The 19th Amendment Turns 90
Brithdays are the best. So here's to wishing the 19th Amendment (yes, of the Constitution) a very happy 90th birthday. Hopefully this celebration will result in lots of ladies nights throughout the country, as it was the 19th Amendment that gave women the right to vote.
The United States was built on the ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Just not in that order, or all at once for most groups. The Huffington Post reports that August 18, 1920 was the date the much-needed vote (thank you Tennessee) passed the 19th Amendment, and was officially part of the Constitution on August 26th (known as Woman's Sufferage Day). Parties ensued as women across the country were finally able to punch the ballot. The drawn-out battle for voting equality was almost 100 years in the making.
The Huffington Post notes the struggle woman endured to finally pass the 19th Amendment: 56 referendum campaigns aimed at male voters, 480 legislature-based campaigns, 47 campaigns aimed at state's re-writing their constitutions to include woman's suffrage, 30 campaigns aimed at presidential parties including suffrage in their platform, and 19 campaigns with 19 consecutive Congresses. In finally passing the 19th Amendment, federal, state, and local governments were forbidden from denying the right to vote based on sex.
Adding an amendment to the Constitution is no easy task. In the case of the 19th Amendment, attaining the requisite 75% state ratification was clearly a very long and difficult journey. Famous figures like Susan B. Anthony, Lucy Stone, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were all pivotal players in the movement that paved the way for many other civil rights for women and other minorities. So break out the party hats, pinatas, and confetti, the 19th turns 90 today!
Related Resources:
- The 19th Amendment Gives Women The Right To Vote (MTV)
- Civil Rights: Timeline of Events (FindLaw)
- Women's Rights (FindLaw's Law Brain)
- The Working Woman's Legal Survival Guide (FindLaw)
