Eleanor Finch
The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1920, granted women the right to vote. The campaign for women's suffrage was long and difficult, with women lecturing, writing, marching, lobbying, and even practicing civil disobedience to achieve what many Americans considered a radical change in the Constitution. The 19th Amendment was first introduced in Congress in 1878, and it finally passed in 1919, going to the states for ratification. Tennessee was the 36th state to ratify the amendment, ensuring its adoption.
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
The 19th Amendment to the US Constitution
The women's suffrage movement began in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848, and 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 13th, 14th, and 15th 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 14th and 15th Amendments, which granted voting rights to African Americans, also guaranteed voting rights to women. However, the Supreme Court rejected their justification. In 1878, the first women's suffrage amendment was introduced in Congress, but it did not pass the House of Representatives until May 21, 1919.
Following the passage of the amendment in Congress in 1919, advocates for women's suffrage faced resistance from anti-suffragists, particularly in Southern states, who continued to claim that the amendment would never be approved. Despite this opposition, the amendment achieved the requisite 36 ratifications, and Tennessee provided the final ratification on August 18, 1920. The amendment was then adopted and went into effect, guaranteeing women the right to vote.
However, it is important to note that the ratification of the 19th Amendment did not ensure full enfranchisement for all women. Women of colour continued to face obstacles to voting due to discriminatory state voting laws, poll taxes, and other restrictions. It took several decades of additional struggles to include African Americans and other minority women in the promise of voting rights. Furthermore, women still faced political limitations after the adoption of the amendment, as they had to lobby for the right to serve on juries and face obstacles when running for elective offices.
Interpreting the Constitution: Judicial Review's Impact
You may want to see also
The right to vote for women
The first women's suffrage amendment was introduced in Congress in 1878, but it was not until 1919 that a suffrage amendment passed the House of Representatives and the Senate. This amendment, known as the 19th Amendment, prohibited the United States and its states from denying the right to vote to citizens on the basis of sex, thereby recognizing the right of women to vote.
The road to the ratification of the 19th Amendment was not without its challenges. While some pursued a strategy of passing suffrage acts in individual states, others challenged male-only voting laws in court. Suffragists also faced fierce resistance and physical abuse from opponents. By the end of 1919, 22 states had ratified the amendment, but resistance and doubts remained.
On August 18, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment, ensuring its adoption. The 19th Amendment was then proclaimed as part of the Constitution of the United States on August 26, 1920. Despite this milestone, the struggle for full enfranchisement continued, with many women, particularly women of color, still facing obstacles to voting long into the 20th century due to discriminatory state voting laws.
The Second Amendment: Right to Bear Arms
You may want to see also
The long campaign for women's suffrage
The campaign for women's suffrage in the United States was a lengthy and difficult struggle that required several generations of supporters to lecture, write, march, lobby, and practice civil disobedience to achieve what many Americans considered a radical change to the Constitution. The first women's suffrage amendment was introduced in Congress in 1878, but it didn't pass the House of Representatives until 1919.
In the decades leading up to the passage of the 19th Amendment, women's suffrage was a highly contested issue. Opponents of women's suffrage, such as the Women's National Anti-Suffrage League, argued that women lacked experience in military affairs and that it would be dangerous to allow them to vote in national elections. Despite these objections, women's suffrage gained support from various groups, including abolitionists who wanted to end slavery and the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), which was established in the United States in 1873.
One of the early leaders of the suffrage movement, Susan B. Anthony, faced arrest and a widely publicised trial for voting in 1872. This incident gave fresh momentum to the movement, and in 1878, Anthony and her fellow suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton formed the National Woman Suffrage Association. The group sent a letter to the US Senate and House of Representatives, urging that women be included in the 15th Amendment and be allowed to speak in front of Congress.
Another early advocate for women's suffrage was Lucy Stone, who, along with her husband Henry Brown Blackwell, founded the American Woman Suffrage Association. They supported the 15th Amendment, which granted Black men the right to vote, believing that including women in the amendment would hinder its passage. In 1853, Stone became the first woman to appeal for women's suffrage before a body of lawmakers when she addressed the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention.
