It was 104 years ago today, on August 18, 1920 that these United States granted all women full voting rights. The vote which put the amendment over the top came from Tennessee which–by just a single vote from representative Harry Burn–moved it forward. (There’s a story there, disputed, but a story, nonetheless, related here in the Wikipedia post which reveals that Burn was advised by his mother to “be a good boy” and let the measure pass. After twice voting to table the amendment, he voted for it, and it went through for ratification.)
Little bruited about is the fact that some states had already granted women full voting rights, and that also–in some elections–women were allowed to vote for, umm, reasons. It’s not always clear what reasons, but–for example–property-owning Kentucky widows could vote in 1838 for school trustees. For a perhaps clearer reason, the Wyoming territory granted women the right to vote in 1869, likely because there were so few of them relative to the number of men that those in power (i.e. men) thought that women would flock to Wyoming for the singular purpose of being able to vote. When Wyoming became a state in 1890, it was the only one which universally enfranchised women. Other states and territories, prior to passage of the 19th Amendment, also allowed women to vote, although with restrictions entailed, sometimes due to coverture (the subsumation of a woman’s rights under those of her husband), or other encumbrances related to marriage, the owning or property, age, or religion. Here’s an interesting post. I have fact-checked some of it, and it seems accurate. You’re welcome to do more.
But what’s funny for me, when it comes to this subject, is a family memory. Not even one from these United States. One from my Dad, told so many times I can’t count.
Women’s suffrage in the UK came in two parts. The first came in 1918, under the “Representation of the People Act.” That allowed women over the age of 3o, who also qualified via property ownership, to vote. At the same time, it abolished property restrictions for men and extended the franchise to millions of men over the age of 21 (19 if they were in the military). At the end of the day, approximately 66% of the women in the UK could vote.
But what about the rest of the ladies?
They had to wait another ten years, until the “Equal Franchise Act of 1928” for women to achieve the same voting rights as men from the age of twenty-one forward.
It was given Royal Assent on July 2 of that year.
And I’ll never forget my father (who was eleven at the time) telling me the story of coming across his mother, situated in the dining room with her earphones on, listening on the crystal radio, with tears running down her face.
“Mummy, what’s the matter?” he asked with great concern.
“They’ve given the flappers the vote,” she replied.
And here we still are. On both sides of the pond.
Have at it.
