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In 1920, the 19th constitutional amendment was up for vote among the US states, after successfully passing in both the House and Senate after many attempts. This amendment was the one that prohibited denying women the right to vote based on sex alone. For the amendment to pass, 36 out of the 48 states would need to ratify it. By mid August 1920, 35 states had ratified it, but other than Tennessee, the remaining states had outright rejected it or refused to vote on it. Tennessee tried to pass a vote to delay the vote on the amendment and appeared to have enough votes to do so, until someone switched in favor of not waiting.
After the vote, it was tied 48-48, until Harry Burns, a young representative wearing a red rose (a symbol of opposing the amendment) switched in favor of passing the amendment. Before he had voted to table the amendment and then voted against suffrage. This vote, which was followed by another switch in favor, was the deciding vote to push Tennessee in favor of ratifying the amendment, and making it the final state needed to ratify the amendment nation wide.
Later, Burn credited a letter his mother wrote to him calling for him to vote in favor of the amendment as the reason he switched. As he put it, “I knew that a mother’s advice is always safest for a boy to follow, and my mother wanted me to vote for ratification."
After the vote, it was tied 48-48, until Harry Burns, a young representative wearing a red rose (a symbol of opposing the amendment) switched in favor of passing the amendment. Before he had voted to table the amendment and then voted against suffrage. This vote, which was followed by another switch in favor, was the deciding vote to push Tennessee in favor of ratifying the amendment, and making it the final state needed to ratify the amendment nation wide.
Later, Burn credited a letter his mother wrote to him calling for him to vote in favor of the amendment as the reason he switched. As he put it, “I knew that a mother’s advice is always safest for a boy to follow, and my mother wanted me to vote for ratification."