by Kathie England

The Vote

“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”

These are the words of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

This year marks the 100th commemoration of this amendment. After a long and arduous fight, the 19th Amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920 and certified on August 26, 1920.

“Women weren’t given the vote! They took it!” The history of the fight to add this amendment to the Constitution is chronicled in a powerful film titled The Vote which aired on American Experience on Public Television. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/vote/

The 19th Amendment’s Centennial is commemorated by National Archives events that are streaming live throughout August.https://www.archivesfoundation.org/women/?gclid=CjwKCAjwj975BRBUEiwA4whRBx79l8kckcYqwV8ab01sfAmNESrBKiO_OAA7XkotEomDuwb6nY7hDxoCoUYQAvD_BwE

 Few words more eloquently explain the importance of the vote than those by the late John Lewis:

“The vote is the most powerful tool we have to preserve our democracy!”

As November 3 draws close, what steps can we each take to make sure every citizen of the United States uses this most powerful tool to preserve our democracy?