Today marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which was ratified on August 18, 1920. However, this achievement was reached after much work and many years, and the right to vote did not extend to all women.
Women could vote in some of the
colonies prior to 1776, but the right to vote for women was banned by
constitutions in all colonies by 1807. The first step toward equal rights for
women could have been taken by Abigail Adams in a private letter to her
husband, John Adams, dated March 31, 1776. He was a member of the Continental
Congress fighting for independence for America. More than 150 years before the
19th Amendment was ratified, Abigail’s letter included the following statement.
I long to hear that you have declared an
independency. And, by the way, in the new code of laws which I suppose it will
be necessary for you to make, I desire you would remember the ladies and be
more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such
unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember, all men would be
tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the
ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves
bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.
Abigail Adams’ threat of rebellion
began to materialize in the mid-nineteenth century when organizations
supporting women’s rights became more active. In 1848, a Declaration of
Sentiments was adopted at the Seneca Fall convention. This declaration “called
for equality between the sexes and included a resolution urging women to secure
the vote.” Women tried all kinds of ways to gain equal rights, including legal
arguments using existing amendments. However, the Supreme Court struck all of
them down. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, two leaders in the
movement, “called for a new constitutional amendment that would guarantee women
the right to vote.
Some of the states, mainly in the
West, gave women the vote in the late nineteenth century. A suffrage proposal
was introduced in Congress in 1878, but it was rejected in 1887. By the 1890s,
the suffrage movement was working on an amendment to the Constitution, while
they also worked on state and local levels. Lucy Burns and Alice Paul moved the
suffrage proposal forward.
When the United States entered World
War I, the public began to see women’s suffrage differently. The National
American Woman Suffrage Association, led by Carrie Chapman Catt, supported the
war effort and made the argument that women should be rewarded with equal
rights for their patriotic service in wartime. The National Woman’s Party was
quick to emphasize the contradictions of Americans fighting for democracy in
foreign lands, while “limiting it at home by denying women the right to vote.”
Public opinion was swayed by the two organizations, and President Woodrow
Wilson announced his support for the suffrage amendment in 1918.
The women’s suffrage amendment
passed in the House of Representatives on May 21, 1919, and in the Senate on
June 4, 1919. Congress then submitted the amendment to the states for ratification.
On August 18, 1920, Tennessee was last of the required 36 states to ratify the
amendment and thus secure adoption. After fighting for such an amendment for
decades, the adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment was certified on August 26,
1920. It is stated clearly:
The right of citizens of the United States
to vote shall not be denied or bridged by the United States or by any state on
account of sex.
The Nineteenth Amendment made it
illegal for the federal or any state government to deny the right to vote to
women. However, states found other ways to stop minority men and women from
voting, such as poll taxes.
Women received the right to vote 100
years ago, and now we have women mayors, governors, representatives, and
senators. Several women have been included on national tickets for the position
of vice president. Just like men, some of the women leaders and representatives
have served the people well – such as the governor of South Dakota, while
others simply look like idiots – such as Maxine Waters.
In 1973, Congress designated August
26 – the day that the Nineteenth Amendment was officially certified – Women’s
Equality Day. In the words of then-President Richard Nixon, this was “the first
step toward full and equal participation of women in our Nation’s life.”
Yesterday President Donald Trump
signed a proclamation that declared August to be National Suffrage Month. He also
issued a posthumous pardon for Susan B. Anthony who “was arrested in 1872 for
voting in an election at a time in America when only men could vote. She was
indicted, convicted of illegal voting, and sentenced to pay a fine of $100 and
court costs.” Trump gave a “full and complete pardon” for Anthony, who died in
1906.
My hope is that all women will
recognize the efforts and sacrifices made by our foremothers who fought for the
right for women to vote. If we fail to vote in the elections, we show ingratitude
to them and to our Heavenly Father for the blessing of women having equal
rights with men.
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