Marsha Blackburn: “I thank the Senator from Maine for her leadership in today's activity as we commemorate the Senate's action in passing…”

“I thank the Senator from Maine for her leadership in today's activity as we commemorate the Senate's action in passing the 19th Amendment and sending that to the States for ratification. It is amazing to think that it was 100 years ago today--today--that women in this country still did not have the right to vote. When we think about Nashville, TN, today, we are thinking about country music, bachelorette parties, pro-sports; in the summer of 1920, Nashville, TN, was the focus of individuals on both sides of the debate over women's suffrage because that summer was the final push to get the 19th Amendment ratified so that women would forever have the right to vote. Suffragists from all across the country looked to Tennessee in that last-ditch effort to pass an amendment before the 1920 Presidential elections. As it all came together and as everybody was coming into Nashville-- you had the red roses on one side and the yellow roses on the other side--the battle was heating up. The Tennessee House of Representatives had been called back into a special session so that they could debate this issue: Would women receive the right to vote? Would Tennessee agree to vote for ratification of the 19th Amendment? The pro and anti suffragists flooded that city. Those who opposed enfranchisement, wearing those red roses, went to extreme lengths to prevent a vote. At one point, legislators actually fled the State to prevent a quorum.…”