Suffrage is the right to vote in political elections.

2020 marks the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment. This fight for the right to vote was not won overnight and involved protests from many women from all walks of life. Lombardian, Ellen Martin, was a rare exception voting before the voting rights were granted to all women.

At Seneca Falls in 1848, Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote "The Declaration of Sentiments" creating the agenda of women's activism for decades to come. But it was not always a cohesive movement. There were disagreements on which women should have the right to vote.

There was several attempts to have the Amendment pass Congress. The earliest was in 1887 and the vote failed. Another attempt in 1918 passed Congress but failed by two states to be ratified. In 1919, the 19th Amendment passed Congress and on August 26th, 1920, three-quarters of the states ratified the Amendment. Finally, women had the legal right to vote.

The edited, National Women’s History Museum timeline provides more details on the path to ratification.