Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution Term Paper

It is interesting to note that members of Congress would introduce this bill every year for 41 years, with exactly the same wording, until it finally passed (Linder).

One big step in the process were the states in the West who allowed women to vote. In 1890, Wyoming joined the union, and women had been voting there for many years. It is also interesting to note that it was the Senator from a western state, California, who first introduced the bill in 1878 (Kobach). In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt, running for the Bull Moose Party, included women's voting rights in his party platform, which brought more positive attention to the matter. Roosevelt lost the election, but the idea of women's rights had become to seem less offensive to many, and so, in 1920 the measure finally became law.

Thousands of women worked throughout that time to help gain support and understanding of the bill. They marched in parades, attempted to vote in elections, raised money and public awareness, and even picketed the White House. While it took many years to gain the vote, women have consistently been involved in political parties and elections since that time. In fact, there are more women serving in Congress this term than ever before in the nation's history.Women proved to be attentive and active voters, and once they gained the vote, it was difficult for many to remember why the idea had been so controversial.

Today, it seems appalling that women were not allowed to vote for so long in American history. Today, voting is still seen as a privilege and honor by many Americans, and if one considers how hard women had to fight to gain the vote, it is easy to see why.

References

Editors. "Nineteenth Amendment." Archives.gov. 2007. 28 Feb. 2007. http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/constitution_amendment_19.html

Kobach, Kris. "Woman Suffrage and the 19th Amendment." University of Missouri. 2007. 28 Feb. 2007. http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/nineteenthkobach.html

Linder, Doug. "Women's Fight for the Vote: The Nineteenth Amendment." University of Missouri. 2007. 28 Feb. 2007. http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/nineteentham.htm.....