A dramatic battle in the Tennessee House of Representatives ends with the state ratifying the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution on August 18, 1920. After decades of struggle and protest by suffragettes across the country, the decisive vote is cast by a 24-year-old representative who reputedly changed his vote after receiving a note from his mother.
America’s suffrage movement was founded in the mid 19th century by women who had become politically active through their work in the abolitionist and temperance movements. In July 1848, 200 woman suffragists, organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, met in Seneca Falls, New York, to discuss women’s rights. After approving measures asserting the right of women to educational and employment opportunities, they passed a resolution that declared “it is the duty of the women of this country to secure to themselves their sacred right to the elective franchise.”
For proclaiming a woman’s right to vote, the Seneca Falls Convention was subjected to public ridicule, and some backers of women’s rights withdrew their support. However, the resolution marked the beginning of the woman suffrage movement in America.
When Carrie Chapman Catt took over from Anthony as President of the National American Woman Suffrage Association in 1900, she prioritized the push for a constitutional amendment to give women the vote. At the outset of World War I, NAWSA urged women to prove their worth to the war effort while the National Women’s Party, led by Lucy Burns and Alice Paul, engaged in civil disobedience, directly targeting President Woodrow Wilson with protests outside the White House.
Finally, facing growing pressure on multiple fronts, Wilson called a special session of congress in May of 1919 and personally appealed for women’s suffrage. Having voted down the amendment six times, Congress finally approved it, sending it to the states for ratification.
By March of 1920, just one more state was needed to ratify the 19th Amendment in order for it to become law. The Tennessee General Assembly took up the question in August, and suffragists and anti-suffragists bore down on Nashville. The State Senate voted convincingly to ratify, but the House failed to do so twice, by two votes of 48 to 48. State Rep. Harry T. Burn, a 24-year-old from McMinn County, was one of the “nay” votes. Reportedly, he had intended to vote for ratification but had been persuaded not to by telegrams from his constituents and members of his party.
Just as a third vote was set to begin, Burn received a letter from his mother, Febb Ensminger Burn, that read, in part, “Hurrah and vote for Suffrage and don’t keep them in doubt … I’ve been watching to see how you stood but have not seen anything yet … Don’t forget to be a good boy.”
On the third vote, Burn changed his mind. Thanks to his single vote, the House approved the amendment, Tennessee ratified it, and the Constitution was changed to guarantee women the right to vote.
On August 26, the amendment was formally adopted into the Constitution by proclamation of Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby.
Despite the ratification of the amendment and the decades-long contributions of Black women to achieve suffrage, poll taxes, local laws and other restrictions continued to block women—and men—of color from voting. It would take more than 40 years for all women to achieve voting equality.
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And what a terrible mistake it has turned out to be. This was the day the ship of state’s rudder broke and was turned irreparably left.
In fairness, the biggest blue wave in the history of American politics happened 10 years before the 19th, with the 1910 midterm massacre. The Dems picked up over 50 seats in the house and the first ever Socialist representative was seated.
Its been downhill ever since. Indeed I love my wife and her libertarian/anarcho-capitalist stands on the issues. Her votes have been along the lines of more freedom and less government ever since she began voting. But if it meant keeping 50 million or so idiot, pro-tyranny, pro-nanny state voters away from the ballot box, I would happily see her never be able to vote again.
I would have no problem giving up my right to vote. In fact, I don’t like women having the right to vote.
That’s gutsy this day in age.
In my opinion, many women think emotionally, as stated by others, and never reason things out. And they are easily persuaded to stupid ideas. Many are a bunch of vindictive cats and make decisions based on that. And many of them are incredibly jealous of other women, especially if that woman attracts men. (I won’t go into details on how I know.)
The women that comment on this site don’t appear that way, but they are the exceptions to a lot of the women I’ve had to deal with, especially at work. (One reason I work at home.)
And liberal women are the absolute worst! One of my best friends is very conservative but her younger sister is a flaming liberal and she has crazy ideas and is impossible to talk to her. The whole family is conservative except her and they don’t know what happened. Like others have said, you can’t talk sense into their heads.
