WomenVote2020

The 19th Amendment was specifically intended to grant American women the right to vote. The amendment, which was the result of the work of many activists in favor of women’s suffrage, was proposed on June 4, 1919 and ratified a year later.The road to ratification wasn’t an easy path, however. In 1918, President Woodrow Wilson came out in support of the amendment. It was narrowly passed in the House of Representatives, but was debated several months later and failed to pass by three votes.Pressure in favor of granting women the right to vote began to increase in the pre-war years, and gained steam during the country’s involvement in World War One. Women’s suffrage campaigners regularly placarded public meetings, urging President Wilson to bring forward the necessary amendment to the U.S. constitution.In May of 1919, the House passed the amendment by a vote of 304 to 89. The Senate followed two weeks later, and on August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified by Congress.The text of the amendment reads:“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”“The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”