The 19Th Amendment: Drafting Equality For Women

The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, also known as the Susan B. Anthony Amendment, was introduced in 1878 and ratified in 1920. The amendment prohibits the United States and its states from denying any citizen the right to vote based on sex, effectively recognising women's right to vote. The 19th Amendment was the result of a decades-long movement for women's suffrage, with activists like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton advocating for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing women's voting rights.

Explore related products

The Concise History of Woman Suffrage: Selections from History of Woman Suffrage, by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Matilda Joslyn Gage, and the National American Woman Suffrage Association

$28

Woman Suffrage and Politics: The Inner Story of the Suffrage Movement

$12.29 $24.95

American Women's Suffrage: Voices from the Long Struggle for the Vote 1776-1965 (LOA #332) (The Library of America)

$40

History Of Woman Suffrage Vol 1

$27.99 $50.99

THE HISTORY OF WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE - Complete 6 Volumes (Illustrated): Chronicles of Feminism's Pioneers and Their Fight for Equality

$1.99

The Woman's Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote

$10.84 $20

The 19th Amendment was first introduced in 1878

The 19th Amendment, also known as the Susan B. Anthony Amendment, was first introduced in 1878 by Senator Aaron Sargent of California. It was a proposal for universal suffrage that aimed to prohibit the denial of the right to vote based on sex, ensuring that women had the same voting rights as men. This amendment was the culmination of a growing women's rights movement, which had gained momentum since the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention in New York.

The introduction of the 19th Amendment was a significant milestone, as it was the first time that suffragists were allowed to testify before the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections. They presented tens of thousands of petitions in support of the amendment. Despite this, the committee recommended that the amendment be shelved, and it faced several failures and setbacks over the years.

The women's suffrage movement experienced challenges and divisions, particularly with the introduction of the 15th Amendment, which granted voting rights based on race but excluded women. Black suffragists played a pivotal role in the passage of the 19th Amendment, but they continued to face discrimination and were often limited to non-leadership roles in civil and voting rights organizations. It is important to note that while the 19th Amendment granted voting rights to white women, women from racial and ethnic minority groups remained disenfranchised until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The 19th Amendment faced opposition and was not approved by Congress until 1919, more than four decades after it was first introduced. The United States' entry into World War I in 1917 and the contributions of women during the war helped shift public opinion in favor of women's suffrage. President Woodrow Wilson endorsed women's suffrage in his 1918 State of the Union address, and the 1918 Suffrage Bill passed the House by a narrow margin.

Finally, in 1919, with increasing pressure from the public and advocacy from activists like Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, the amendment secured the necessary two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate. It was then submitted to the states for ratification, achieving the required number of ratifications by August 18, 1920, when Tennessee provided the final approval. The 19th Amendment's official certification date is August 26, and it is celebrated annually as Women's Equality Day.

Susan B. Anthony Amendment

The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, also known as the Susan B. Anthony Amendment, was a culmination of a decades-long movement for women's suffrage in the United States. The amendment prohibits the United States and its states from denying citizens the right to vote based on sex, effectively recognising women's right to vote.

The roots of the 19th Amendment can be traced back to the mid-19th century, when women's suffrage supporters began lecturing, writing, marching, lobbying, and practising civil disobedience to achieve what many considered a radical change to the Constitution. During this period, women's suffrage activists like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton called for a national constitutional amendment to guarantee women's voting rights. In 1865, at the conclusion of the Civil War, Anthony and Stanton signed a "Petition for Universal Suffrage", which was the first national petition drive to include women's suffrage among its demands.

In 1869, Anthony and Stanton founded the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA), further advocating for women's right to vote. The NWSA merged with the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) in 1890 to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). Despite these efforts, a suffrage amendment was not passed in Congress until 1919.

The Susan B. Anthony Amendment was first introduced in 1878 by Senator Aaron Sargent and provided for women's suffrage: "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 amendment was considered by the Senate multiple times over the years, facing rejection and defeat. In 1914, it was once again rejected by the Senate, but it gained momentum in 1917 when it was reintroduced in the House and Senate. President Woodrow Wilson publicly supported the amendment, and it finally passed in both the House and Senate on June 4, 1919.

The 19th Amendment was then submitted to the states for ratification, achieving the necessary 36 ratifications by August 18, 1920. The amendment's passage was a significant milestone in the women's rights movement, guaranteeing American women the right to vote and marking the culmination of years of tireless work and perseverance by women's suffrage supporters.

Women's suffrage activists

The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees women's right to vote, was the result of a long and arduous campaign by women's suffrage activists. Beginning in the mid-19th century, several generations of women's suffrage supporters lectured, wrote, marched, lobbied, and practiced civil disobedience to achieve what many Americans considered a radical change in the Constitution. The campaign for women's suffrage was complex and interwoven with issues of civil and political rights for all Americans.

The original Constitution left the issue of voting primarily to the states, and women's suffrage activists initially pursued a strategy of passing suffrage acts in each state. Wyoming Territory, for example, granted women the right to vote in all elections in 1869, and by 1912, nine western states had adopted women's suffrage legislation. However, it soon became apparent that an amendment to the federal Constitution would be necessary to secure voting rights for women across the country.

