June 4: Congress Passes the 19th Amendment

Women marching in national suffrage demonstration in Washington, D.C., May 9, 1914. | Library of Congress

On June 4, 1919, the United States Congress approved the 19th Amendment and sent it to the states for ratification. The amendment stated that the right to vote could not be denied “on account of sex.” It was ratified on August 18, 1920, after Tennessee became the 36th state to approve it.

This event was a major turning point in American history because it recognized women’s constitutional right to vote after decades of organizing, petitioning, marching, writing, lobbying, and public protest. It also changed the meaning of citizenship in the United States by expanding political participation and opening new pathways for women to influence public policy, hold office, and shape civic life.

The 19th Amendment did not solve every voting-rights problem. Many women, especially Black women, Native American women, Asian American women, and women facing poll taxes, literacy tests, citizenship restrictions, or intimidation, still encountered serious barriers to voting. For students, this makes June 4 an important date not only for studying victory, but also for studying the unfinished work of equal access to the ballot.

"Silent sentinel" Alison Turnbull Hopkins at the White House on New Jersey Day, January 30, 1917. | Library of Congress

Project 1: Suffrage Timeline of Persistence

Project Goal:
Students will understand that the 19th Amendment was the result of long-term civic action rather than a single moment.

Project Description:
Students create a visual timeline beginning with early women’s rights activism and ending with the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. The timeline should include major events, key people, setbacks, strategies, and state ratification milestones.

Research Questions:

1. What events helped build momentum for women’s suffrage?

2. Which leaders and organizations worked for voting rights?

3. Why did it take so many decades for the amendment to pass?

4. What happened between congressional approval on June 4, 1919, and ratification in 1920?

Final Project Options:

• Illustrated poster timeline

• Digital slideshow

• Accordion-style booklet

• Museum-style wall display

Project 2: Voices for the Vote

Citation: Joint Resolution of Congress proposing a constitutional amendment extending the right of suffrage to women, approved June 4, 1919.; Ratified Amendments, National Archives.

Project Goal:
Students will examine how citizens use speech, writing, and public advocacy to create political change.

Project Description:
Students research one suffrage leader or organization and write a first-person speech, newspaper editorial, or letter to a legislator arguing for the right to vote. The writing should use historical evidence and reflect the language, concerns, and civic arguments of the time.

Research Questions:

1. What arguments did suffragists use to support voting rights?

2. What arguments did opponents use against women’s suffrage?

3. How did suffragists use newspapers, speeches, marches, and lobbying?

4. How can words become tools for civic change?

Final Project Options:

• Persuasive speech

• Historical editorial

• Letter to Congress

• Recorded audio address

• Dramatic classroom reading

Project 3: The Amendment and the Unfinished Ballot

Project Goal:
Students will analyze the difference between a constitutional right and equal access to that right.

Project Description:
Students investigate who gained voting rights through the 19th Amendment and who continued to face barriers. They compare the amendment’s promise with the later struggles for voting access faced by Black women, Native American women, Asian American women, and other groups.

Research Questions:

1. What did the 19th Amendment legally guarantee?

2. Why were some women still prevented from voting after 1920?

3. What barriers limited voting access?

4. How did later civil rights efforts build on the work of suffrage activists?

Final Project Options:

• Compare-and-contrast chart

• Research essay

• Civic rights infographic

• Classroom discussion board

• “Then and Now” voting rights presentation