
What states did not ratify the 19th Amendment?
In February 1920, Mississippi’s legislature rejected the ratification of the 19th, and was one of two states in the country, alongside Georgia, which argued that women had missed the registration...
Who did not support the 19th Amendment?
Who opposed the 19th Amendment? Thus, planters, textile mills, railroads, city machine bosses and liquor interests, amongst others, united in opposition to the suffrage movement. Women, surprisingly, represented another opponent to the passage of the 19th amendment. The National Association Opposed To Women's Suffrage was formed.
When states ratified the 19th Amendment?
- The Nineteenth Amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920. August 26, 1920 The Nineteenth Amendment was officially certified by the Secretary of State. ...
- Other states ratified the Nineteenth Amendment soon after it became law. ...
- Better late than never! ...
- The Nineteenth Amendment was not the moment all American women won voting rights.
When did the 19th Amendment become the law of the land?
1920 The 19th Amendment Becomes the Law of the Land The National Liberty Loan Campaign

Who first introduced the 19th Amendment?
While women were not always united in their goals, and the fight 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 led to the passage of the 19th Amendment.
Why was the 19th amendment proposed?
The 19th Amendment was added to the Constitution, ensuring that American citizens could no longer be denied the right to vote because of their sex.
Who pushed for women's right to vote?
The National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) was formed by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony in May of 1869 – they opposed the 15th amendment because it excluded women.
What caused women's rights movement?
The movement for woman suffrage started in the early 19th century during the agitation against slavery. Women such as Lucretia Mott showed a keen interest in the antislavery movement and proved to be admirable public speakers.
Did the 19th Amendment achieve its goal?
On August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment was certified by U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby, and women finally achieved the long-sought right to vote throughout the United States.
What led to women's right to vote?
After the war, Anthony, Stanton, and others hoped that because women had contributed to the war economy, they along with the ex-slaves would be guaranteed the right to vote.
How did the 19th Amendment impact society?
The 19th Amendment helped millions of women move closer to equality in all aspects of American life. Women advocated for job opportunities, fairer wages, education, sex education, and birth control.
How long did it take for the 19th amendment to be ratified?
It took over 60 years for the remaining 12 states to ratify the 19th Amendment. Mississippi was the last to do so, on March 22, 1984.
How many votes did the 19th amendment pass?
Two weeks later, on June 4, 1919, the U.S. Senate passed the 19th Amendment by two votes over its two-thirds required majority, 56-25. The amendment was then sent to the states for ratification.
When Did Women Get the Right to Vote?
On August 26, 1920 , the 19th Amendment was certified by U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby, and women finally achieved the long-sought right to vote throughout the United States.
Why did the suffrage movement lose momentum?
With the onset of the Civil War, the suffrage movement lost some momentum, as many women turned their attention to assisting in efforts related to the conflict between the states.
How many states ratified the Constitution in 1919?
Kansas, New York and Ohio followed on June 16, 1919. By March of the following year, a total of 35 states had approved the amendment, just shy of the three-fourths required for ratification.
What were women denied in the early days of the United States?
Women’s Suffrage. During America’s early history, women were denied some of the basic rights enjoyed by male citizens. For example, married women couldn’t own property and had no legal claim to any money they might earn, and no female had the right to vote.
Which states gave women the right to vote?
Within six years, Colorado, Utah and Idaho adopted amendments to their state constitutions granting women the right to vote. In 1900, with Stanton and Anthony advancing in age, Carrie Chapman Catt stepped up to lead NAWSA.
What amendment guarantees women the right to vote?
The 19th Amendment. The 19th Amendment guarantees American women the right to vote. Achieving this milestone required a lengthy and difficult struggle; victory took decades of agitation. Beginning in the mid-19th century, woman suffrage supporters lectured, wrote, marched, lobbied, and practiced civil disobedience to achieve what many Americans ...
When did women's suffrage change in New York?
When New York adopted woman suffrage in 1917, and President Wilson changed his position to support an amendment in 1918, the political balance began to shift. On May 21, 1919, the House of Representatives passed the amendment, and two weeks later, the Senate followed.
What were the tactics of the 1916 suffrage movement?
More public tactics included parades, silent vigils, and hunger strikes. Supporters were heckled, jailed, and sometimes physically abused. By 1916, most of the major suffrage organizations united behind the goal of a constitutional amendment.
What is the 19th amendment?