Two organizations were formed in 1869: the National Woman Suffrage Association, which sought to achieve a federal constitutional amendment for women's suffrage, and the American Woman Suffrage Association, which focused on obtaining amendments in individual state constitutions. These two organizations merged in 1890 to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA).

In 1878, a suffrage proposal that would eventually become the 19th Amendment was introduced in Congress but was rejected in 1887. The proposal, known as the "Susan B. Anthony Amendment," was reintroduced in every subsequent session of Congress for the next four decades. During this time, women's suffrage activists employed a variety of tactics, including legal arguments, picketing, silent vigils, and hunger strikes, to achieve their goal. Notable women's suffrage activists include Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Burns, Alice Paul, and Ida B. Wells.

Finally, in 1919, the amendment passed in Congress and was submitted to the states for ratification. On August 18, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment, crossing the three-fourths threshold needed for adoption. The 19th Amendment was signed into law on August 26, 1920, marking a historic victory for women's suffrage activists and guaranteeing women's right to vote in the United States.

Explore related products

Suffrage: Women's Long Battle for the Vote

$10.96 $18

The Women's Suffrage Movement

$16.74 $18

The Woman Suffrage Cook Book (Cooking in America)

$12.06 $14.95

Suffrage Song: The Haunted History of Gender, Race and Voting Rights in the U.S.

$30.08 $34.99

Public Faces, Secret Lives

$17.25 $20

Massachusetts in the Woman Suffrage Movement: Revolutionary Reformers (American Heritage)

$21.99

The 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920

The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, also known as the "Susan B. Anthony Amendment", was ratified on August 18, 1920. The amendment was the culmination of a decades-long movement for women's suffrage in the United States, at both the state and national levels, and was part of the worldwide movement towards women's suffrage and the wider women's rights movement.

The original Constitution left the issue of voting primarily to the states, and women were almost universally excluded from voting, with their voices largely suppressed from the political sphere. Opposition to women's suffrage predated the Constitutional Convention (1787), which drafted and adopted the Constitution. The prevailing view was that women should be precluded from holding office and voting, and it was generally accepted that women should be protected from the evils of politics.

However, there was opposition to such patriarchal views from the beginning. In 1776, Abigail Adams, the wife of John Adams, asked her husband as he went to the Continental Congress to adopt the Declaration of Independence, to "remember the ladies and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors". In the mid-19th century, several generations of women's suffrage supporters lectured, wrote, marched, lobbied, and practiced civil disobedience to achieve what many Americans considered a radical change in the Constitution. Some suffragists used more confrontational tactics such as picketing, silent vigils, and hunger strikes.

The first women's suffrage amendment was introduced in Congress in 1878 but was rejected in 1887. The amendment was reintroduced in Congress in 1890 and every year thereafter. In 1912, nine western states had adopted women's suffrage legislation. In 1913, more than 5,000 suffragists from around the country paraded down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC, to draw attention to their cause. Finally, on June 4, 1919, Congress approved the amendment, which was then submitted to the states for ratification.

Tennessee was the 36th state to ratify the amendment, crossing the three-fourths-of-states threshold needed to clinch its passage. On August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified, legally guaranteeing American women the right to vote. This victory took decades of agitation and protest by tens of thousands of people across the country who worked for change.

The 19th Amendment was passed in Congress in 1919

The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, also known as the "Susan B. Anthony Amendment", was passed in 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 recognising women's right to vote.

The road to achieving this milestone was long and challenging, spanning decades of agitation and protest by women's suffrage supporters. The campaign for women's suffrage in the United States began in the mid-19th century, with activists like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton advocating for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing women's voting rights. The first women's suffrage amendment was introduced in Congress in 1878 but was rejected in 1887. Despite this setback, suffrage organisations persisted, focusing on both state and national levels. Notable leaders such as Lucy Burns and Alice Paul emerged, employing diverse strategies to advance the cause.

In the years leading up to 1919, the movement gained momentum, with President Wilson expressing his support for women's suffrage in his 1918 State of the Union address. The House of Representatives approved the amendment on May 21, 1919, and the Senate followed on June 4, 1919, with both chambers achieving the necessary two-thirds majority. This marked a significant victory for women's suffrage, but the work was not yet done, as the amendment still needed to be ratified by the states.

The fight for ratification continued, with Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan being among the first states to ratify the amendment. By August 2, 1919, 14 states had approved ratification, but opposition remained, particularly from Southern Democrats. The journey towards full ratification was not without setbacks, and at one point, the amendment faced serious doubt after several states rejected it in 1920. However, on August 18, 1920, the requisite 36 states had ratified the amendment, and it officially became part of the Constitution.

The passage of the 19th Amendment was a pivotal moment in the history of women's rights in the United States, enfranchising 26 million American women and solidifying their legal right to vote. While the amendment represented a significant step forward, it is important to acknowledge that it did not fully eradicate voting disparities, as millions of women of colour continued to face barriers to voting due to systemic racism.

Frequently asked questions