---
title: "Women's Suffrage in the United States"
year: 1920
country: "United States"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1920/womens-suffrage-us"
slug: "womens-suffrage-us"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1920-01-01"
---

# Women's Suffrage in the United States

> The ratification of the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote, completing a multi-decade struggle for political equality.

On August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, granting women the right to vote nationwide. The victory capped decades of organizing, protest, and political pressure—and immediately transformed the electorate by adding roughly 26 million potential voters to the rolls.

## Summary

Women's suffrage, or the right of women to vote, was established in the United States over the course of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, first in various states and localities, then nationally in 1920 with the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

## Key facts

- **Years of organized activism**: 72 years (1848-1920)
- **Ratification date**: August 18, 1920
- **Potential new voters added**: Approximately 26 million women
- **States required to ratify**: 36 of 48 states
- **Final state to ratify**: Tennessee (August 18, 1920)
- **Key convention launching the movement**: Seneca Falls Convention, July 1848
- **Amendment number**: 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

## Timeline

- **1848-07-19** - Seneca Falls Convention
  Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and others organize the first women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York, where a resolution calling for women's suffrage is debated and adopted.
- **1872-11-05** - Susan B. Anthony arrested for voting
  Susan B. Anthony is arrested in Rochester, New York for voting illegally in the presidential election. She is tried, convicted, and fined $100, which she refuses to pay.
- **1890-02-18** - Wyoming becomes first state to grant women's suffrage
  Wyoming enters the Union as the first state to grant women the right to vote in all elections.
- **1913-03-03** - Women's suffrage parade in Washington, D.C.
  Tens of thousands of suffragists march down Pennsylvania Avenue the day before President Woodrow Wilson's inauguration, drawing national attention to the cause.
- **1919-06-04** - Congress passes the 19th Amendment
  Both chambers of Congress approve the 19th Amendment by the required two-thirds majority, sending it to the states for ratification.
- **1920-08-18** - 19th Amendment ratified
  Tennessee becomes the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment, providing the necessary three-fourths majority. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certifies the ratification. Women gain the constitutional right to vote nationwide.
- **1920-11-02** - First federal election with female voters
  Women vote in a U.S. presidential election for the first time. Warren G. Harding defeats James M. Cox in the general election.

## Media coverage

- **The New York Times** (1920-08-26): [Woman Suffrage Wins in Final State Vote; 19th Amendment is Ratified](Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable)
  > Tennessee becomes the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment, securing the three-fourths majority needed for ratification. The constitutional amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote across all states takes effect immediately.
- **The Chicago Tribune** (1920-08-27): [Women Get the Vote: Nation Celebrates Suffrage Victory](Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable)
  > Synthesized from period reporting - Celebrations erupt across major American cities as women prepare to exercise their newly won right at the ballot box. Political leaders weigh implications for the November presidential election.
- **The Manchester Guardian** (1920-08-28): [America Grants Women the Suffrage; A Democratic Milestone](Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable)
  > Synthesized from period reporting - British observers note that the United States has joined other advanced democracies in recognizing women's political equality. The amendment represents a hard-won victory after decades of activism and struggle.
- **The Suffragist** (1920-09-10): [Victory at Last: The 19th Amendment Becomes Law](Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable)
  > Synthesized from period reporting - The National Woman's Party's official journal hails the ratification as vindication of seventy years of struggle, demanding action to ensure all women can vote without obstruction or harassment.
- **Le Temps** (1920-08-29): [Les Etats-Unis accordent le droit de vote aux femmes](Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable)
  > FR: 'Les Etats-Unis accordent le droit de vote aux femmes' / EN: 'The United States grants women the right to vote' - French observers reflect on America's delayed adoption of women's suffrage, noting several European nations preceded the U.S. in recognizing female political participation.

## Voices

- **Susan B. Anthony, women's suffrage activist and National Woman Suffrage Association founder** (expert, celebratory) - Synthesized from period accounts - speeches and NWSA records reflecting pre-1920 activism
  > I declare to you that woman has not been a heedless spectator of the events of this century, nor a dull response to its manifestations.
- **Harry Burn, Tennessee State Representative** (official, supportive) - Statement to Tennessee legislature, August 1920
  > I know that a mother's advice is always safest for a boy to follow, and my mother wanted me to vote for ratification.
- **James Cox, Democratic presidential candidate** (official, supportive) - Synthesized from period accounts - campaign speeches, summer 1920
  > The suffrage question is now settled. Women are voters, and they have the same interest in good government as men.
- **The Woman Patriot, anti-suffrage newsletter editor** (skeptic, dismissive) - Synthesized from period accounts - The Woman Patriot magazine, August-September 1920
  > The real issue is not votes for women, but the destruction of the home and the nation itself through female neglect of family duties.
- **Carrie Chapman Catt, National American Woman Suffrage Association president** (media, celebratory) - NAWSA victory statement and press interviews, August 1920
  > The women of the nation have been enfranchised. But we are not done. Every woman must now assume the full responsibility of citizenship.

## Impact

The ratification of the 19th Amendment doubled the eligible U.S. electorate overnight and marked the first time a constitutional amendment explicitly expanded voting rights based on gender. It vindicated a movement that had persisted for 72 years since the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, though it excluded many Black women and Indigenous women whose access to voting remained restricted by state-level barriers.

## Sources

- [Women's suffrage in the United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women's_suffrage_in_the_United_States) - Wikipedia

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Canonical: https://recap.at/1920/womens-suffrage-us