The United States Constitution is over 230 years old but women in this country have had the right to vote for only 100 years. The Nineteenth Amendment, ratified on August 18, 1920, was the culmination of a seventy year struggle by a group of courageous and dedicated Suffragists. Despite decades of protests, marches and sacrifices by women who knew they would not live long enough to cast a ballot, ratification of the amendment by the states proved to be a real nail biter; on that fateful August day, 35 states had ratified the Amendment, 12 had rejected it or refused to vote and one last state was needed for it to pass. Tennessee’s last minute “yes” vote pushed the Amendment over the top and into history. Read more about this fascinating story at The History Channel; learn about brave, often overlooked women of color who fought for the vote in this New York Times article; get beyond nagging stereotypes of the Suffragists (never “Suffragettes”) in this New York Times article; and see how you can get involved in today’s election process at the website of the Scarsdale League of Women Voters. Click on the book jackets below to be taken to links in the Cloud Library or Overdrive.
