Some days I find it hard to believe that there was a time when people in the United States could not vote. Yet, women could not vote until after the ratification of the 19th Amendment. On August 18, 1920, Tennessee became the last of the 36 states needed to ratify the Amendment. The adoption was certified on August 26, 1920. For those who may not know or remember this was when states and the federal government where prohibited from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex.
Some days I find it hard to believe that there was a time when people in the United States could not vote.
So, here is a little bit of background information about women’s right to vote in this country. When the United States was a colony of Great Britain many of the areas that would later become states let women vote. However, by 1807 every state constitution denied women the right to vote. Around the mid-nineteenth century there were more organizations that were supporting a woman’s right to vote. In Seneca Falls, NY in 1848 a convention was held and the Declaration of Sentiments was adopted. It was signed by 68 women and 32 men. If you have never read this declaration, I highly suggest looking it up. But here are a few of the sentiments: He has not ever permitted her to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise. He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the formation of which she had no voice. He has taken from her all right, in property, even to the wages she earns. This is compelling to me, but clearly not to everyone.
Supreme Court Strikes
Using legal arguments and even other amendments the Supreme Court still struck down any attempt at women voting. So two of the most notable names in the women’s movement Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony decided to call for a new amendment which was rejected in 1887. However, in the West, new states and territories were allowing women to vote. What really compelled people to start listening was World War I, and the contributions women made during the war. This started to sway public opinion, and in 1918 President Wilson supported the 19th amendment. Women were able to start voting by the 1920 elections.
I know some think women still have an uphill battle, yet we have so many freedoms that women all over the world still do not have. So when you go to the voting booth this November remember all the women who had no say in the laws they had to follow. Remember all the women who gathered and fought for something that technically the Constitution gave them. Remember to Vote!
