By Dr. David Childs, Ph.D.
Northern Kentucky University
Nineteenth Amendment
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. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Introduction
Today many young people take the fact that they have the right to vote for granted. In a recent poll by the Education Week Research Center from September 2018, only 28% of youth ages 18-24 said they would definitely vote in the upcoming election. This seems to point to the fact that many young people (particularly women and minorities) are not fully aware of the many hardships their forebears underwent to win the right to vote. This article offers a brief discussion of the history of the nineteenth amendment that granted women voting rights. The article also offers some educational resources that may assist teachers with lessons surrounding the nineteenth amendment and women’s suffrage.
A Brief History of Women’s Suffrage
The United States Constitution (Adopted in 1789) left the question of women’s suffrage undefined. As a result, all states at that time denied women the right to vote with the exception of New Jersey, who eventually revoked the right in 1807. Afterwards, there were small pockets of organizations and movements dedicated to women’s rights, but the movement became officially organized at the Seneca Falls Convention in New York in 1848. From that time on, the women within the suffrage movement fought a long hard battle at the state and national level to receive the right to vote.
The Minor V. Happersett Supreme Court case of 1875 unanimously ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment did not grant women the right to vote. Up until that time there were an increasing number of states that granted women the right to vote, however there were still some that disenfranchised women. The Nineteenth Amendment essentially overruled Minor V. Happersett. Senator Aaron A. Sargent originally introduced the amendment to congress in 1878, however it was not submitted to the states for ratification until 1919, 41 years later. Not all states supported the amendment, only three fourths of the states ratified it. In short, in comparison to the history of the United States, women were only recently granted the right to vote. Please explore the lessons and resources below and also respond to the discussions at the conclusion of the article.
Lesson Plans
Lesson Plan: 19th Amendment
19th Amendment- NEA Lesson
Women’s Suffrage | Teaching Tolerance
Woman Suffrage and the 19th Amendment- Teaching History.org
The Road to Suffrage
The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gave women the right to vote in 1920
Teaching the 19th Amendment- Lesson Plans
Women’s Suffrage: Their Rights and Nothing Less
When Life Gives You Beyoncé, Teach with Lemonade
Women of Color and Feminism: A History Lesson and Way Forward
Teacher Resources
The History of Women’s Suffrage
Primary Documents in American History- 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
The Woman Suffrage Movement- National Women’s History Museum
Woman Suffrage Timeline (1840-1920)
Facts About the Suffragettes- National Geographic for Kids
Annenberg Classroom – Nineteenth Amendment
Make Women’s History Month Come to Life with Comics!
Video Resources
Women’s Suffrage-PBS
Sound Smart: Women’s Suffrage | History Channel
Women’s Suffrage: Crash Course US History #31
Courage in Corsets- PBS
Women’s Suffrage- History Channel
Fighting for the Vote- Women’s Suffrage in America Part 1
Secrets Of A Suffragette (Women’s Rights Documentary) | Timeline
References
Youth Politics: A Result of a National Survey
Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Common Interpretation- The Nineteenth Amendment
The Nineteenth Amendment In 1920 women secured the right to vote
Suffragette Movement
10 things you (probably) didn’t know about the Suffragettes
Sojourner Truth 1797-1883
Why Black Feminism & Womanism?
Womanism
Womanist – Alice Walker’s Term for Black Feminist – ThoughtCo
Discussion Questions
1. What are contemporary ways that certain groups may be disenfranchised in today’s society?
2. Have you incorporated lessons on women’s rights and/or voting into your curriculum?
3. What ways do you feel women’s right are connected to civics and citizenship education?
4. In what ways can teaching youth about the history of voting rights in the US motivate them to participate more in the democratic process?
5. How might one teach the difference between mainstream feminism and black feminism? Why was it necessary to have two distinct movements?
It is crazy to think that only 100 years ago, women gained the right to vote. In a time where such feminism takes place in rallies and marches, I wonder what the first women protesting for their right to vote would think of the events that are held today for women’s rights. Many rights are often taken for granted, one of them being the right to vote, and many of them go ignored. If there was anything that my parents did force their political opinions on me about, it was on the honor and responsibility of being an informed voter. When so many of those in my generation don’t understand how wonderful our right to vote is, I am often perplexed. This is a way that the government hears my voice; women marched for my right to do so and countless have fought and died protecting my rights.
