Thread by @outofthetowerh

New #Womenshistorymonth thread. Was the #NineteenthAmendment only about women’s right to #vote?
#suffrage #whm2021 #whm #womenshistorymonth2021 #feminism (1/15)

That is precisely the question that politicians, activists, and legal authorities fought over in the years following the #NineteenthAmendment ‘s ratification. #whm2021 #suffrage #rights (2/15)

The Nineteenth Amendment explicitly forbid withholding the right to #vote on account of sex. #whm2021 #rights (3/15)

But what about the other restraints on women’s civic autonomy? #rights #feminism #womenshistory #genderhistory (4/15)

These restraints included limitations on women’s right to hold public office, serve on juries, have ownership over their earnings, maintain an independent domicile, have an independent nationality status, and work in certain occupations. #whm2021 (5/15)

In the view of some authorities, the #19thamendment had suggested that women should be treated as citizens on similar terms with men. This belief encouraged a few state courts to rule that voter status had provided women with the right to #juryservice. (6/15)

In Adkins v. Children’s Hospital (1923), the #SupremeCourt suggested that it would uphold a broad interpretation of the #19thamendment, ruling against a minimum wage law for women only, citing the impact of the #19thamendment. (7/15)

For others, though, the #19thamendment was already too #radical and its impact should be contained. #womenshistorymonth #legalhistory (8/15)

A perfect example is Judge Rugg’s ruling in Commonwealth v. Welosky (1931), where he claimed, “the change in the legal status of women wrought by the Nineteenth Amendment was radical, drastic, and unprecedented…it [should not] be extended by implication.” #whm (9/15)

As well, in Radice v. New York (1924), the #SupremeCourt seemingly backtracked on its previous ruling in Adkins by upholding a law that banned night work for women only. #whm2021 (10/15)

Even more people claimed that the #19thamendment may have altered women’s legal personhood, but it did not mean that men and women should have the exact same #rights. #citizenship #womenshistorymonth (11/15)

So, the question remained: what were women’s constitutional rights now that the #19thamendment had removed sex as a legally acceptable reason to withhold the right to vote? #whm2021(12/15)

Eventually the struggle over this question morphed into the original conflict over the #EqualRightsAmendment. #ERA #womenshistorymonth (13/15)

The conflict over women’s status after the #19thamendment, and its evolution into the struggle over the #ERA, are central topics discussed in my forthcoming book, Gendered Citizenship, which will be published by @univnebpress October 2021 (14/15)

For more information on my book, check out my website, rebeccadewolf.com and sign up for my email list. #Genderedcitizenship #ERAnow #whm2021 #ERA (15/15)

@womnknowhistory @womenalsoknow