Happy Anniversary 19th Amendment, with thanks to Harry Burn's mum

On August 18, 1920 history was made by way of a telegram sent by a mother to her son. Harry Burn, age 24 and a member of the Tennessee legislature, heeded his mother's plea and fundamentally changed America.

Little more than a year had passed since the US Senate approved, on June 4 1919, the 19th Amendment, which would extend the right to vote to half the nation’s citizens. Thirty-five of forty-eight states had already ratified the measure, and one more state was needed to meet the constitutional requirement that amendments become law only when ratified by "the Legislatures of three fourths of the several states...”

And while thirty-five states had approved the amendment, the all-male legislatures of ten states voted against it . That left three states which could deliver women the most basic of fundamental rights: Connecticut and Vermont, whose governors refused to call special legislative sessions required to hold a vote. The fate of women's suffrage, therefore, fell to the Tennessee legislature.

Thus in August of 1919 the 20th Century "War of the Roses" was raging in Nashville, and reporters from the big cities of New York, Boston, and Chicago were there to cover it. The men in the state legislature wore either a red or yellow rose on their lapel to signify their position: yellow for, and red against, giving women the right to vote. And as the red roses outnumbered the yellow 49-47 before the roll call, the amendment appeared destined to fail. Destined, that is, until a mother's words were considered.

The looming battle in the long-waged war by women to participate in democracy came two-hundred and forty-four years after Thomas Jefferson wrote about self-evident truths and inalienable rights. Fifty years had passed since the passage of the 15th Amendment enfranchised black men; and it was already forty-two years since the amendment was first proposed in the United States Senate in 1878.

The New York Times detailed the history of the movement and the proposed federal amendment in Congress on June 5, 1919:

For five years after the civil war suffragists tried to secure interpretation of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments which would permit them to vote. In 1872 Miss Anthony made a test vote at the polls, was arrested, and refused to pay her fine, but was never jailed.

In 1875 Miss Anthony drafted the proposed Federal amendment, the same one that was voted on today. In 1878 the amendment was introduced in the Senate by Senator Sargent of California. It has been voted on in the Senate five times, including today...

Carrie Chapman Catt, protege of Susan B. Anthony, was the "General" directing the suffragists' efforts. She was a brilliant political strategist, whose tactic was to attack on two fronts. On the federal level the suffragists would seek a constitutional amendment, which if passed would guarantee the right for all women in every state. Given the number of times that effort had been defeated, she also organized campaigns to change the law on a state by state basis.

In fact by early 1919, the law in fifteen states (including New York, by referendum in 1917) had already given women the right to vote. Between 1912 and 1918, the trend of successfully changing state law is what led President Wilson to change his position on the issue of a federal amendment. After all, he could not afford to give offense to the millions of new women voters who supported his re-election in 1916.

Carrie Chapman Catt described the federal and state battles in 1923:

To get the word 'male' in effect out of the constitution cost the women of the country fifty-two years of pauseless campaign thereafter. During that time they were forced to conduct fifty-six campaigns of referenda to male voters; 480 campaigns to urge Legislatures to submit suffrage amendments to voters; 47 campaigns to induce State constitutional conventions to write woman suffrage into State constitutions; 277 campaigns to persuade State party conventions to include woman suffrage planks; 30 campaigns to urge presidential party conventions to adopt woman suffrage planks in party platforms, and 19 campaigns with 19 successive Congresses. Millions of dollars were raised, mainly in small sums, and expended with economic care. Hundreds of women gave the accumulated possibilities of an entire lifetime, thousands gave years of their lives, hundreds of thousands gave constant interest and such aid as they could. It was a continuous, seemingly endless, chain of activity. Young suffragists who helped forge the last links of that chain were not born when it began. Old suffragists who forged the first links were dead when it ended...

Why did so many men, and women for that matter, fight tooth and nail against enfranchisement for women? The reasons were many and varied. The most common constitutional argument against a federal amendment was predicated on the familiar and oft-cited states' right to set "qualifications" for voters, as Sen. James Wadsworth of New York orated during the Senate debate:

"I feel so strongly that the people of the several States should be permitted to decide for themselves, that am frank to say that, if this amendment, instead of being drafted to extend woman suffrage all over the country, were drafted to forbid the extension of the franchise to women in the States, I would vote against it. Even though one might be opposed on general principles to the extension of the franchise to women, one cannot logically object to the people of a State settling that question for themselves."

The anti-suffrage movement advanced a variety of other reasons as to why suffrage should be denied to women. Most pertained to their place in society and in the family. One argument, naturally, was that woman's place was in the home and the distraction of politics would be harmful to children and husbands:

Another argument was that women did not need to vote, since their fathers, brothers or husbands would vote in their best interests. The "dirty business" of politics was also cited, appealing to the notion that women's pure natures would be corrupted by being involved. Pure natures notwithstanding, women's weaker intellectual and emotional strength would render them incapable of casting a wise vote. And finally, the antis argued, a majority of women did not want the vote:

The women who demanded suffrage, they concluded, were mannish, unnatural and unsexed misfits who could hardly pretend to speak for normal women.

Many letters to editors of newspapers were written by pastors and priests, arguing the rightful "sphere" of women. And the beer and liquor industry financed a large number of the anti-suffrage groups, given the concern that women voters would seek to prohibit the sale of alcohol.

The suffragists were able to counter these arguments due to the expanding roles women were being called to fill in manufacturing and other industries during the first World War. As the law began to change state by state, and President Wilson announced his support, the stage was set for Congressional passage of the 19th Amendment. Once the House and Senate voted, the suffragists had only to win that final battle-- ratification by three-fourths of the state legislatures.

Which takes us back to Nashville Tennessee, and August 18 1920:

By the roses, it appeared the amendment would be defeated 47 for and 49 against. In the first roll call, however, Rep. Banks Turner came over to the Suffragist's side and the vote was deadlocked at 48 for and 48 against. The second roll was taken and the vote remained 48 to 48.

With wilted collars and frayed nerves, the legislators squared off for the third roll call. A blatant red rose on his breast, Harry Burn--the youngest member of the legislature--suddenly broke the deadlock. Despite his red rose, he voted in favor of the bill and the house erupted into pandemonium. With his "yea," Burn had delivered universal suffrage to all American women. The outraged opponents to the bill began chasing Representative Burn around the room. In order to escape the angry mob, Burn climbed out one of the third-floor windows of the Capitol. Making his way along a ledge, he was able to save himself by hiding in the Capitol attic.

Whether his window escape is fact or folklore, what is a matter of record is the tactical response by the antis. The following New York Times headline on August 20 reported the anti-suffragists' claim that Harry Burn took a bribe in exchange for his vote. Undeterred, Harry Burn gave this explanation for his change of heart on the floor of the Tennessee legislature:

Harry pulled the telegram from his mother out of his pocket, which read as follows:

Dear Son:
Hurrah and vote for suffrage! Don't keep them in doubt! I notice some of the speeches against. They were bitter. I have been watching to see how you stood, but have not noticed anything yet. Don't forget to be a good boy and help Mrs. Catt put the "rat" in ratification.

Your mother.

With that brief expression of motherly advice, our nation took a giant leap toward a more perfect union. So Happy 85^th, my fellow voters. And to Harry and Mom, wherever you are...

on behalf of democratic ideals and the fairer sex, a heartfelt thank you.