I find it interesting that younger generations lack interest in voting as these generations are often the most outspoken relating to their opinions of policies and elected officials. I also find this interesting because the younger generations are the individuals who will be impacted most by policy changes and the legislature that will take effect in the coming years. As a young woman and a self-proclaimed feminist, I have made a considerable and consistent effort to understand the Suffrage movement and how women continue to fight for equality. To obtain the right to vote was a huge milestone for women’s equality and the steps we make towards ensuring women are viewed as equals to our male counterparts will continue to be a prominent movement of our time.
It’s crazy to think that women having the right to vote has just so recently became a reality. And it is difficult to grasp that many young women (and men for that matter) in this day do not take advantage of their legal right to vote. I think the younger generations are oblivious to what our ancestors had to go through to get the privileges that we have today, It is unfortunate that our generations are not getting as involved as they should be.
I agree that we (my generation) take the right to vote for granted. I personally take that right for granted and do not participate in elections as much as I should. By teaching of the struggles and sacrifices made for women’s suffrage, I would hope that students would recognize their right and exercise it more frequently when they become adults. Although it may be easy to provide a brief overview as this article has to students, this is a time when biographies/autobiographies could be incorporated into the lesson to demonstrate personal sacrifices made. Being able to make a personal connection to individuals within history could help students identify more with this period in history. I have spent a lot of time researching gender inequalities throughout our country and this movement could be a great way to tie in current events that were caused or affected by women’s suffrage movement.
This article is very interesting. I always knew that women did not use their rights to vote often but I never knew that it was such a low number. People think that they are not knowledgeable enough to vote and make a decision that could effect our country. I hope as a teacher that I am able to help shape the minds of my students into thinking that voting is one of the most important rights that we have as citizens and that it should be used. I know that just by teaching my students about their rights it will be one step towards making that small percentage get higher.
From firsthand experiences I can say that I haven’t talked to many women in my age group that is willing to take part in the upcoming election. It could possibly be misinformation that their vote doesn’t count or simply they’re just disinterested. My mother and grandmother always voted in city council events and presidential elections. They pushed me to do the same. I hope to spread the message to other women my age to vote. I wonder if more women knew the story and the statistics behind exercising their right to vote. It’s a little scary to see that not many of the younger generation is voting.
Modern day women, especially women in their 20’s often times take for granted the right to vote. Growing up, I always remember my mom being so strong in the opinion that women should always vote because if we don’t act on this, we might lose that right. I think this made me so excited to finally be able to vote when I became able. Voting always makes me feel so thankful that the women before me were strong enough to stand up to the men. Not only do I make sure to vote in every election I can, I also encourage all of my friends to also vote. If we aren’t careful, this right could be taken from us in the blink of an eye.
I have always been told that voting plays a huge role and that every vote counts; however, I feel that young people take advantage of this idea. I believe part of the reason is because many of us are not interested in politics and/or do not understand it. Therefore, we simply brush it off to the side as if it doesn’t affect us. I think the other reason is that we are not given the resources in school to understand it. Yes, we have social studies classes. But many of those teachers tell us it’s important but not how to be involved such as encouraging us to watch the political debates.
I found this article to be very interesting. As a young woman, I agree that people in my generation take voting for granted. I know I do. I have never voted in a presidential election and I am 23 years old. I have not voted not because I don’t care, because I certainly do. I just always felt that I am not educated on the election enough to say who I want to run the country. However, this article has changed my perspective. We do take for granted the right to vote. Once upon a time we weren’t allowed and I think that it is important to voice our opinions and show that our opinion matters and is heard.
I believe that this article is important because it discusses the lack of interest of this generation in voting. I personally know a lot of people who aren’t signed up to vote. I believe that its important for the people of this generation to participate in voting. I think everyone should go out and vote, so they can make a difference in the world they live in.