Happy Anniversary 19th amendment - Really?
August 18th 2010 23:42
Today is an important day in the history of the United States it is the anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment. I decided to take a look at the 19th amendment as we celebrate 90 years of a woman’s right to vote. Unfortunately the amendment is 90 years old but if you know your American History woman were allowed to vote before the 19th amendment became law.
The state of New Jersey, wrote in their state’s constitution that women could vote. Wyoming when it became a state in 1890 also included in their state constitution that women could vote. Women had voted in colonial America before that as well. In Pennsylvania, back in the French- Indian war, allowing women to vote was adopted into their state constitution.
In fact it was stated and agreed upon in many of the early documents of our nation that property owners have the right to vote. The proper etiquette of the 1700’ and the 1800’s was to put the man’s or husband’s name on the deeds of properties however, if the man or husband died and woman inherited property, she could vote.
However, has anyone stopped to think why the fifteenth amendment was not sufficient?
Here is the wording of the 15th Amendment “Right of Citizens to Vote”
Section. 1. 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 race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Section. 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
I would have thought that a separate amendment granting woman the right to vote because Section 1 states “previous condition of servitude”. “Women were considered legally dead once they were married under common. Once married, they legally became one with their husbands. Married women had no control of their earnings, inheritance, property, and also could not appear in court as a witness nor vote. Their husbands, therefore, were responsible for all aspects of their wife including discipline. Widows were better off. They had control over their property, but could only receive up to one-third of her late husband’s property. A widow could also vote in some areas, but often widows were not aware of this fact or chose not to. Husbands could legally beat their wives. If a woman ran away from her husband, she was considered a thief because she was stealing the clothes she was wearing and herself” (retrieved July 24, 2010 from Really Long Link
Women in colonial America were considered property serving the man that she was married to. The 15th Amendment did not pertain to women. The 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted women the right to vote. Here is the wording of the 19th amendment;
Section 1. The right of the 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.
Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation
References:
Green, Harry, Clinton (1912, reprinted 1997) The Women behind the Declaration of Independence, Wall Builders,
Lossing, Benson (1848, reprinted 1995) Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, Wall Builders,
Really Long Link
Really Long Link
Really Long Link
The state of New Jersey, wrote in their state’s constitution that women could vote. Wyoming when it became a state in 1890 also included in their state constitution that women could vote. Women had voted in colonial America before that as well. In Pennsylvania, back in the French- Indian war, allowing women to vote was adopted into their state constitution.
However, has anyone stopped to think why the fifteenth amendment was not sufficient?
Here is the wording of the 15th Amendment “Right of Citizens to Vote”
Section. 1. 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 race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Section. 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
I would have thought that a separate amendment granting woman the right to vote because Section 1 states “previous condition of servitude”. “Women were considered legally dead once they were married under common. Once married, they legally became one with their husbands. Married women had no control of their earnings, inheritance, property, and also could not appear in court as a witness nor vote. Their husbands, therefore, were responsible for all aspects of their wife including discipline. Widows were better off. They had control over their property, but could only receive up to one-third of her late husband’s property. A widow could also vote in some areas, but often widows were not aware of this fact or chose not to. Husbands could legally beat their wives. If a woman ran away from her husband, she was considered a thief because she was stealing the clothes she was wearing and herself” (retrieved July 24, 2010 from Really Long Link
Section 1. The right of the 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.
Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation
References:
Green, Harry, Clinton (1912, reprinted 1997) The Women behind the Declaration of Independence, Wall Builders,
Lossing, Benson (1848, reprinted 1995) Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, Wall Builders,
Really Long Link
Really Long Link
Really Long Link
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