On This Day: Congress Grants Women The Right To Vote

On this day 107 years ago, Congress guaranteed women the right to vote.

Today, more women than men vote in U.S. elections.

“When we shall have our amendment [for woman suffrage] . . . everybody will think it was always so . . . They have no idea of how every single inch of ground that she stands upon today has been gained by the hard work of some little handful of women of the past.”

American activist and women’s suffrage pioneer Susan B. Anthony in 1894, 25 years before the 19th amendment was passed. (She passed away before witnessing the constitutional change.)

Interesting To Note: Many states had already passed laws ensuring women the right to vote in state elections. New Jersey recognized a woman’s right to vote in 1797! To become law, two-thirds of U.S. states had to ratify the amendment. In August 1920, the final state voted to ratify the amendment, paving the way for this historic change to the U.S. Constitution.

While the 19th amendment granted American women the right to vote in 1920, the Voting Rights Act, ending discriminatory practices (ex: literacy tests) that discouraged or prevented black Americans from voting, wasn’t passed until 1965.

Here’s a closer look at what the 19th amendment looks like and our full look at our founding documents, PLUS additions at The National Archives: Listen to our podcast or watch the video HERE.