Tennessee’s Deciding Vote
In the summer of 1920, people across the United States watched a political battle unfold in Nashville, Tennessee. At the Tennessee State Capitol, lawmakers faced a decision that could change the nation’s Constitution. Their vote would help determine whether states could continue to deny citizens the right to vote because they were women.
The proposed Nineteenth Amendment had already passed Congress. Before it could become part of the Constitution, however, three-fourths of the states had to approve, or ratify, it. At the time, that meant 36 of the 48 states. By August 1920, 35 states had ratified the amendment. Tennessee could become the crucial thirty-sixth.
A long campaign reaches Nashville
The struggle for women’s voting rights had lasted for generations. Supporters, known as suffragists, organized meetings, circulated petitions, marched, and spoke to lawmakers. Some worked state by state, while others pressed for a constitutional amendment that would apply nationwide.
Women had already won some voting rights in parts of the country. Several western states allowed women to vote in state and national elections. Tennessee had granted women the right to vote in presidential and municipal elections in 1919, but it had not given them full voting rights in all elections.
- constitutional:
- Related to a nation’s basic governing document and laws.
- municipal:
- Related to a city or town and its government.
- legislative:
- Related to the making of laws.
- certified:
- Officially confirmed as valid.
- discriminatory:
- Treating people unfairly because they belong to a particular group.
- intimidation:
- The use of threats or fear to influence someone’s actions.
- exclusion:
- The act of leaving someone out or preventing them from taking part.
- naturalized:
- Made a citizen through a legal process after birth.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1Why was Tennessee’s vote especially important to the proposed Nineteenth Amendment?
- 2How did the suffragists’ different methods contribute to the campaign for voting rights?
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About this explanatory article passage for Middle School
“Tennessee’s Deciding Vote” is a explanatory article reading passage about Women’s suffrage and voting rights, written for Middle School. It takes about 6 minutes to read (852 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.