August 18th marked the centennial of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the US Constitution. While legislation establishing women's legal right to vote existed in many forms and jurisdictions before this time the Nineteenth Amendment made it uniform & comprehensive.
Much has been said on the subject. I have no insight or information to add to it. Being the centennial though I think it deserves acknowledgement.
A few things impressed me upon reading though the infogalactic entry:
- Many jurisdictions had some level of women's enfranchisement on the books before the amendment was ratified. From our vantage point in the future it looks as if it were a big single move but in fact it was just the visible cherry atop a long progression. This is true for much of life; alignment & movement gathers slowly under the surface and eventually lead to rapid, non-linear changes on top.
- The map of suffrage level across the US immediately prior to ratification shows that western states were generally on-board with enfranchisement while eastern states were not. Doubtless there were multiple reasons for this but some thoughts come to mind. Western states had low populations at this time and needed to attract residents to gain & hold power in national politics. Western states had less settled systems in place and were more amenable to changes being inserted at the foundation while eastern states had mature systems rooted in historical patterns.
- The Nineteenth Amendment was just one in a series of Constitutional amendments that fundamentally changed how power worked in the US system. The Sixteenth Amendment (1913) permitted direct income taxation by the US government. The Seventeenth Amendment (1913) established the popular election of Senators. The Eighteenth Amendment (1920) established the Prohibition of alcohol. All these changes resulted from & contributed to a shift in the view of the relationship between government and governed.
- Suffragettes look like they were a grim bunch. Everyone was more serious in photos of the era but these appear to be both older and mannish. How much do you want to bet that suffrage activism inversely correlated with a woman's MMV and family life?
It is easy to say that most supporters of the movement would be taken back by the results a century out, but that is not necessarily true or relevant.
The socialist & progressive movements of the time were pervasive and supportive. While aspects of our day would have troubled them they would surely be behind the bulk of it. Even if they opposed the results the corrective action would have to be conducted by later parties whose beliefs and expectations were set by the actions of their predecessors.
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