19th Amendment: 'A Start, Not A Finish' For Suffrage | NPR

NPR

26 Aug 202006:05

Summary

TLDRThe script commemorates the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, highlighting the arduous struggle for women's suffrage and the racial complexities involved. It dispels the myth that women were simply 'given' the right to vote, emphasizing the 72-year fight that was as much about race as gender. The amendment's ratification in 1920 did not equate to voting equality for all women, particularly African-American women, who faced ongoing disenfranchisement through Jim Crow laws and other discriminatory practices. The narrative underscores the ongoing battle for universal voting rights, 100 years later.

Takeaways

🗳️ The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1920, marked a significant milestone in women's suffrage, but it did not immediately grant voting rights to all women.
👥 The struggle for women's right to vote was not a gift but a hard-fought battle that took much longer than the fight for men's rights.
🔄 The women's suffrage movement was initially linked to the anti-slavery movement, but later split due to racial tensions and the prioritization of white women's rights over Black men's suffrage.
💔 Racism deeply divided the suffrage movement, with prominent Black activists like Ida B. Wells and Mary Church Terrell being marginalized and their concerns ignored.
📜 The narrative of African-American women's struggle for voting rights has often been overlooked, challenging the legacy of early suffragist heroes.
🤝 Some white suffragists used racist arguments to gain support for the 19th Amendment, suggesting that women's suffrage would bolster white supremacy.
📧 Carrie Chapman Catt, a key figure in the suffrage movement, made racially charged appeals to Southern politicians to secure their votes for the 19th Amendment.
🏛️ The passage of the 19th Amendment required ratification by 36 states, which was achieved with Tennessee's vote in August 1920.
🚫 Despite the 19th Amendment, African-American women in the South faced ongoing voter suppression through poll taxes, literacy tests, and violence.
🌐 The struggle for voting rights was not limited to Black women but also affected other communities of color, including Native Americans and Asian immigrants.
⏳ The fight for universal voting rights is ongoing, with the centennial of the 19th Amendment serving as a reminder that voting rights must continually be defended and expanded.

Q & A

What is the significance of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution?
-The 19th Amendment, ratified in August 1920, was significant because it granted women the right to vote. However, for many women, particularly women of color, this promise went unfulfilled for decades.
Why is the statement 'the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote' considered misleading?
-This statement is misleading because it implies that women were simply given the right to vote. In reality, it was a hard-fought battle that took decades of struggle, and many women, especially African-American women, continued to face significant barriers even after the amendment's ratification.
How did the women's suffrage movement intersect with issues of race?
-The women's suffrage movement was deeply entwined with race, as it had roots in the anti-slavery abolitionist movement. However, early suffragist leaders like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony split from abolitionists when Black men gained the vote through the 15th Amendment, while white women were still denied. This caused racial divisions within the suffrage movement.
What role did African-American activists play in the suffrage movement?
-Prominent African-American activists like Ida B. Wells and Mary Church Terrell were key figures in the suffrage movement, although they often found themselves marginalized by white suffragists, and their concerns about racial inequities were frequently ignored.
What was Carrie Chapman Catt's controversial argument to Southern politicians regarding the 19th Amendment?
-Carrie Chapman Catt argued to Southern politicians that giving women the right to vote would solidify white supremacy because it would increase the number of white voters, outweighing the Black vote. This argument was intended to persuade Southern congressmen to support the 19th Amendment.
What challenges did African-American women face after the 19th Amendment was ratified?
-Even after the 19th Amendment was ratified, African-American women, especially in the South, faced significant challenges such as voting restrictions under Jim Crow laws, including poll taxes, literacy tests, grandfather clauses, and violence that disenfranchised them.
What were some barriers to voting for other communities of color after the 19th Amendment?
-Other communities of color, such as Native Americans and Asian American immigrants, were also disenfranchised. They were often denied citizenship for years after 1920, preventing them from voting.
Why is it said that the struggle for voting rights continues even after the 19th Amendment?
-The struggle for voting rights continues because, despite the 19th Amendment, many groups, including African-Americans and other communities of color, faced and continue to face significant barriers to voting. Voting rights are never guaranteed and require ongoing efforts to protect and expand them.
What lesson can be drawn from comparing the state of voting rights in 1920 and 2020?
-One key lesson is that voting rights are never a given or guaranteed. The fight to ensure that everyone can exercise this essential democratic right is ongoing and requires vigilance and continuous advocacy.
What was Mary Church Terrell's perspective on the impact of the 19th Amendment on African-American women?
-Mary Church Terrell was concerned that African-American women in the South would still face significant obstacles and mistreatment when attempting to vote, highlighting the ongoing struggle for full citizenship and voting rights.

