Celebrating the 100 year anniversary of the 19th amendment

100 years. That’s how long women in the US have had the right to vote. The 19th amendment — which amended the Constitution to say that citizens can’t be denied the right to vote based on their sex — was ratified on Aug. 18, 1920 after being passed by Congress on June 4, 1919.

We can do it, ladies | GIF via GIPHY

It was a long + difficult fight for women, and 100 years of voting rights is a reason to celebrate. 🍾 Before we pop the champagne, let’s take a look at what it took to get here. 👇

National suffrage

• The women’s rights movement began to organize nationally in 1848.
• In July of 1848, the Seneca Falls Convention was organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton + Lucretia Mott (names you’ve probably heard before), and more than 300 people — mostly women — attended.
• Black suffragists, including Sojourner Truth + Ida B. Wells-Barnett, created their own groups, like the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs. Black women wouldn’t get the right to vote until the Voting Rights Act of 1965, decades after the 19th amendment.
• The amendment allowing women the right to vote was first introduced to Congress in 1878. It took 42 years to be ratified.
• 15 states adopted complete women’s suffrage legislation prior to the 19th amendment. In the Volunteer State, women could vote for President before the 19th amendment.
• On Aug. 26, 1920 after many marches, protests, and debates, the 19th amendment was ratified, and on Nov. 2, 1920, more than 8 million American women voted for the first time.

Local suffrage

• Tennessee was the 36th state to vote + the tie breaker. Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Virginia all opposed the amendment, and it was up to TN’s vote. TN legislators were at a 48-48 tie and the state citizens were expressing their stance by wearing a red or yellow rose — red was opposed, yellow was in favor. It came down to the vote of Harry Burn, who had a red rose pinned on his lapel. In a twist ending, he voted in favor of the 19th amendment after he received a letter from his mother, ending the “War of the Roses.”
• A name you should know — Abby Crawford Milton. Abby was not even interested in women’s suffrage until her friend asked her to be VP of the local suffrage association. Read the full story + nine things you should know about Abby here.
• 54%. That’s how many TN women were registered to vote in November 2018, according to the US Census Bureau. Check out this fact sheet for more information about TN women in the voting booth + government.

Bonus — a comprehensive timeline of the fight for women’s suffrage

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