The Nineteenth Amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920, expanding constitutional voting protection to American women.
Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment, supplying the three-fourths majority then required for constitutional amendments. The amendment prohibited the United States and its states from denying citizens the vote on the basis of sex. Congress had approved the proposal in 1919 after decades of organizing, petitions, demonstrations, and state-level campaigns.
The amendment was formally certified on August 26, 1920, a date now commemorated in the United States as Women’s Equality Day. This distinction creates a common mix-up: August 18 is the ratification date, while August 26 marks official certification.
The amendment was a major milestone but did not guarantee equal access to the ballot for every woman. Discriminatory laws and practices continued to disenfranchise many African American women, Native American women, Asian American women, and Latina women for years afterward.