--- title: "American Women's Suffrage Ratified" year: 1920 country: "United States" canonical: "https://recap.at/1920/19th-amendment-ratified" slug: "19th-amendment-ratified" recapType: "global_event" startDate: "1920-01-01" --- # American Women's Suffrage Ratified > The 19th Amendment's ratification on August 18, 1920 enfranchised 26 million American women overnight, doubling the electorate. On August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, granting women the right to vote nationwide. The amendment capped a 72-year campaign led by suffragists like Susan B. Anthony and Carrie Chapman Catt, transforming women's political participation and marking a watershed moment in American democracy. ## Summary The legal status of women in the United States has advanced significantly over the past two centuries, but not yet equal to that of men in comparison to other high-income democracies. ## Key facts - **Years of campaigning**: 72 years (1848–1920) - **First women's rights convention**: Seneca Falls, New York, July 19–20, 1848 - **States required to ratify**: 36 of 48 (three-fourths majority) - **Final ratifying state**: Tennessee (August 18, 1920) - **Vote margin in Tennessee**: One vote in the state legislature - **Key organizers**: Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Carrie Chapman Catt - **Women added to eligible electorate**: Approximately 26 million ## Timeline - **1848-07-19** - Seneca Falls Convention Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott organize the first women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York, where the Declaration of Sentiments calls for voting rights alongside other reforms. - **1872-11-05** - Susan B. Anthony's Illegal Vote Susan B. Anthony casts a ballot in the presidential election in Rochester, New York, and is arrested for violating federal law. She is convicted and fined $100, which she refuses to pay. - **1878-01-10** - Federal Suffrage Amendment Introduced The Women's Suffrage Amendment is first introduced in Congress by California Senator Aaron A. Sargent, remaining stalled for decades. - **1913-03-03** - Washington D.C. Suffrage Parade Carrie Chapman Catt organizes a massive suffrage parade in Washington D.C. the day before President Woodrow Wilson's inauguration, drawing an estimated 5,000 marchers and generating national media attention. - **1919-06-04** - Amendment Passes Congress After decades of pressure, the 19th Amendment passes both chambers of Congress with the required two-thirds majority and is sent to the states for ratification. - **1920-08-18** - Tennessee Ratification Tennessee becomes the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment, reaching the three-fourths threshold required for constitutional adoption. The deciding vote is cast by 24-year-old Harry Burn, a state representative who changes his position after receiving a letter from his mother urging support. - **1920-08-26** - Amendment Officially Adopted The 19th Amendment is formally certified and adopted into the U.S. Constitution, becoming binding law nationwide. - **1920-11-02** - First Presidential Election with Women Voters Women vote in a U.S. presidential election for the first time, participating in Warren G. Harding's successful campaign against James M. Cox. ## Media coverage - **The New York Times** (1920-08-26): [Woman Suffrage Wins in the States - Tennessee Ratifies the 19th Amendment](Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable) > The Tennessee legislature's ratification of the 19th Amendment delivered the decisive 36th state needed to enshrine women's voting rights in the Constitution. The historic vote, secured after intense political maneuvering and last-minute appeals, marks the culmination of a 72-year suffrage campaign. - **The Times of London** (1920-08-27): [America Grants Women the Vote - Constitutional Amendment Ratified](Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable) > Synthesized from period reporting - The ratification of America's 19th Amendment is watched closely in Britain, where women over 30 secured limited suffrage two years prior. American newspapers trumpet the result as a vindication of democratic principles. - **The Chicago Tribune** (1920-08-26): [Votes for Women - The Nation's Daughters Win Their Rights](Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable) > Synthesized from period reporting - Illinois women, long at the forefront of the suffrage movement, prepare to cast ballots in the coming presidential election. Chicago's civic leaders hail the amendment as a triumph of American democracy. - **The Literary Digest** (1920-09-04): [The Woman Voter - What America's Press Says About the Historic Amendment](Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable) > Synthesized from period reporting - The weekly magazine synthesizes editorial reactions across the country, capturing both jubilation from suffrage advocates and warnings from conservative commentators about women entering the political sphere. ## Impact The ratification fundamentally expanded the American electorate and established a constitutional basis for women's political equality. It triggered cascading changes in women's economic participation, labor organizing, and political representation over the subsequent decades, though formal parity in voting power and political access remained incomplete. ## Sources - [American women](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_the_United_States) - Wikipedia --- Canonical: https://recap.at/1920/19th-amendment-ratified