The 19Th Amendment: A Historic Law For Women's Suffrage

The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits the United States and its states from denying any citizen the right to vote based on sex, was passed by Congress on June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920. The amendment was certified on August 26, 1920, by U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby, and it officially became part of the U.S. Constitution on this date, giving women the right to vote.

The 19th Amendment was signed into law on August 26, 1920

The 19th Amendment prohibits the United States and its states from denying any citizen the right to vote based on sex, effectively granting women the right to vote. The amendment was first introduced in Congress in 1878 but was not passed by the House of Representatives until May 21, 1919, and by the Senate until June 4, 1919. It was then submitted to the states for ratification and went into effect on August 18, 1920, after achieving the requisite 36 ratifications.

The campaign for women's suffrage was long and difficult, requiring decades of agitation and protest by tens of thousands of people across the country. Women organized, petitioned, marched, lobbied, and practiced civil disobedience to achieve what many Americans considered a radical change to the Constitution. The Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, the first women's rights convention in the United States, was a pivotal moment in the movement, inspiring many similar conventions and sparking the women's suffrage movement. Despite the passage of the 19th Amendment, many women, particularly African American, Native American, Asian American, and Hispanic American women, continued to face barriers to voting due to discriminatory state laws. It wasn't until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that these barriers were fully addressed.

The 19th Amendment was a significant milestone in the ongoing struggle for women's equality and representation in the United States, marking the beginning of a new era where women could exercise their right to vote and have a direct say in the country's future.

The Amendment's official certification date is August 26, but it's also celebrated on August 18, the anniversary of its ratification by Tennessee

The 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, was certified on August 26, 1920, and signed into law by U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby. This certification came six days after Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment on August 18, 1920.

The road to the 19th Amendment being signed into law was long and arduous. First introduced in Congress in 1878, the suffrage amendment did not pass the House of Representatives until May 21, 1919, quickly followed by the Senate on June 4, 1919. It then went to the states for ratification, requiring at least 36 states to vote in favour for it to become law.

The battle for ratification in Tennessee was particularly dramatic. The state senate voted convincingly to ratify, but the House failed to do so twice, resulting in a tie. The decisive vote was cast by 24-year-old state representative Harry T. Burn, who changed his vote after receiving a note from his mother urging him to "be a good boy" and "help Mrs. [Carrie Chapman] Catt put the rat in ratification."

With Tennessee's ratification, the 19th Amendment became the law of the land, and the package containing the certified record was sent by train to the nation's capital, arriving in the early hours of August 26. Secretary Colby signed the amendment without ceremony that morning, and it was formally adopted into the Constitution.

While the official certification date of the 19th Amendment is August 26, the anniversary of its ratification by Tennessee on August 18 is also celebrated as it was the final vote needed to secure the passage of the amendment. This amendment was the culmination of decades of struggle and protest by suffragettes across the country, ensuring that the right to vote could no longer be denied on the basis of sex.

The 19th Amendment was the result of decades of work by tens of thousands of people across the country

The 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote, was passed on August 18, 1920, and certified on August 26, 1920. The result of a lengthy and difficult struggle, the amendment was the culmination of decades of agitation and protest by tens of thousands of people across the country.

The roots of the women's suffrage movement can be traced back to the mid-19th century, with the first women's rights convention taking place in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848. Organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, the convention brought together more than 300 people, mostly women, to discuss the social, civil, and religious conditions and rights of women. The convention sparked the women's suffrage movement and inspired many similar conventions across the country.

Despite facing fierce resistance, champions of voting rights for women worked tirelessly to achieve their goal. They employed a variety of strategies, including lecturing, writing, marching, lobbying, and civil disobedience. Some pursued a strategy of passing suffrage acts in individual states, while others challenged male-only voting laws in the courts. Suffragists also used more confrontational tactics, such as picketing, silent vigils, and hunger strikes, to draw attention to their cause.

By the turn of the 20th century, the women's suffrage movement had gained renewed momentum, with more states extending voting rights to women. The formation of national organizations, such as the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) and the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), also helped to unify and strengthen the movement. Despite facing setbacks and internal disagreements, suffragists persisted in their fight for voting rights.

World War I played a significant role in shifting public opinion towards supporting women's suffrage. The contributions of women to the war effort, as well as the increased role they played in wartime activities, made it difficult to deny their demands for equal rights. By 1918, President Woodrow Wilson, who had previously refused to endorse suffrage, addressed the Senate in favour of votes for women.

The final struggle for passage came in 1919, when the House of Representatives and the Senate passed the amendment, sending it to the states for ratification. Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment on August 18, 1920, and with the certification by Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby on August 26, the 19th Amendment officially became part of the U.S. Constitution.

The 19th Amendment prohibited the US and its states from denying citizens the right to vote on the basis of sex

The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, also known as the Susan B. Anthony Amendment, prohibits the United States and its states from denying any citizen the right to vote based on sex. The amendment was first introduced to Congress in 1878 but was not passed until 1919, and finally certified on August 26, 1920.

The road to the 19th Amendment was long and arduous. Beginning in the mid-19th century, several generations of women's suffrage supporters lectured, wrote, marched, lobbied, and practised civil disobedience to achieve what many Americans considered a radical change to the Constitution. The campaign for women's suffrage was complex and interwoven with issues of civil and political rights for all Americans. The efforts of women like Ida B. Wells and Alice Paul, and organisations such as the National American Woman Suffrage Association and the National Woman's Party, were instrumental in the passage of the amendment.

The text of the amendment states:

> "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 19th 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 Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, organised by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, is considered the start of the American women's rights movement. The convention sparked the women's suffrage movement and inspired many similar conventions across the country.

While the 19th Amendment was a significant step forward for women's rights, it did not guarantee the right to vote for all women. In practice, it only gave white women the right to vote, as African American, Native American, Asian American, and other minority women continued to face discrimination and voter suppression. It was not until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that women of colour gained crucial protections for their voting rights.

Despite the Amendment, many women continued to face discrimination and voter suppression

The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, passed on 18 August 1920, and certified on 26 August 1920, granted women the right to vote. The amendment was the culmination of a lengthy and arduous struggle spanning nearly a century, involving conferences, protests, hunger strikes, speeches, court cases, lobbying, organising, and marches.

Despite the Amendment, many women, particularly those from minority racial and ethnic groups, continued to face discrimination and voter suppression. Native Americans, both men and women, for example, only gained the right to vote in 1924, with some Western states granting this right even later, in the 1940s and 1950s. Asian American women were not granted the right to vote until 1952, and women with disabilities had to wait until 1990 for legal protection.

In addition to racial and ethnic minority groups, immigrant women and poorer women also continued to face barriers at the polls. Literacy tests, invasive registration forms, interpretation tests, poll taxes, and violence were some of the methods used to suppress the votes of Black, Latinx, Native American, and Asian American citizens. These measures were particularly effective in the Jim Crow South, but also existed in other states such as Connecticut. Poll taxes, for instance, were pervasive in the Confederate South due to the majority of Black people being impoverished and unable to afford the tax.

Intimidation, harassment, beatings, and even murders were also used to prevent people of colour from voting. In some cases, registrars would arbitrarily pass or fail applicants during literacy tests, with White applicants being exempt or only required to answer a few questions. Complex and invasive registration forms were also used to intimidate and discourage applicants, especially in the Jim Crow South.

It was not until the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, that discrimination against women of all races, ethnicities, and disability statuses was prohibited, and their right to vote was finally protected.

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