The Personal Website of Mark W. Dawson

The Meaning of the 19th Amendment

The 19th Amendment of the Constitution is rather straightforward as it states:

“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.

Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”

However, the consequences of this Amendment are far-reaching. If you give someone the right to vote, you are giving them full citizenship. Full citizenship that affords them all the protection of “Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Justice for All” in America. It also gives them the duties and responsibilities of citizenship in America.

The right to vote is the right to participate in all aspects of American society. No discriminatory actions, nor discriminatory benefits, can be afforded to anyone who is a citizen. Equality is a consequence of the right to vote. Therefore, in effect, the 19th Amendment is an Equal Rights Amendment for women. Anyone who would say otherwise is someone who does not understand the consequences of the right to vote.

It should also be noted that the right to vote gives you the right to ouster an elected official, through your vote, that does not support equal rights for women and enact civil rights legislation that supports equal rights for women. You also have the right to petition the Government for a redress of grievances to advocate for civil rights legislation that supports equal rights for women.

We should all herald the 19th Amendment as the beginning of the equality of the sexes in America, and we should all strive to protect these rights through appropriate legislation.