Exhibits

Meet Maine Here.

The Maine Story

Women Win the Vote

When Congress passed the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, work began to gain ratification by two-thirds (36) of the states.

At a special session on November 5, 1919, Maine legislators voted in favor of ratification, making Maine the 19th state to do so.

Lewiston Evening Journal, August 26, 1920

Anti–suffrage activists in Maine and several other states challenged the validity of the amendment’s approval by legislative action, arguing that a popular vote was required. Courts rejected that view.

The 36th state, Tennessee, ratified the 19th amendment on August 18, 1920, and women’s suffrage was certified as federal law on August 26, 1920.

Life magazine, October 28, 1920 (Maine State Museum Collection)

Maine State Museum