Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Normal women

 It was 96 years ago today that eight members of the Supreme court agreed on landmark legislation. The judges declared the 19th amendment was constitutional. What is the 19th amendment ? Yes, it is women's suffrage. Interesting to note is that the amendment doesn't directly mention women at all. In fact it says, " The right of the 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 the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation." It was first proposed in 1868 but that bill went no where. In 1878 California Senator Aaron Sargent introduced his bill. It was rejected but proposed every year for the next 41 years. In 1919 it was approved by Congress and ratified with the required 2/3 vote in 1920.
 There were almost as many women's groups opposed to this amendment as there were those in favor. One of the reasons stated was " because in political activities there is constant strife, turmoil, contention and bitterness, producing conditions from which every normal woman naturally shrinks. " That is what the pamphlet said. The fairer sex should not be involved in such things, very unladylike. Women had been voting in state elections for many years by this time. There is nothing in the constitution that prevented women from voting, it was on a state by state basis. Women's suffrage was passed by a Republican congress. This was done during what has been called the " progressive " era in politics. The fight had begun in 1848. The state of Mississippi waited until 1948 to ratify that amendment. It was the last state to do so. Only took a hundred years.
 The constitution did not address who could vote at all. There is no mention of women or the word sex in there. The ability to vote was left to the power of the individual states. Many states allowed women to vote in local elections and state elections in general. It wasn't until the 19th amendment that all women could vote in all elections. The power was taken from the state and placed under the authority of the federal government by that amendment. And that was what the fight was all about.       I'm always surprised by how many people believe women couldn't vote at all before that. When asked about the 19th amendment and the women's right to vote that is the most common response. It is of interest , especially so today, that the original constitution of the United States is a " gender neutral " document ! Amazing isn't it ? Those founding fathers were a lot smarter than we like to give them credit for. Jefferson, Madison and Adams drafting the declaration of Independence, Hamilton and Franklin among others writing the constitution. And none of them addressed voting rights other than to mention the qualifications to become President. They did believe in the power of the states to govern and shied away from a powerful central government. They were very much aware of the dangers of that.
 There will mention of this in the news today, as it should be. The teachers in school will talk briefly about it. It'll be taught as the women's right to vote, like they didn't vote prior to that. Truth is, they did depending upon the state. We have all heard that term " suffrage " and instantly relate it to women. The term suffrage itself just means the right to vote in  political elections and is not gender specific. It doesn't mean that women were suffering. Denied, no doubt about that, but suffering, I don't think so. Suffrage can also be a series of intercessor prayers or petitions. Words and their meanings and usage. Semantics. Well I'm glad women no longer have to suffer ! Well, maybe they are,  being politically active as they are today. If those ladies 97 years ago had only read the pamphlet,
  " because in political activities there is constant strife, turmoil, contention and bitterness, producing conditions from which every normal woman naturally shrinks. " it could, have been avoided. 

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