Today in History, June 4, 1919
On this date, Congress voted to pass the 19th Amendment, also known as the "Women's Suffrage Bill", establishing that the Right to Vote shall not be infringed on the basis of Sex. This was the culmination of Decades of work by the Women's movement, especially in the aftermath of the Civil War.
At the time of its passage, the Women's vote was protected in only 15 States by Laws each passed. (But couldn't vote for President) The Suffrage movement overlapped the growing political ferment in America with the end of the Civil War and Abolition of Slavery. Two factors which weighed heavily were first, that during the war, Women took great responsibility while the Men were fighting, running businesses and farms, providing care for the wounded and sick, maintaining morale of the Soldiers, and raising their children alone. Remember that this was the most devastating War we had seen, in which the Nation itself was ripped in half over Slavery, and the question of everyone's relationship to our System of Government, our public morality, and the notion of freedom, was under discussion. So, if freed Slaves were equal under the law, and had the Right to vote, why not Women? ( due to the discrimination in the South, it took 100 years for the Voting Rights of African Americans to be enforced) Second, was that due to the trauma of the War and injuries to the Men who fought it, Alcohol abuse became epidemic beyond any previous level. And likewise, the level of Domestic Abuse, gambling, and prostitution rose along with it. Women at that time had very little recourse when in abusive relationships, so they organized "Temperance Societies" to organize themselves for raising awareness and support activity for abused Women, which actually became the proving ground and most visible political baby steps for what became the Suffrage Movement. There were moderate factions that focused on education and awareness, and there were militants, who organized gangs of Women who would invade saloons with axes and sledgehammers to demolish them in full view of the residents and patrons. The Temperance movement became the recruiting ground for the Suffrage movement, and the two were symbiotic.
So, it was not coincidence that as it became clear that an Amendment was going to be passed and ratified, and that Women were becoming a large political force, especially given that so many men were in the Military for the War, that Congress would pass the Prohibition Amendment (18th) first, to build their bridges with the Women's Movement in anticipation that Women would have the vote soon. You can debate that policy for sure, but it was seen at the time as a victory for the growing political power of Women.
So, it was not coincidence that as it became clear that an Amendment was going to be passed and ratified, and that Women were becoming a large political force, especially given that so many men were in the Military for the War, that Congress would pass the Prohibition Amendment (18th) first, to build their bridges with the Women's Movement in anticipation that Women would have the vote soon. You can debate that policy for sure, but it was seen at the time as a victory for the growing political power of Women.
Note* I don't want to imply that Alcohol was the Women's Movement only issue. They led the way as well in fighting to help and assimilate immigrants, fight for the rights of working people and occupational safety, oppose Child Labor, and the right to use and promote contraception. One person whose life and activity who is a point of reference is Eleanor Roosevelt. You can learn a great deal by reading about her life, not hers and her husband's, but what she was about before they married, independently.