The Nineteenth Amendment ( Amendment XIX) to the United States Constitution prohibits the United States and the states from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex, in effect recognising the right of women to a vote. 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 part of the wider women's rights movement. The first women's suffrage amendment was introduced in Congress in 1878. However, a suffrage amendment did not pass the House of Representatives until May 21, 1919, which was quickly followed by the Senate, on June 4, 1919. It was then submitted to the states for ratification, achieving the requisite 36 ratifications to secure adoption, and thereby go into effect, on August 18, 1920. The Nineteenth Amendment's adoption was certified on August 26, 1920.
Why did Paul pass the 19th amendment?
Paul charged that the amendment passed only because "it at last became more expedient for those in control of the Government to aid suffrage than to oppose it". Sewing stars on a suffrage flag. Congress proposed the Nineteenth Amendment on June 4, 1919, and the following states ratified the amendment.
How many states ratified the Constitution of 1919?
Carrie Catt began appealing to Western governors, encouraging them to act swiftly. By the end of 1919, a total of 22 states had ratified the amendment.
What was the first women's rights movement?
While scattered movements and organizations dedicated to women's rights existed previously, the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention in New York is traditionally held as the start of the American women's rights movement. Attended by nearly 300 women and men, the convention was designed to "discuss the social, civil, and religious rights of women", and culminated in the adoption of the Declaration of Sentiments. Signed by 68 women and 32 men, the ninth of the document's twelve resolved clauses reads, "Resolved, That it is the duty of the women of this country to secure to themselves their sacred right to the elective franchise." Conveners Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton became key early leaders in the U.S. women's suffrage movement, often referred to at the time as the "woman suffrage movement". Mott's support of women's suffrage stemmed from a summer spent with the Seneca Nation, one of the six tribes in the Iroquois Confederacy, where women had significant political power, including the right to choose and remove chiefs and veto acts of war.
How many women were enfranchised in the 1920s?
The Nineteenth Amendment enfranchised 26 million American women in time for the 1920 U.S. presidential election, but the powerful women's voting bloc that many politicians feared failed to fully materialize until decades later.
When did the suffrage amendment pass?
However, a suffrage amendment did not pass the House of Representatives until May 21, 1919, which was quickly followed by the Senate, on June 4, 1919. It was then submitted to the states for ratification, achieving the requisite 36 ratifications to secure adoption, and thereby go into effect, on August 18, 1920.
When was the Women's Suffrage Amendment introduced?
The first women's suffrage amendment was introduced in Congress in 1878.
When was the 19th amendment passed?
A subsequent attempt to pass the amendment came in 1919, and this time it passed both chambers with the requisite two-thirds majority—304–89 in the House of Representatives on May 21, and 56–25 in the Senate on June 4. Although the amendment’s fate seemed in doubt, because of opposition throughout much of the South, on August 18, 1920, Tennessee—by one vote—became the 36th state to ratify the amendment, thereby ensuring its adoption. On August 26 the Nineteenth Amendment was proclaimed by the secretary of state as being part of the Constitution of the United States.
Which state was the first to adopt a plank supporting a constitutional amendment?
Over the next decade several other states—all in the western part of the country—joined Wyoming. In 1912, when Theodore Roosevelt ran (unsuccessfully) as a third-party candidate for president, his party became the first national party to adopt a plank supporting a constitutional amendment.
What two organizations were formed in 1869?
Two organizations were formed in 1869: the National Woman Suffrage Association, which sought to achieve a federal constitutional amendment that would secure the ballot for women; and the American Woman Suffrage Association, which focused on obtaining amendments to that effect in the constitutions of the various states.
What was the name of the organization that launched the Women's Rights Movement?
In July 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York, then the hometown of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the Seneca Falls Convention launched the women’s rights movement and also called for woman suffrage.
Which amendment extended the right to vote to women?
See Article History. Nineteenth Amendment, amendment (1920) to the Constitution of the United States that officially extended the right to vote to women. women voting in New York City. Women casting their votes in New York City, c. 1920s. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (digital file no. 00037)
When did women get the right to vote in the US?
It would be reintroduced in every Congress thereafter. In 1890 Wyoming became a state and thus also became the first state whose constitution guaranteed women the right to vote. Over the next decade several other states—all in the western part of the country—joined Wyoming. In 1912, when Theodore Roosevelt ran (unsuccessfully) as a third-party candidate for president, his party became the first national party to adopt a plank supporting a constitutional amendment.
When did women's suffrage begin?
The two organizations worked together closely and would merge in 1890. woman suffrage: In the United States, 1776 –1959. *The phrase partial suffrage indicates a variety of limitations imposed on women's voting rights.
What is the 19th amendment?
19th Amendment: A Timeline of the Fight for All Women's Right to Vote. From Seneca Falls to the civil rights movement, see what events led to the ratification of the 19th amendment and later acts supporting Black and Native American women's right to vote. Author:
Who introduced the Women's Suffrage Amendment?
