On June 4, 1919, Congress passed the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote. The text of the amendment was sent to the states for ratification, stating that the right to vote shall not be denied based on sex. Many were opposed to women having the right to vote, with artists creating political cartoons, religious leaders speaking out against women’s political activism, and articles criticizing women in public life. Opponents of woman suffrage began organizing in the 1860s, with Massachusetts being home to leading suffrage advocates and one of the first states with an organized anti-suffrage group.
Following congressional approval, the amendment had to be ratified by 36 states before being added to the Constitution. The first three states to ratify the 19th Amendment were Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin, followed by Kansas, Ohio, and New York. By the end of July 1919, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Texas, Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas had voted to ratify the amendment, with only Georgia voting against ratification. Georgia would eventually ratify the amendment in 1970.
As the calendar turned to 1920, 22 of the 36 states needed to ratify the amendment had voted to do so. By the end of January, five more states had joined their ranks, with South Carolina being the only state to reject the amendment. Tennessee ratified the amendment on August 18, 1920, bringing the total to 36. The ratification was certified on August 26, 1920, and the 19th Amendment was added to the U.S. Constitution. Despite the ratification, challenges remained for women to vote, with some states not allowing women to vote in the 1920 election due to registration deadlines.
Each U.S. state eventually ratified the 19th Amendment, with the last being Mississippi in 1984. Prominent suffragist Jane Addams emphasized the importance of giving women the chance to participate in society, highlighting the historic nature of the amendment. The passage of the 19th Amendment marked a significant milestone in the fight for women’s rights in the United States, granting them the right to vote and paving the way for greater gender equality in the country.
