THE WOMAN'S HOUR (ADAPTED FOR YOUNG READERS)

Adapted from Weiss’ 2018 book of the same title, this work focuses on the final push for the ratification of the 19th Amendment.

By the summer of 1920, 35 states had ratified the amendment to give women the right to vote, and only one more state was needed to change the Constitution. Tennessee scheduled a special legislative session to decide if it would become that final state. Suffragists and those opposing ratification—the Antis—poured into the state, using every legal power, and a few that weren’t, to steer legislators. Amid promises and betrayals and through numerous votes and procedural diversions, suspense is carefully sustained—even though readers know the eventual outcome. Unfortunately, the depiction of Antis, the Southerners described as “froth[ing] with rage,” is oversimplified. Portrayed as disdainful of women and racially motivated, many (less malevolently if with no greater enlightenment) just clung to the 19th-century belief that the idealized women’s sphere would be destroyed by participation in the sordid world of politics. The racism within the suffrage movement is glancingly addressed. To keep suspense high, Weiss also represents this as quite likely the last hope for ratification, although Connecticut would vote to ratify just a month later. Brief profiles of women involved in both the radical and the more traditional wings of the suffrage movement offer rich insight into the determination of these brave crusaders. Fine backmatter rounds out this fascinating if not quite balanced presentation.

An inspiring tale that just might spark greater voter participation.