Senator Aaron Sargent of California introduces a women’s suffrage amendment to the U.S. Senate for the first time. Drafted by Stanton and Anthony, it reads: “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.” (When Congress passes the amendment 41 years later, the wording will remain unchanged.)
What did Stanton and Anthony do to the 15th amendment?
Despite the longtime association between the abolitionist and women’s rights movements, Stanton and Anthony’s refusal to support ratification of the 15th Amendment leads to a public break with Douglass, and alienates many Black suffragists. In December, the legislature of Wyoming territory passes the nation’s first women’s suffrage law.
What was the Declaration of Sentiments?
Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and other participants at the inaugural women’s rights convention at Seneca Falls adopt the Declaration of Sentiments, which calls for equality for women and includes a resolution that women should seek the right to vote. The suffrage resolution passes by a narrow margin, ...
How many states voted against ratification in 1919?
Eleven states—Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Kansas, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Texas, Iowa and Missouri— vote to ratify by late July 1919. On July 24, Georgia’s state legislature becomes the first to vote against ratification, thanks to a determined anti-suffrage effort in the Peach State.
When did the NAWSA form?
1890 - NAWSA Forms. The two sides of the women’s movement reunite, forming the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). With Stanton as president, the organization focuses on a state-by-state fight for voting rights.
When did women get the right to vote?
By the time the final battle over ratification of the 19th Amendment went down in Nashville, Tennessee in the summer of 1920, 72 years had passed since the first women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York . More than 20 nations around the world had granted women the right to vote, along with 15 states, more than half of them in the West.
When was the 19th amendment ratified?
Congress finally approved it on June 4, 1919. The 19th Amendment was ratified by three-fourths of the states on August 18, 1920, and certified by the secretary of state on August 26, 1920.
What was the 19th amendment?
19th Amendment Final Text. The 19th Amendment transformed the Constitution—banning gender discrimination in voting. In 1919, the House approved the amendment in a landslide vote (304-89), followed by the Senate (56-25). Congress then sent it to the states for ratification.
What amendment did the Suffragists propose?
Suffragists later modeled their proposal after the 15th Amendment (18 70) and settled on language to end gender discrimination in voting. First proposed in 1878, the “Susan B. Anthony Amendment” was introduced in each Congress—unchanged—for the next four decades. Congress finally approved it on June 4, 1919. The 19th Amendment was ratified by ...
What amendment banned gender discrimination in voting?
Select a provision to learn more about the language and its implications. The 19th Amendment transformed the Constitution—banning gender discrimination in voting. In 1919, the House approved the amendment in a landslide vote (304-89), followed by the Senate (56-25). Congress then sent it to the states for ratification.
Which amendment is the right of citizens to vote?
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. The 19th Amendment transformed the Constitution—banning gender discrimination in voting.
When did the 66th Congress meet?
Congress then sent it to the states for ratification. The 66th Congress met from March 1919 through March 1921 —the final two years of President Woodrow Wilson's presidency. Republicans controlled both the House and the Senate. June 4, 1919.
Which amendment states that the right of citizens to vote is not abridged?
66th Congress. Final Amendment . 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 power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
When was the 19th amendment added?
64 Two weeks later, the Senate cleared the amendment 56 to 25, with four votes to spare. 65 It took nearly 15 months for the required number of states to ratify the amendment, but in August 1920 , Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby officially added the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution.
What was the 19th amendment?
The Nineteenth Amendment, 1919–1920. In the spring of 1919, Rankin continued her work for women’s rights, sailing across the Atlantic Ocean to attend the International Congress of Women in Zurich, Switzerland. 52 President Wilson, also abroad negotiating the peace treaty to formally end World War I, called an extraordinary session ...
Why should women's suffrage be passed?
Representative Raker, who had led the Woman Suffrage Committee in the previous Congress, argued that “because of the work women have done, because of the advantage they have been to America in winning the war, because of their loyalty and unselfishness and their ability to cope with all the vicissitudes of war, [ they should] be given the same right to participate in their Government as the men have.” 59
What amendment expanded the right to vote?
In a less obvious way, the Nineteenth Amendment also expanded the very notion of voting rights. Along with opening access to the ballot box, the amendment redefined who could hold public office and who could vote on the floor of the House and Senate. If women could vote in their home states, they could serve in Washington. And if they could serve in Washington, they could shape and vote on national policy.
What was the effect of the draconian policies of the 1920s?
The draconian policies among the states, which had long prevented people of color from voting, remained in effect after ratification in 1920. For the next 45 years, everyday people pushed back against a system that sought to deny them equal standing and equal access to the ballot box.
