History of Tennessee - Women's Rights

Women's Rights

Tennessee became the focus of national attention during the campaign for women’s voting rights. Like the temperance movement, women’s suffrage was an issue with its roots in middle-class reform efforts of the late 19th century.

The organized movement came of age with the founding of the Tennessee Equal Suffrage Association in 1906. Despite a determined (and largely female) opposition, Tennessee suffragists were moderate in their tactics and gained limited voting rights before the national question arose.

In 1920, Governor Albert Roberts called a special session of the General Assembly to consider ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Leaders of the rival groups flooded into Nashville to lobby the General Assembly. In a close House vote, the suffrage amendment won passage when an East Tennessee legislator, Harry Burn, switched sides after receiving a telegram from his mother encouraging him to support ratification.

Tennessee thereby became the pivotal state to approve the Nineteenth Amendment.

Women immediately made their presence felt by swinging Tennessee to Warren Harding in the 1920 presidential election. It was the first time since 1868 that the state had voted for a Republican presidential candidate.