
The fight for women's suffrage extended beyond the U.S., with women in other countries also advocating for their right to vote. In 1893, women in the then self-governing British colony of New Zealand gained the right to vote. This was followed by the Australian colony of South Australia in 1895, the Russian Grand Duchy of Finland in 1906, and Canada in 1917. By the interwar period, most major Western powers had extended voting rights to women.
The United Nations played a pivotal role in encouraging women's suffrage after World War II, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1979) recognises it as a basic right, with 189 countries currently being parties to this convention.
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The women's suffrage movement
The women's rights movement gathered momentum in the 1850s, but this was halted by the Civil War. After the war, the 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution raised questions of suffrage and citizenship. The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, defined "citizens" as "male", and the 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870, gave Black men the right to vote. Women's suffrage advocates saw this as an opportunity to push for universal suffrage, and refused to support the 15th Amendment. This caused a "schism" in the movement, resulting in two new organisations: the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA), founded by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, and the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA).
In 1878, the first women's suffrage amendment was introduced in Congress. However, it was not until 1919 that a suffrage amendment passed the House of Representatives and the Senate. During World War I, suffragists employed more militant tactics to try and embarrass President Woodrow Wilson into supporting a federal amendment. Alice Paul, frustrated with the NAWSA's leadership, formed the National Woman's Party (NWP), which organised the first White House picket in 1917, with thousands of nonviolent protesters demonstrating in silence six days a week for nearly three years. Many were arrested and jailed, and some went on hunger strikes.
In the second decade of the 20th century, suffragists began staging large parades to draw attention to their cause. One such march in Washington, DC, in 1913, saw more than 5,000 suffragists parade down Pennsylvania Avenue. By 1914, women in 28 additional countries had acquired equal voting rights or the right to vote in national elections. In 1916, almost all major suffrage organisations united behind the goal of a constitutional amendment. The 19th Amendment was passed by Congress and submitted to the states for ratification on June 4, 1919, and was finally ratified on August 18, 1920, granting women the right to vote.
After the 19th Amendment, women's rights activists continued to push for further protections, including the Equal Rights Amendment, which would enshrine broad protections against sex-based discrimination in the Constitution.
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The Equal Rights Amendment
> "Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article."
The ERA was conceived as a way to secure full equality for women, ending legal distinctions between men and women in matters such as divorce, property, employment, and other areas. Despite gaining support from grassroots movements and both women and men, the amendment has not been ratified.
Alice Paul, head of the National Women's Party, believed that the Nineteenth Amendment, which granted women the right to vote, would not be enough to ensure that men and women were treated equally regardless of sex. In 1923, at Seneca Falls, New York, she revised the proposed amendment to read: "Men and women shall have equal rights throughout the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction."
The ERA was reintroduced in Congress in 1971 by Representative Martha Griffiths and approved by the U.S. House of Representatives that year. It was then approved by the U.S. Senate in 1972, thus submitting the ERA to state legislatures for ratification. Despite gaining the support of 35 state legislatures, the ERA fell short of the required 38 states for ratification by the 1982 deadline.
Despite not becoming a part of the Constitution, the ERA has had a significant impact. It inspired and united activists across the country, and the ongoing efforts to ratify it continue to this day. The ERA serves as a reminder of the importance of equality and the need to protect the rights of all citizens, regardless of sex.
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The right to vote regardless of sex
The 19th Amendment was the culmination of a lengthy and difficult struggle by women's suffrage supporters, dating back to the mid-19th century. Women organized, petitioned, lectured, wrote, marched, lobbied, and practiced civil disobedience to achieve what many considered a radical change to the Constitution. Some pursued a strategy of passing suffrage acts in individual states, while others challenged male-only voting laws in court or employed more confrontational tactics such as picketing, silent vigils, and hunger strikes. By 1916, most major suffrage organizations were united behind the goal of a constitutional amendment.
The right to vote in the United States has historically been restricted based on property ownership and race, in addition to sex. The 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870, granted the right to vote to male citizens of all races but did not address the exclusion of women. While certain states and cities allowed some women and free African Americans to vote, these were exceptions. The expansion of civil rights after the Civil War and the election of Ulysses S. Grant in 1868 furthered the push for women's suffrage, leading to the proposal of the 19th Amendment.
The 19th Amendment legally guarantees American women the right to participate in elections, a fundamental aspect of the democratic process. This right is now widely recognized as one of the most important American freedoms, though it was a hard-fought victory that took decades of agitation and protest to achieve.
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Frequently asked questions
The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, passed by Congress on June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920, protects the rights of women.
The Nineteenth Amendment grants women the right to vote, also known as suffrage.
The campaign for women's suffrage was long and difficult, with several generations of women's rights activists lecturing, writing, marching, lobbying, and practicing civil disobedience to achieve what many Americans considered a radical change to the Constitution. The first time a committee submitted a report to the full Senate supporting a women's suffrage amendment was in 1886. The Nineteenth Amendment was first introduced in Congress in 1878 and was periodically debated for over four decades.
Key figures in the women's suffrage movement include Alice Paul, Lucy Burns, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Carrie Chapman Catt, Lucretia Mott, and Belle La Follette.
