The 19th Amendment

Summary

The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified on August 18, 1920, prohibited the federal and state governments from denying citizens the right to vote based on sex. This landmark achievement culminated a suffrage movement that had begun at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, spanning over seven decades of activism, protests, and political organizing. The amendment was championed by leaders like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Alice Paul, and Carrie Chapman Catt, who employed diverse strategies from state-by-state campaigns to direct action and civil disobedience. While the amendment theoretically enfranchised all women, many women of color continued to face significant barriers to voting due to discriminatory practices like poll taxes and literacy tests.