What is the 19th Amendment?
Asked by: Ms. Piper Becker I | Last update: February 11, 2026Score: 4.2/5 (2 votes)
The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1920, guarantees that the right to vote cannot be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex, effectively granting women suffrage after a decades-long fight. It prohibits federal and state governments from using sex as a voting qualification, marking a major victory for the women's suffrage movement.
What was the 19th Amendment in simple terms?
Constitutional Amendments – Amendment 19 – “Votes for Men and Women” Amendment 19 to the Constitution was ratified on August 18, 1920. It prohibits all levels of government in the United States from restricting the right to vote based on sex, which in so doing extended the franchise to women.
Which states rejected the 19th Amendment?
Several states voted against the 19th Amendment when it was first proposed, including Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, South Carolina, Delaware, Louisiana, and Virginia, with some formally rejecting it and others delaying ratification for decades, often due to strong anti-suffrage sentiment or concerns about federal power. While these states initially opposed it, they eventually ratified the amendment much later, long after it became law in August 1920.
What happened after the 19th Amendment was passed?
After the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote in 1920, women's rights activists formed groups like the League of Women Voters, focusing on voter education and broader social reform, while the movement also shifted toward seeking explicit sex equality, leading to the proposal of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in 1923. However, the promise of suffrage was not immediately realized for all women, as Black women, Native American women, and others faced ongoing legal barriers, literacy tests, and intimidation, with full voting access for many only secured much later, notably by the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
What is the 19th Amendment in simple terms Quizlet?
The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1920, granted American women the right to vote (women's suffrage) by prohibiting states and the federal government from denying the right to vote based on sex, stating, "The right of citizens to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex". It was a major milestone, expanding suffrage to half the population and solidifying greater equality in representation, ending a long struggle by suffragists.
The 19th Amendment | History
What is the 19th Amendment in kid words?
The 19th Amendment guaranteed women the right to vote in 1920 after a long fight by the suffragettes. Although the amendment was introduced in 1878, it took decades before it was finally ratified. Now, American citizens cannot be denied the right to vote based on their sex.
What is the 17th Amendment in simple terms Quizlet?
The 17th Amendment in simple terms means U.S. Senators are now elected directly by the people (popular vote), not chosen by state legislatures as they were before. This change, ratified in 1913, gave voters more power and aimed to reduce corruption and the influence of political machines by making senators more accountable to the public.
How did the famous five change women's rights?
Famous 5, petitioners in the groundbreaking Persons Case, a case brought before the Supreme Court of Canada in 1927 and later decided by the Judicial Council of Britain's Privy Council (1929), Canada's highest court at the time, that legally recognized women as “persons” under British common law.
What happened in 1984 for women's rights?
1984 The state of Mississippi belatedly ratifies the 19th Amendment, granting women the vote. 1984 Hishon v. King and Spaulding, 467 U.S. 69 (1984): The U.S. Supreme Court rules that law firms may not discriminate on the basis of sex in promoting lawyers to partnership positions.
Why is the 19th Amendment important today?
The 19th Amendment codified women's suffrage nationwide, but long before its ratification, unmarried women who owned property in New Jersey could and did cast ballots between 1776 and 1807. Beginning in 1869, women in Western territories won the right to vote.
Who opposed women's right to vote?
And it wasn't just apolitical or conservative women who opposed suffrage. “Antis,” as they were sometimes known, included leaders in women's education as well as prominent professional figures such as journalist Ida Tarbell. Among the most active was Josephine Dodge, an advocate for child care for working mothers.
Which president supported the 19th Amendment?
On September 30, 1918, President Woodrow Wilson stood before the Senate to call for the passage of the 19th Amendment.
Did Democrats oppose the 19th Amendment?
The very next year in March of 1920, 36 states ratified the 19th Amendment, and the infighting within state legislatures was steadily approaching a crescendo. Many Democrat-controlled legislatures opposed ratification, and out of those 36 states that ratified, 26 were Republican.
What were three main reasons for women's suffrage?
Three main reasons for women's suffrage were the principle of natural rights and representation (those governed should consent), the need for social and moral reform (women's unique perspectives would improve laws on family/community), and achieving equality in citizenship, including property rights and economic justice, as part of a broader fight for civil rights. Women argued that laws affecting them should include their voices and that denying the vote undermined their status as citizens.
What is the actual text of the 19th 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.
Who was excluded from the 19th Amendment?
The 19th Amendment, while granting women's suffrage in 1920, excluded many women of color (Black, Native American, Asian American, Latinx) and women in U.S. territories, who faced continued barriers like discriminatory citizenship laws (e.g., Native Americans until 1924, Chinese Americans until 1943) and racist voter suppression tactics (poll taxes, literacy tests) until much later civil rights legislation, particularly the Voting Rights Act of 1965, secured true voting rights for many.
What does 2 2 5 mean in 1984?
In George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, "2+2=5" symbolizes the Party's total control over reality and truth, forcing citizens to accept obvious lies as fact through psychological manipulation and doublethink, demonstrating that if the state controls the mind, it controls the universe and can rewrite even objective reality. It signifies the destruction of independent thought, where accepting falsehoods proves complete submission, contrasting with the self-evident truth that 2+2=4, which the Party seeks to erase.
When did blacks get equal rights in the USA?
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was rooted in the struggle of Americans of African descent to obtain basic rights of citizenship in the nation.
When did Hillary Clinton say women's rights are human rights?
The phrase was first used in the 1980s and early 1990s. Its most prominent usage is as the name of a speech given by Hillary Rodham Clinton, the First Lady of the United States, on September 5, 1995, at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing.
What was Emily Murphy's famous quote?
But Emily was a tough, no nonsense woman who never backed down from a fight... In fact, one of her trademark quotes was “Whenever I don't know whether to fight or not, I fight.” Naturally, she saw the Senate issue as an injustice against all women.
What is the biggest women's rights issue?
There isn't one single "biggest" women's rights issue, as they are interconnected, but major global challenges include pervasive gender-based violence, systemic economic inequality (pay gap, unpaid care work, poverty), inadequate healthcare access (especially maternal mortality), and barriers to education, all rooted in patriarchal systems that devalue women and perpetuate discrimination. Gender inequality underpins these struggles, limiting women's potential and autonomy worldwide.
Who made the biggest impact on women's rights?
Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902) | Suffragist
Stanton petitioned New York for women's rights laws. She also testified before Congress, advocating for a federal law she helped draft for suffrage, women's right to vote.
What is the Article 17 of the Constitution?
Article 17, Constitution of India 1950
“Untouchability” is abolished and its practice in any form is forbidden. The enforcement of any disability arising out of “Untouchability” shall be an offence punishable in accordance with law.
What is the 13th Amendment in simple terms Quizlet?
What is the definition of the 13th amendment? Abolished slavery and involuntary servitude.
Why is the 17th Amendment important?
The Seventeenth Amendment (Amendment XVII) to the United States Constitution established the direct election of United States senators in each state. The amendment supersedes Article I, Section 3, Clauses 1 and 2 of the Constitution, under which senators were appointed by state legislatures.