19th Amendment ratification grants U.S. women voting rights

On August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution was officially ratified, guaranteeing women the right to vote. The certification occurred after Tennessee became the 36th state to approve the amendment, providing the final necessary ratification for federal adoption.

The decisive vote in Tennessee was influenced by a letter from Febb Ensminger Burn to her son, State Representative Harry T. Burn. Although the 24-year-old representative initially leaned toward the anti-suffrage position, his mother’s persuasion led him to cast the vote that secured women's suffrage. This legislative battle was characterized by the ‘War of the Roses,’ where supporters wore yellow roses and opponents wore red.

While the amendment was passed in 1920, the history of women's voting rights in the U.S. was complex; for instance, Mississippi was the last state to approve the amendment, doing so in 1984.