19th Amendement Uncovered
By: Brooke Paganelli
One of the most important aspects of women’s history in America thus far was women’s suffrage. The women’s suffrage movement was a movement that took place in the early 20th century, encouraging lawmakers to give women the right to vote. Some important women of the suffrage movement include Susan B. Anthony, Ida B. Wells, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Lucretia Mott.
What is the 19th amendment? When was it passed?
Arguably the most significant victory of the early 20th century women’s suffrage movement was the passing of the 19th amendment. Starting around 1916, all major suffrage movements were unified under the desired goal of an amendment, a change or addition, to the constitution. Ideally, this amendment would grant women the right to vote. When it came time for the proposal and passing of the 19th amendment, they rallied for it to do just that. Inside the amendment were the words “the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex.” Simply put, this meant that you couldn’t be restricted from voting just because you were a woman. The 19th amendment was passed by Congress on June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920.
What is the 19th amendment in simple terms?
In simple terms, the 19th amendment said that no polling site was allowed to deny any one person the right to vote just because they were a woman. While this wasn’t a perfect solution, it was a step in the right direction.
Who was not allowed to vote under the 19th amendment?
While the 19th amendment was indeed a monumental victory for all women, there were still women who were not allowed to vote after the 19th amendment was passed. Because of the wording of the 19th amendment, there was still room to disallow women from voting based on factors such as race and citizenship. As of 1920, Native American women were still not considered citizens of the United States. Thus they could not vote. And while many women of color were technically granted the right to vote, they were still barred from doing so by being given multiple hoops to jump through at the polls. These included literacy tests, identification examinations, and a lack of physical access to polls in their area. Even today, POC are still discouraged from voting by tactics similar to these.
Why is the 19th amendment important?
So, if the 19th amendment didn’t give all women the right to vote, why is it so important? Well, because it was the first step. The 19th amendment began a domino effect that led to a series of legislations that would continue to expand upon it in the following decades. The 19th amendment provided the foundation upon which all other women’s suffrage could build upon. This women’s history month, remember to celebrate the 19th amendment. It got us to where we are today!