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The Final Push

Women Suffragists

Women Suffragists
Women Suffragists

Momentum continued to build for the women’s suffrage cause, despite disagreements among women activists.

After decades of suffragist activism, President Wilson finally began to urge Congress to pass a voting rights amendment for women.

 

Democratic States Extend Ratification

Congress passed the measure after the war, in 1919.

The ratification process took a year, with much of the opposition to the amendment coming from southern Democratic states. As in the past, these states argued that election law was a matter for states to decide, not the federal government.

Victory is Finally Achieved

On August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment, providing full voting rights for women across the United States, was ratified Approved by a governing body when Tennessee became the 36th state to approve it.

The long battle for women’s voting rights culminated in a huge victory by securing women the legal right to vote.

Democracy Becomes a Reality - For White Women

But the triumph was not shared with Black women - particularly in the South. While they technically gained the right to vote alongside their white counterparts, the tools of suppression [Link to tools of suppression] being used to disenfranchise Black men were easily extended to do the same to Black women.