"The vote is an emblem of your equality, WOMEN OF AMERICA, […]. Act!"

Hello Everyone!

The purpose of this article is to provide a short history on the 19th Amendment and Women's Suffrage as well as propose a few things to things to consider before you head to the polls to vote. This is by NO MEANS an article instructing a person on which candidate or party to vote for. When it comes to voting, I think transparency and clarity is very critical and important. 

19th Amendment

The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted American women the right to vote, a right known as women’s suffrage, and was ratified on August 18, 1920, ending almost a century of protest. In 1848, the movement for women’s rights launched on a national level with the Seneca Falls Convention, organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. Following the convention, the demand for the vote became a centerpiece of the women’s rights movement. Stanton and Mott, along with Susan B. Anthony and other activists, raised public awareness and lobbied the government to grant voting rights to women. After a lengthy battle, these groups finally emerged victorious with the passage of the 19th Amendment (History.com Editors, 2020).

The 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote, and reads:

"The rights of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United State or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation." (Ratified and Certified August 1920)

Despite the passage of the amendment and the decades-long contributions of Black women to achieve suffrage, poll taxes, local laws and other restrictions continued to block women of color from voting. Black men and women also faced intimidation and often violent opposition at the polls or when attempting to register to vote. It would take more than 40 years for all women to achieve voting equality (History.com Editors, 2020).

The year 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment guaranteeing and protecting women's constitutional right to vote. Before and since then, women's history is full of trailblazers in the fight for equality in the United States. American women have long fought for equal footing throughout the nation's history. Glass ceilings have been shattered however, there are others that remain. Regardless, progress is still being made (History.com Editors, 2020). 

Carrie Chapman Catt, an American women's suffrage leader and founder of the League of Women Voters, said:

"The vote is an emblem of your equality, WOMEN OF AMERICA, the guaranty of your liberty. Women have suffered agony of soul which you never can comprehend so that you and your daughters might inherit political freedom. That vote has been costly, Prize it! The vote is a power, a weapon of offense and defense, a prayer. Use it intelligently, conscientiously, prayerfully. Progress is calling to you to make no pause. Act!" 

3 Things To Think About Before You Vote

No. 1 - What are you looking for in a candidate?

Voting should not be based on who you deem to be the nicest, the kindest, the most compassionate, or the one with the best character — even though I personally highly esteem character in a presidential candidate. Consider this, what if the person is wonderful but, does not hold some of your values? On the other hand, what if the person is not a wonderful person but, does hold some of your values? Which is more important to vote for? You are voting for the person who will do the most for the country based on the values that you hold.

No. 2 - How big of role do you want your government to play?

There is a principle of life that governs that way I vote and that is my belief that the bigger the government, the smaller the citizen. This is a fact. It is not even an opinion or a political stance. It is the truth. The bigger the government the less freedom you have. The more the government tells you what to do or what not do, the less freedom you have. Everybody recognizes that government has a role but, the biggest question in the political/civil life is: How big of a role? This country was founded on the belief that the citizen should be big and the government little. That is the way it works. The country cannot have both. 

 
No. 3 - Who do you feel is going to keep you more safe?

You might want to decide on whom and what party to vote for based on this question: Who will keep you safer? The government’s first and foremost task is to protect the citizenry against external and internal violence. If the government cannot do that, it is worthless. That is the most important role of government. So, you must ask which party is most likely to protect me from violence? 

Conclusion

I want to conclude by beseeching you (the American citizenry) to engage and participate in one of the most fundamental freedoms of American life: Elections. In other countries around the world, there are numerous people that do not have this same freedom, nor did many Americans in centuries past. Never should voting rights ever be taken for granted for these rights have not always been equally accessible in the United States. African Americans and women of all nationalities and ethnicities FOUGHT FOR (NOT GIVEN!) the right to vote so that their voices were heard. 

As an American citizen, no matter what you believe or whom you support, it is important to exercise your rights. 

Stephani E. Lewis

Writer of the JLGWH Blog
2020-2021

Our Mission: The Junior League of Greater Winter Haven, Inc. is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and to improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.

References

History.com Editors (2020, February 5). Women’s History Milestones: A Timeline. Retrieved from HISTORY: https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/womens-history-us-timeline

History.com Editors  (2020, August 15). 19th Amendment. Retrieved from HISTORY: https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/19th-amendment-1