Outlines

00:00

🗳️ Women's Struggle for Suffrage and Its Racist Entanglements

This paragraph delves into the complex history of women's fight for the right to vote, highlighting the centennial of the 19th Amendment's ratification in 1920. It clarifies that women's suffrage was not a gift but the result of a prolonged and arduous struggle. The narrative intertwines the suffrage movement with racial issues, revealing early suffragist leaders' rift with abolitionists over the 15th Amendment and the subsequent marginalization of African-American activists within the movement. The paragraph also exposes the strategic use of racism by some white suffragists to gain support for the 19th Amendment from Southern politicians, suggesting that women's voting rights would bolster white supremacy. Despite the amendment's ratification, the paragraph notes that the struggle for voting rights, particularly for African-American women, was far from over, with the Jim Crow laws and other discriminatory practices continuing to disenfranchise them and other communities of color.

05:04

📊 The Ongoing Battle for Universal Voting Rights

The second paragraph emphasizes the continuous nature of the fight for voting rights, even a century after the 19th Amendment. It draws a parallel between the past and present, underscoring that the right to vote has never been an unassailable guarantee in the United States. The summary points out that the legacy of the suffrage movement is not just about historical achievements but also about the ongoing struggle to ensure that all citizens can exercise their democratic right to vote. It suggests that the journey towards true universal suffrage is still ongoing, with the need to address and overcome the persistent barriers to voting equality.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡19th Amendment

The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in August 1920, granted women the right to vote. It marked a significant milestone in the women's suffrage movement, yet the promise of voting rights was unfulfilled for many, particularly women of color, due to continued discriminatory practices.

💡Women's suffrage movement

The women's suffrage movement was a decades-long fight to secure the right to vote for women. Emerging from the anti-slavery abolitionist movement, it was characterized by a bitter and prolonged struggle, highlighting deep intersections with issues of race and class.

💡Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony

Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony were prominent leaders in the women's suffrage movement. They initially aligned with abolitionists but later distanced themselves due to frustrations over the 15th Amendment, which granted Black men the right to vote while white women remained disenfranchised.

💡Racism in the suffrage movement

Racism significantly influenced the women's suffrage movement. White suffragists often marginalized African-American activists and argued that enfranchising white women would reinforce white supremacy, particularly in the South, revealing the movement's racial divisions and prejudices.

💡Ida B. Wells and Mary Church Terrell

Ida B. Wells and Mary Church Terrell were prominent African-American suffragists who faced marginalization within the movement. Their efforts highlighted the intersection of racial and gender discrimination, as they fought for both women's and civil rights.

💡15th Amendment

The 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870, granted African-American men the right to vote. This caused a rift in the women's suffrage movement, as white suffragists were outraged that Black men were enfranchised while they were still denied voting rights.

💡Jim Crow laws

Jim Crow laws were state and local statutes that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States. These laws disenfranchised African-Americans through mechanisms like poll taxes, literacy tests, and violence, preventing them from exercising their right to vote even after the 19th Amendment.

💡Carrie Chapman Catt

Carrie Chapman Catt was the president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. She controversially argued that women's suffrage would uphold white supremacy, particularly appealing to Southern politicians to support the 19th Amendment.

💡Voting restrictions

Voting restrictions such as poll taxes, literacy tests, and violence were used in the Jim Crow South to prevent African-Americans from voting. These measures continued to disenfranchise many, including women, even after the ratification of the 19th Amendment.

💡Universal suffrage

Universal suffrage refers to the right of all adult citizens to vote, regardless of gender, race, or social status. The women's suffrage movement initially aligned with this goal but became fragmented over issues of racial inequality and the prioritization of white women's enfranchisement.

Highlights

100 years since women were promised the right to vote with the ratification of the 19th Amendment in August 1920.

The common belief that the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote is incorrect; it was a hard-fought struggle.

The fight for women's suffrage was a 72-year-long battle, much longer than the 6 years it took to rectify men's grievances through war.

The women's suffrage movement was deeply entwined with race, with its roots in the anti-slavery abolitionist movement.

Early suffragist leaders like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony initially allied with abolitionists but later split due to outrage over the 15th Amendment granting Black men the vote while denying white women.

Racism caused deep divisions among women in the suffrage movement, with African-American activists like Ida B. Wells and Mary Church Terrell often marginalized and their concerns about racial inequities ignored.

The story of African-American women in the suffrage movement has been largely ignored due to the need to confront the failures of earlier heroes.

To win over Southern politicians, some white suffragists argued that giving women the vote would solidify white supremacy by increasing the white vote.

Carrie Chapman Catt, president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, used arguments about white supremacy to persuade a Southern congressman to vote yes on the 19th Amendment.

The 19th Amendment required ratification by 36 of the 48 states, with Tennessee providing the decisive 'perfect 36th' ratification in August 1920.

Despite the ratification of the 19th Amendment, African-American women in the South faced continued disenfranchisement through poll taxes, literacy tests, grandfather clauses, and violence.

Other communities of color, including Native Americans and Asian American immigrants, were also kept from the polls for decades after 1920 due to denial of citizenship.

The struggle to ensure universal voting rights continues 100 years after the 19th Amendment, highlighting that voting rights are never a given or guaranteed in the United States.

The comparison between 1920 and 2020 underscores the ongoing nature of the fight for voting rights and the need to continually assert and protect this essential democratic right.