When did women gain the right to vote?

Thursday, August 26, 2010, marks 90 years since women gained the right to vote. 

Beginning in the mid-19th century, several generations of woman suffrage supporters lectured, wrote, marched, lobbied, and practiced civil disobedience to achieve what many Americans considered a radical change in the U.S. Constitution. Militant suffragists used tactics such as parades, silent vigils, and hunger strikes.

The ratification of the U.S. Constitution's 19th Amendment on August 26, 1920, marked a turning point for America as women were guaranteed the right to vote. It was the culmination of a 72-year-long civil rights movement that originated at the world's first women's rights convention held in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848. On August 26 each year the United States celebrates this milestone through Women's Equality Day.

You may wish to view records on woman suffrage and the 19th Amendment from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) for additional information.

Additional Resources:

• Veterans Administration (VA) - Pledge to Women Veterans on Women’s Equality Day
• Women
• Women's History
• One Hundred Years toward Suffrage: An Overview
• Votes for Women
• Library of Congress - Women's Rights

By usa.gov team