The Voice That Won the Vote: How One Woman’s Words Made History, by Elisa Boxer, illustrated by Vivien Mildenberger

 

The 19th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution was passed by the U. S. Senate and House of Representatives in 1919 but it still needed to be ratified by thirty-six states in order for women to have the vote. Would Tennessee become the 36th and final state to say “Yes”? This pleasing picture book tells the little-known story of Febb Burn, an ordinary woman fed up with waiting. The campaign for women's suffrage had begun more than seventy years before in Seneca Falls, New York, at the first convention on the rights of women. Febb Burn, in August, 1920,  wrote a letter to a key legislator (and her son), Harry Burn: “Hurrah and vote for suffrage and don’t keep them in doubt”— and his one vote made the difference! This single episode speaks volumes about individual advocacy and standing up for one’s beliefs; it is set in context by a brief timeline of women’s suffrage. The Voice That Won the Vote: How One Woman’s Words Made History, by Elisa Boxer, illustrated by Vivien Mildenberger captures a fascinating turning-point in the journey for women’s rights. Ages 6-10. Sleeping Bear Press, 2020.

The 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States: "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

More details from the National Constitution Center:  https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/the-man-and-his-mom-who-gave-women-the-vote/

View the original letter from mother to son at the Knox County Public Library in Tennessee!