"THEIR CONSECRATED RIGHT" The 19th Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote, was formally adopted into the U.S. Constitution on August 26, 1920. Women suffragists struggled for more than 70 years to obtain their goal. The Amendment read, “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.” The suffrage movement was founded in the mid 19th century through the efforts of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. They had been politically active through their work in the abolitionist and temperance movements. In July 1848, they and 200 woman suffragists met in Seneca Falls, New York, to discuss women’s rights. They passed a resolution declaring, “It is the duty of the women of this country to secure to themselves their sacred right to the elective franchise.” This was just the beginning of the woman suffrage movement in America. During Reconstruction, the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was adopted, granting African American men the right to vote, but Congress declined to grant voting rights to include women. To Read More, Click The Button Below Ultimate Flags Inc. 10185 NE 22 St. Okeechobee, FL 34974