The 19th Amendment passed the Senate on this day in 1919!
American women gained the right to vote!
The original amendment was drafted by Susan B. Anthony with the help of Elizabeth Cady Stanton. It was first introduced in 1878 and for nine years, it sat in committee before going before the Senate in 1887, only to be voted down. Several individual states approved women's voting rights through the years, but a Constitutional amendment wasn't considered again until 1914. It was repeatedly defeated, and the suffrage movement gained further notoriety by picketing Woodrow Wilson at the White House, helping to spur an anti-suffrage movement that claimed "women should not venture outside of their domestic sphere."
Finally in 1918, Wilson gave the suffrage movement his support. During World War I, women had entered the workforce in large numbers and in September 1918 Wilson gave a speech in which he said: "We have made partners of the women in this war. Shall we admit them only to a partnership of suffering and sacrifice and toil and not to a partnership of right?"
The following May, the amendment passed both Houses of Congress.
2 comments:
What an awesome thing to celebrate!
And, on this topic, have you seen this wonderful video about the 19th Amendment?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYQhRCs9IHM
I absolutely LOVED that! Thank you so much for leaving that link. ;)
Post a Comment