What happened to her……the internet
I think it was the school system. She was born at least 10 years after her sister and 16 years after her older brother.
Flea, think of a used-car salesman selling a lemon to a female who knows nothing about cars. She’ll believe anything that used-car salesman says. “Oh, I love the color and it’s such a cute car.” That is the woman voter. Now, if she brings a man along, she’s a lot less likely to get jipped. Same thing, in my opinion. These women think they know what’s going on but they have no clue. (Though there are some clueless men out there as well, usually Demonrats.)
My wife won’t because she believes women are not well suited to the political process. I think the argument can be made that while women voting did not immediately commence the destruction of western civilization, it has played a powerful hand in its decline and also the destruction of human liberty.
Matriarchies are inherently nurturing/touchy-feely and collectivist in nature. Patriarchies are inherently rational and promote individualism.
If I had to choose one Amendment that doomed us, it was the 19th. It sealed our fates.
Nothing like replacing facts and reason with “feelings”.
It it will shut the ladies up,let them vote.How bad can it get????
It’s an old tale. One gives in, of course, to love. Our child loves candy bars, we love our child. So simple to supply the desire, and so gratifying! We all rejoice in our love for one another!
Oh, but, and there is always a “but,” is it love to indulge our child should it desire a tainted thing? Or is it love to guide our child and increase its ability to discern the good from the harmful?
Too bad such love is so laden with immediate regrets! Our child rebels and cries “Unfair!” To this outburst what can we say when all about are others less restricted?
Back to love, perhaps. Real love, and not the sort where one reaps and wrests pleasure from it! No, the sort of love, real love, in which you do what is best for the child with no thought of what you get out of it. Your child is not you, you are to guide and parent and send the child into the world with a sense of virtue.
Old Socrates said, “Virtue is for the few.” It must be learned early so that it becomes a habit and so there is no argument about whether to be virtuous in all things, one just is.
And what is man but the protector of that which he loves and is responsible for? Women are not children, yet are they not in need of protection? Do men protect women by giving them the means to make society one where higher authorities and security are like lemon drops and rainbows to a five-year old?
Love of the wrong sort, which is not actually love at all, has brought down a scourge on our society.
This might be the only amendment that is impossible to repeal like booze was when the mistake was seen.
hopefully when the ‘murican pinochet restores the republic he will leave the 19th out of the new constitution–
I don’t know why they gave in to begin with. The women couldn’t vote so it’s not like they would lose votes by voting against it. I think this is the period when men in this country were starting to go soft. Not all men, of course, but those in government.
Vixen
You got it right the first time. Men voted to rob the rich with the income tax just to name one. It was a dishonest way of solving a problem and they began losing their moral currency. Men were debasing the truth well before they began debasing the currency. Deep down we all know right from wrong and it takes a toll on our conscience making it easier to backslide a little at a time.
Augustus Caesar and Marc Antony tried to tax rich women, like Julius Caesar’s wife, after they took power after Caesar’s death. The rich women went to the forum, beating on shields, and said, if we have to pay taxes, then we demand the right to vote. Augustus and Antony dropped the subject.
And that, folks, is one reason women can now vote.
Sounds about right.
The caveman mentality…..safety.at all costs. Is it odd that women used to chose their mate by their strength and ability to provide? Is it odd since women have been empowered they no longer seek this same safety yet they complain about the gender gap of wages? It is common to see wealthy smart white girls gang banging a group of thugs having little half breeds. There is no longer a stigma attached to having a biracial child. It is encouraged. With massive welfare checks these same women are being taken care of and encouraged with more welfare if they gangbang more and pop out another. When the money stops and the economic depression rolls over us this will change and they will have to live with their choices. The slacker that refuses to work the crops will not eat unlike today there will be no charity or welfare for crop slackers. Women with such morals and attitude will become the town whores. Well deserved of course. Funny how the leftist women see the inequalities yet place themselves on more unequal footing. Their safety is in welfare. when that ends with the coming depression, watch infanticide rates skyrocket. And it will hit hardest on biracial kids. Enjoy your freedom ladies you all deserve what you reap from your sowing.