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Letter from the Maryland League for State Defense to Governor Albert H. Roberts

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Maryland League for State Defense

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Leaders of this organization contacted Governor Roberts to urge him to oppose the ratification of the 19th Amendment because it would deprive other states of the right to "manage their own affairs." The letter mentioned the threat to the Democratic Party in Maryland with the "addition of 60000 negresses to the electorate." The letter was signed by Thomas Cadwalader, the secretary of the organization. It included a copy of a letter that the organization sent to every member of the Tennessee General Assembly stating their rationale for opposing the 19th Amendment.The 19th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution granted women the right to vote. When the Tennessee General Assembly passed the ratification resolution on August 18, 1920, it gave the amendment the 36th and final state necessary for ratification. Suffragists and anti-suffragists lobbied furiously to secure votes during that intense summer in Nashville. The ratification resolution passed easily in the Tennessee State Senate on August 13, but the House of Representatives was deadlocked. When young Harry T. Burn of Niota changed his vote to support ratification of the 19th Amendment, he broke a tie in the House of Representatives and made history.
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Tennesse State Library and Archives

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Digital Library of Tennessee