2020 is a momentous year for voting rights: It's the centennial of women's right to vote in federal elections across the United States. Several individual states had already granted women suffrage to varying degrees. For states like Massachusetts, however, the 14th Amendment to the U.S. constitution declared "all persons born or naturalized in the United States..." had the right. The catch was, even if all persons legally had the right to vote, not all of them had that right in practice. In some states, local, regional, and/or state governments purposely made registering to vote almost impossible and encouraged local communities to practice various forms of voter intimidation aimed particularly at People of Color. Going even further, many states did not recognize indigenous peoples' right to vote until 1962 while most people in the U.S. territories are still denied that right to this day. 1920 was a step toward ensuring that the United States became more of the democracic republic it takes pride in claiming to be. With these reading suggestions, you can explore the history of women's struggle for the right to vote with both its triumphs and its failures. Keep in mind, however, that no right is permanently guaranteed. Make sure to support your continued right to vote by registering and then casting your ballot in local and federal elections.