What happened after the 19th amendment?
But in the two decades after the Nineteenth Amendment, the first generation of women to serve in Congress carved out a space on Capitol Hill that would grow bigger and more powerful with every passing year.
Which state ratified the 19th amendment?
Image courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration On August 18, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment, meeting the constitutional threshold of passage by three-quarters of the states. Echoing arguments deployed against the suffrage amendment in January 1918, opponents ran through a list ...
Which state ratified the 19th amendment?
Oklahoma eventually ratified the 19th Amendment. 12. One state representative guaranteed the 19th Amendment's success to please his mother. When Tennessee approved the bill on August 18, 1920, it became the 36th state to ratify, providing the necessary three-fourths majority.
What are some interesting facts about the 19th amendment?
19 Facts About the 19th Amendment. On August 18 , 1920 , American women finally secured the right to vote. Calling the victory hard-won would be an understatement: Denounced by many, the 19th amendment had an ugly, uphill road to ratification. 1.
Why did the Supreme Court reject the 19th amendment?
Because Maryland’s constitution reserved voting for men, Judge Oscar Leser and other anti-s uffragists charged that the federal government had unlawfully infringed upon their state’s rights. In Leser v. Garnett, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected this and similar arguments against the 19th amendment, thus ensuring its long-term survival. Apparently Chief Justice William Howard Taft decided that the “great majority” were finally for it.
How many states allowed women to vote in 1919?
In January 1919, suffrage laws varied considerably: 15 states allowed women to vote in all elections, while 21 barred them from certain contests (for instance, women in Texas could cast ballots only during primaries). The remaining 12 prohibited women voting altogether.
When did Tennessee ratify the suffrage amendment?
When Tennessee approved the bill on August 18, 1920, it became the 36th state to ratify, providing the necessary three-fourths majority. A 24-year-old state representative named Harry Burn, who previously opposed suffrage, had received a letter from his widowed mother, Febb Burn, on the day of the vote. She urged him to support the amendment. He voted yes, and led Tennessee to ratify by a margin of 49 to 47. Since the state senate had already passed it, the measure won out. “I know that a mother’s advice is always safest for her boy to follow,” Harry Burn noted, “and my mother wanted me to vote for ratification.”
When did women get suffrage in New Jersey?
Because some found this wording rather vague, clearer legislation was drafted, and in 1797, the State Assembly explicitly granted unwed female New Jerseyans suffrage.
Who was the most prominent woman to denounce the 19th amendment?
Not all suffrage opponents were men. Alice Hay Wadsworth was among the most prominent women to denounce what became the 19th Amendment. Wadsworth was the former president of the National Association Opposed to Women’s Suffrage and the wife of Senator James Wolcott Wadsworth, Jr., Republican of New York.

Overview
Legacy
In 1920, about six months before the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified, Emma Smith DeVoe and Carrie Chapman Catt agreed to merge the National American Woman Suffrage Association and the National Council of Women Voters to help newly enfranchised women exercise their responsibilities as voters. Originally only women could join the league, but in 1973 the charter wa…
Text
The Nineteenth Amendment provides:
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 power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Background
The United States Constitution, adopted in 1789, left the boundaries of suffrage undefined. The only directly elected body created under the original Constitution was the U.S. House of Representatives, for which voter qualifications were explicitly delegated to the individual states. While women had the right to vote in several of the pre-revolutionary colonies in what would become the United Stat…
Proposal and ratification
In 1900, Carrie Chapman Catt succeeded Susan B. Anthony as the president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Catt revitalized NAWSA, turning the focus of the organization to the passage of the federal amendment while simultaneously supporting women who wanted to pressure their states to pass suffrage legislation. The strategy, which she later called "The Winning Pla…
Legal challenges
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld the amendment's validity in Leser v. Garnett. Maryland citizens Mary D. Randolph, "'a colored female citizen' of 331 West Biddle Street", and Cecilia Street Waters, "a white woman, of 824 North Eutaw Street", applied for and were granted registration as qualified Baltimore voters on October 12, 1920. To have their names removed from the list of qual…
Effects
Adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment enfranchised 26 million American women in time for the 1920 U.S. presidential election. Many legislators feared that a powerful women's bloc would emerge in American politics. This fear led to the passage of such laws as the Sheppard–Towner Maternity and Infancy Protection Act of 1921, which expanded maternity care during the 1920s. Newly enfranchised women and women's groups prioritized a reform agenda rather than party lo…
See also
• Feminism in the United States
• History of feminism
• List of female United States presidential and vice-presidential candidates
• List of suffragists and suffragettes