36 states were needed to ratify the 19th Amendment,
22 states ratified in 1919
National Woman’s Party activists watch Alice Paul sew a star onto the NWP Ratification Flag
National Photo Co. 1929-1920
Kentucky ratified on January 6
Rhode Island ratified on January 6
Oregon on January 13th
Indiana on January 16
Wyoming on January 27
~ February and March 1920 brought eight more! ~
Nevada ratified on February 7
New Jersey on February 9
Idaho on February 11
Arizona on February 12
New Mexico on February 21
Oklahoma on February 28
West Virginia on March 10th
Washington State on March 22
~ 5 states ratified in January 1920 ~
nps.gov
On August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment was certified by U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby.
That November, across America, more than 8 million women voted in elections.
It took over 60 years for the remaining 12 states to ratify the 19th Amendment.
Mississippi was the last to do so, on March 22, 1984.
The nation had to wait until August 18th, 1920 when Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify.
Nashville Tennessean, 1920
~ By April, only one more state was neeeded ~
The measure easily won approval in the State Senate and then went to the Tennesse House of Represenatives where the deciding vote was cast by Harry Burn, a 24 year old Represenative from East Tennesse who went into the chamber wearing a red rose, a sign of his oposition to the ammendment. Those in favor wore yellow roses.
However just before the vote, Harry received a letter from his mother advising him to "be a good boy" and "vote for suffrage". Harry voted for the ammendment. After the vote he had to hide in the attic of the capitol building to avoid an angry anti-amendment crowd.
Harry Burn
Febb Burn
The letter
Find the full letter at Teach Tennessee History, follow the link below
Page one of the seven page letter
