The 19th Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote,was
formally adopted into the U.S. Constitution by proclamation of
Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby.
The amendment was the culmination of more than 70 years of
struggle by woman suffragists. Its two sections read simply:
“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” and “Congress shall have power to enforce
this article by appropriate legislation.”
Despite the passage of the amendment, poll taxes, local laws
and other restrictions continued to block women of color from
voting for several more decades.
