Women's Suffrage Centennial

Join us to recognize the centennial of the national ratification of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution granting the right for women to vote. Tennessee was the 36th state and final necessary to ratify the amendment, and the deciding vote was cast here in Nashville. The ratification set a marker in time and sparked further work but was not the end of the discussion. The passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 further made it possible for people to vote, and there is work yet to be done.

Nashville organizations have joined together to create public dialogue, music, art, and education events to keep this important moment in history alive; recognize the work it takes to have a thriving democracy; and create opportunities for the entire community to participate in the dialogue, concerts, learning, events, exhibits, and voter education. Online and in-person events will run through 2020 with a key focus on the period surrounding the Centennial date of the Tennessee ratification on August 18, 1920, and the subsequent certification by the U.S. Secretary of State on August 26, 1920.

Please visit our events page for a full listing of events, education resources, and all of the participating Partner organizations. If you are a member of an organization and would like to be included in the project, please contact us at WSPNashville2020@gmail.com.

It's been 100 years since brave women from across the state and country came to Nashville to fight for, and ultimately win, the right to vote. Those women blazed the trail for so many incredible Nashville women over the past century. We're celebrating them here. 

In the summer of 1920, Tennessee became the 36th and final state needed to ratify the 19th Amendment. Pro- and anti-suffrage groups from all over the country descended upon Nashville to campaign for their side. Just a block from the Tennessee State Capitol where votes would be cast, Nashville's Hermitage Hotel became the headquarters to this War of the Roses (yellow for suffragists; red for antis) that would forever change U.S. history.