19th Amendment Ratification Hinged on Single Vote, Mother's Letter
The ratification of the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote, ultimately came down to a single vote from 24-year-old legislator Harry T. Burn in Tennessee. In August 1920, Tennessee was the 36th state needed to formally certify the amendment as national law, requiring approval from three-fourths of all states. Suffragists and anti-suffragists converged in Nashville, engaging in a lobbying effort known as the 'War of the Roses,' with supporters wearing yellow and opponents red. Burn initially signaled his opposition by wearing a red rose. However, during the legislative session, he changed his vote to support ratification, influenced by a seven-page letter from his mother, Febb Burn, urging him to be a 'good boy' and vote for suffrage. This pivotal decision secured the amendment's passage, which was signed into law eight days later, prohibiting the denial of voting rights based on sex. 
