1/ The passage of the #19thAmendment has long been heralded as the turning point for women’s voting rights in America.
But in reality, the 19th Amendment did not affirmatively grant the vote to all women — or even to any women in particular. bit.ly/3kRHs3P
But in reality, the 19th Amendment did not affirmatively grant the vote to all women — or even to any women in particular. bit.ly/3kRHs3P
2/ All the #19thAmendment text says is: “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.”
3/ In other words, after its ratification, states couldn't keep people from the polls just because they were women.
But officials who wanted to stop people from voting had plenty of other tools with which to do so.
But officials who wanted to stop people from voting had plenty of other tools with which to do so.
4/ States could use poll taxes and other voter suppression tactics — already used across the country to deny voting rights to Black men — to keep Black women from voting.
5/ States could, and did, use those same tactics against Latina women.
And many Asian American and Indigenous women lacked citizenship in 1920, meaning they couldn’t vote in the first place.
[Left: Adelina Otero-Warren, 1923; Right: Dr. Mabel P. Lee, circa 1900]
And many Asian American and Indigenous women lacked citizenship in 1920, meaning they couldn’t vote in the first place.
[Left: Adelina Otero-Warren, 1923; Right: Dr. Mabel P. Lee, circa 1900]
6/6 All in all, the #19thAmendment was essentially for one group of women and one group only: white women.
That was by design.
@annanorthtweets explains: bit.ly/3kRHs3P
That was by design.
@annanorthtweets explains: bit.ly/3kRHs3P
