One hundred four years ago, women received the right to vote when the nineteenth Constitutional amendment was ratified. Wyoming was the first state to give women the right to vote in their constitution. During the territory’s application for statehood, the Wyoming legislature asserted, “We will remain out of the Union one hundred years rather than come in without the women.” Other states soon followed their lead by giving women the right to vote.
In 1869, Wyoming had a 6:1 ratio of men to women. By giving women the right to vote, the legislature hoped to attract women and grow their population. Legislators also had wives and mothers who advocated for women’s rights. That trend continued when it came to the 19th amendment. Tennessee representative Harry Burn cast the final vote to ratify after receiving a letter from his mother quoting a suffragist leader.
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Works Cited
“19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Women’s Right to Vote (1920).” National Archives, 8 Feb. 2022, https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/19th-amendment.
Cohen, Jennie. “The Mother Who Saved Suffrage: Passing the 19th Amendment.” HISTORY, 23 July 2024, https://www.history.com/…/the-mother-who-saved-suffrage….
“On This Day, the 19th Amendment Joins the Constitution.” National Constitution Center – constitutioncenter.org, https://constitutioncenter.org/…/on-this-day-the-19th….
Schons, Mary. “Woman Suffrage.” National Geographic Society, edited by Jeannie Evers et al., 30 Oct. 2024, education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/woman-suffrage. Accessed 7 Nov. 2024.
“Special Topics: Women’s Suffrage and Women’s Rights | WyoHistory.org.” Wyoming Historical Society, https://www.wyohistory.org/…/womens-suffrage-and-womens….
Sullivan, Missy. “Wyoming Grants Women the Right to Vote.” HISTORY, 8 Dec. 2023, https://www.history.com/thi…/wyoming-grants-women-the-vote.
