Tag: womens-rights

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The Long Road to Women’s Voting Rights


It’s been a long 105 years. Even longer for women in Mississippi who didn’t pass the 19th Amendment until 1984. Shocking. All men from all cultures and creed who were American citizens had the right to vote first. American women received this right later. We are truly second class citizens as the “more sensible sex”.

On 18th August 1920, the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution granted American women the right to vote. This occurred after nearly 100 years of protest.

In the mind of the alpha men (in their own minds anyway), we’re supposed to be quiet. We should not think a lot or express our opinion. We should not say what we need, like sex slaves or indentured servants to their running of the planet.

(To find out more about women’s suffrage in other countries, take a look at our women’s suffrage timeline.)

Until 1848, the movement for women’s suffrage wasn’t organized at national level. In July of 1848, Elizabeth Stanton and Lucretia Mott organized the first women’s rights convention in New York. More than 300 women and men attended. The movement lost momentum because of the Civil War outbreak. Women had to assist the efforts related to the conflict.

After many years of protesting, the outcome looked bleak after many states voted to not amend the 19th Amendment. Southern states were mainly opposed to the amendment. Seven had already voted to reject it before Tennessee’s vote on 18th August 1920. Tennessee held the vote to tip the scale for women’s suffrage. The state’s decision came down to Harry T.Burn, a 23 year old Republican from McMinn County. Burn initially opposed the amendment. However, his mother convinced him to vote for the cause by writing a letter to him. She included “Don’t forget to be a good boy.”

On 26th August 1920, the 19th Amendment was approved by US Secretary of State, Bainbridge Colby. On 2nd November, more than 8 million women across the United States voted in elections for the very first time. The last state to ratify the 19th Amendment was Mississippi, approving it on 22nd March 1984.