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"Enfranchisement now means the sky's the limit, in woman's sphere"

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@ Tennesse State Library and Archives

Bushnell, Elmer A

Description

This political cartoon features a woman carrying two buckets and dressed in clothing typical of domestic workers. She is standing at the bottom of a ladder with several rungs which are labeled with historically traditional roles of women in society. As one moves up the ladder, the rungs show the types of jobs available to women as time moves forward. At the bottom of the ladder are rungs labeled "Slavery", "House Drudgery", and "Shop Work." Midway up the ladder, near a marker labeled "Equal Suffrage," are rungs with jobs in "School Affairs," "Church & Charities," and "War Workers." At the very top of the ladder shows positions such as "Executive" and "Legislative" with the very top of the ladder showing a rung for the "Presidency." The cartoon is meant to convey a message that with the passage of the 19th amendment, many more opportunities are available to women.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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Record Contributed By

Tennesse State Library and Archives

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Tennessee