Women’s Right to Vote and Notable Women
Ratification of the vote for women
On August 20, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, giving women the right to vote. There had been strong opposition to women’s suffrage since before the Constitution was drafted. Men and sometimes women believed that women should not vote or hold office because they needed to be protected from the sordid world of politics. Abigail Adams asked her husband, John, to “remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors,” but to no avail.
A more organized women’s suffrage movement arose in the 19th century, hand in hand with the abolitionist movement. In July 1848, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott organized a women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York. Stanton drafted a Declaration of Sentiments, modeled after the Declaration of Independence, demanding that women have an equal say in their government if they were to be bound by its laws. Attendees — women and men — signed the Declaration of Sentiments to show their support, although some later asked that their names be removed when they faced media backlash.
In the latter half of the 19th century, states gradually loosened restrictions on women's voting rights. Wyoming was the first state to grant women the full right to vote, when it gained statehood in 1890. The first national constitutional amendment was proposed in Congress in 1878 and in every subsequent session.
Finally, in 1919, it narrowly passed both houses of Congress and was sent to the states for ratification.
Most Southern states opposed the amendment, and it came down to Tennessee on August 18, 1920. The pro-amendment faction wore yellow roses on their lapels, while the “anti” coalition wore red American Beauty roses. It was a close battle, and the state legislature was tied 48 to 48. The decision came down to one vote: that of 24-year-old Harry Burn, the youngest state legislator. Proudly wearing a red rose, he cast his vote ... in favor of ratification. He had been expected to vote against it, but he had a note from his mother, Febb Burns, in his pocket.
Harry and Febb Burns
“Dear Son: Hurrah, and vote for suffrage! Don’t keep them in doubt. I noticed some of the speeches against it. They were bitter. I have been watching to see how you stood, but have not noticed anything yet. Don’t forget to be a good boy and help. Your Mother.” Burn responded to attacks on his integrity by inserting a personal statement into the House Journal, explaining his decision to vote, “I knew that a mother’s advice is always safest for a boy to follow, and my mother wanted me to vote for ratification.”
On November 2, more than 8 million women voted for the first time.
Joanna joannaseibert.com
