19th Amendment Victory Flag
19th Amendment Victory Flag

First introduced in 1887, the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed by Congress on June 4, 1919. The amendment reads:

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

After passage by Congress, amendments must be ratified by three-fourths of the states. On June 25, 1919, Massachusetts became the eighth state to ratify the amendment. On August 19, 1920, with a yes vote from Tennessee, the required thirty-six states had ratified the agreement. The amendment was certified on August 26, 1920, a day now celebrated as Women’s Equality Day.