The 19th Amendment Ratified

On this day in 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified, guaranteeing women the right to vote in the United States.

The Lowell Sun, August 18, 1920

The long struggle for women’s equal right to vote began with the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848. Organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lurcretia Mott, the event was the first women’s rights convention of its kind to be held in the U.S. It was here that Stanton first met Susan B. Anthony, who would play a pivotal role in the women’s suffrage movement.

Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton / Library of Congress

Anthony would later help draft the Nineteenth Amendment, which is sometimes referred to as the “Anthony Amendment.” It was first formally introduced to Congress in 1878, but was struck down in 1887. It would be fourteen years after the death of Susan B. Anthony for the amendment to finally be ratified.

Suffrage hay wagon / Library of Congress

Researching your early female ancestors is often difficult to do. Knowing that women were granted the right the vote in 1920 gives you the perfect place to begin your search for the women in your family tree. Voter registration records are great to help locate your female ancestors in between censuses and provide clues to other resources.

Read more about Voter Registration Records and Genealogy

States with suffrage granted, c. 1914 / Schlesinger Library

It is also interesting to remember that before ratification, suffrage laws varied across several states. If you know where your female ancestor may have lived, research the state’s voting laws to see if women were granted voting rights before 1920.

Did your female ancestors vote?