On June 4, 1919, the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution was approved by Congress and sent to the states for ratification. About 14 months later, on August 18, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the proposed addition to the U.S. Constitution, giving it three-fourths of the states necessary to become law.
Does this mean women could 
only vote after August 18, 1920? Nope. Some states, 15 in all, already approved women’s right to vote, primarily in western states. For example, Jeannette Rankin, a Montana Republican, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1916.
only vote after August 18, 1920? Nope. Some states, 15 in all, already approved women’s right to vote, primarily in western states. For example, Jeannette Rankin, a Montana Republican, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1916.I’m just thinking to myself here, but it really shouldn’t have been necessary for a separate amendment. The 15th Amendment gave blacks the right to vote, and perhaps it wasn’t the proper place to put it. Around the same time, the 14th Amendment’s first clause begins by referring to “all citizens,” but then in the second clause, which has to do with voting, the word “male” is used.
Who knows, it could have been taken care of in 1868. It’s important because the 14th Amendment, including the equal protection clause, addresses aspects of citizenship and the rights of citizens. In Wyoming, the right of women to vote was approved.
But it wasn’t. In 1916, Woodrow Wilson ran on a platform of voting for women, yet personally and previously opposed it. The final opposition, including from President Wilson, was overcome in 1918 when Wilson agreed to it, and New York granted the right to women that year.