The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) and the National Woman's Party were two of the prominent groups campaigning for women's suffrage in the early 20th century. They disagreed on tactics, with the former advocating for a state-by-state campaign and the latter focusing on a constitutional amendment. By 1916, most major suffrage organisations united behind the goal of a constitutional amendment.
The 19th Amendment, ratified on August 18, 1920, was the culmination of these decades-long efforts. However, it's important to note that the battle for true universal suffrage continued, as many women, particularly African Americans and other minority women, still faced discriminatory state voting laws and political limitations even after the amendment's passage.
The First Amendment: Its Place in the Constitution
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Resistance to women's suffrage
The 19th Amendment, which was ratified in 1920, was the culmination of a long and arduous struggle for women's suffrage in the United States. Beginning in the mid-19th century, the women's suffrage movement faced strong opposition and resistance, with many Americans considering it a radical change to the Constitution. Despite this, suffragists lectured, wrote, marched, lobbied, and practiced civil disobedience to achieve their goal of voting rights for women.
One notable example of resistance was the Women Voters Anti-Suffrage Party of New York, which urged the Senate in a 1917 petition not to pass a federal suffrage amendment. Additionally, a young state representative from Tennessee, Harry Burn, initially voted against the amendment, wearing an anti-suffragist pin. However, he changed his vote after receiving a letter from his mother urging him to support the amendment.
The suffrage movement also experienced tensions and fractures, particularly with the introduction of the 15th Amendment, which theoretically enfranchised Black men but not women. This led to a deterioration of interracial, mixed-gender coalitions within the movement. While Black suffragists played a pivotal role in the passage of the 19th Amendment, they were often limited to non-leadership positions and faced discrimination and violence that prevented them from voting.
Furthermore, the women's suffrage movement was not just a fight for the vote but also for the broader educational and professional opportunities that came with it. The Seneca Falls Convention of 1848, considered the dawn of the movement, produced a Declaration of Sentiments that called for equality between the sexes and included a resolution urging women to secure the vote.
In conclusion, the road to the 19th Amendment was paved with resistance and challenges. It took decades of agitation, protests, and legal battles to overcome societal and political obstacles. Even after the amendment's ratification, the struggle for voting rights continued, especially for women of color and those from other marginalized communities, who faced additional hurdles and discrimination.
Amendments: Changing the Constitution's Language
You may want to see also
The impact of the 19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1920, was a milestone in the fight for women's rights, guaranteeing them the right to vote. This amendment was the culmination of a long and difficult campaign that began in the mid-19th century, with several generations of women lecturing, writing, marching, lobbying, and even practising civil disobedience to achieve this radical change.
Secondly, the amendment encouraged women to seek political office and fight for further equality. While not all women were united in these endeavours, with race, class, and political beliefs causing divisions, the 19th Amendment laid the foundation for future struggles toward greater equality and representation. For instance, women had to lobby for the right to sit on juries, with this right being granted in California four years after the amendment, and in Colorado, it took 33 years.
The 19th Amendment also had an impact on minority women's rights. While the amendment did enfranchise black women, granting them voting rights on equal footing with white women, the movement had initially excluded the voices of women of colour. Black women faced a two-fold battle against racism and sexism, and their inclusion in the amendment risked turning away Southern supporters.
The 19th Amendment also led to the passing of the Sheppard-Towner Maternity and Infancy Act, which provided federal funds for health education and nutrition services for mothers and babies, helping to lower infant mortality rates.
Overall, the 19th Amendment was a transformative moment in U.S. history, opening the door for women's participation in politics and raising issues such as reproductive rights. While the amendment was a milestone, the fight for equality continues, with women still striving for equal representation in government and the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.
The Fourteenth Amendment: Extending Constitutional Rights to States
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
The 19th Amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920.
The 19th Amendment states that "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 19th Amendment was a culmination of a decades-long movement for women's suffrage in the United States. It legally guaranteed American women the right to vote and was a significant step towards gender equality.
The campaign for women's suffrage faced strong opposition and was a lengthy and difficult process. There was resistance from anti-suffragists, particularly in the South, who argued that women should be protected from the "evils of politics". Even after the 19th Amendment, women, especially women of colour, continued to face obstacles and discrimination in exercising their voting rights.
