July 30, 2020 - July 2, 2021

On August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified that granted some women the right to vote throughout the nation. It is important to remember, that most women of color were not granted the right to vote until 1965. 

Historically, the Philadelphia region has been a hub for reform. The region, with its large population of Quakers whose religion is based in tolerance, belief in the shining light within all people, and commitment to pacifism were active in social movements like abolition and suffrage. Philadelphia female Quakers who were early abolitionists and women’s rights activists included Lucretia Mott, Sarah and Angelina Grimké, Mary Grew, Hattie Purvis, and Anna Dickinson.  

From 1848, which marked the first women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, N.Y., co-organized by Lucretia Mott, to 1920, with the passage of the 19th Amendment--more than 70 years passed which meant that many of the earliest women activists did not live long enough to vote. 

Philadelphia’s contributions to the passage of the 19th Amendment were significant. Since the mid- to late 1800s, Philadelphia was home to numerous equal rights and women’s rights organizations. Conventions, public speaking, and declarations were the predominant means for women to proclaim their activism early on. In the 1900s, the women’s suffrage movement experienced new leadership inclusive of Quaker Alice Paul, who spent many years in the Philadelphia area. Paul advocated for more attention-getting tactics like rallies, parades, and later, daily pickets at the White House. It was the pickets and women being arrested and mistreated while in prison that gained media attention.  

In 1917, the same time as the White House pickets, the United States entered WW1 and suffragists joined the war effort at home to show their patriotism and ability to join the workforce as farmers, mechanics, nurses, doctors, munition workers, yeomen, ambulance drivers, and more. They also actively sold war bonds and raised funds in support. Their unwavering commitment, ongoing picketing and imprisonment, followed by their willingness to serve their country put great political pressure on President Woodrow Wilson who finally endorsed the 19th Amendment in January 1918.  

By mid-1919, both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed the amendment. Now, it had to be ratified by 36 states. Women continued their demonstrations at the White House and throughout the country by lobbying government officials to gain public support. 

On June 24, 1920, Pennsylvania Governor William Sproul signed the amendment to become the 7th state to ratify. More than one year later, on August 26, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify. A national law, the 19th Amendment granted some women the right to vote while others of color waited another 45 years.