Justice Bell Foundation
Reclaiming Women's History ~ Highlighting Women's Contributions ~ Promoting Voter Participation
The Justice Bell and the Fight for the Vote
Pennsylvania Women and the Expansion of Democracy
Panel Five: The Justice Bell Rings
After a long struggle for voting rights, the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920 marked a historic victory for women’s suffrage.
The Justice Bell Rang for the first time on September 25, 1920.
Listen to the sound of the original Justice Bell ring: Ring
Philadelphia's 1920 Celebration of the 19th Amendment
On September 25, 1920, Katharine Wentworth Ruschenberger took her seat on the platform stage and watched thousands of people fill Philadelphia’s Independence Square. Today marked a celebration of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution that gave women the right to vote. She was to here to speak about the featured “guest of honor,” the Justice Bell.
After community singing and a concert by the police band, Philadelphia Mayor Moore opened the day’s events with a speech at 3:00 pm which was followed by an invocation by Rev. Frederick R. Griffin of First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia.
Then, Governor Sproul of Pennsylvania spoke saying, “To my opinion, this is one of the four greatest occasions in American history. The first was the declaration of independence; the second, the adoption of our Constitution; the third, the wiping out of slavery, and fourth, the accomplishment of equal rights for women.”
The Evening Public Ledger newspaper had announced under the headline “Justice Bell to Peal Tidings of Woman’s Victory,” “The women of Philadelphia will proclaim the political emancipation of themselves and their American sisters at a great victory jubilation in Independence Square this afternoon. “Just as their great-great grandfathers had in 1776 rang out joyful tidings of their independence of Great Britain, the American sisterhood today will toll the “Women’s Justice Bell” proclaiming “liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.”
The Nineteenth Amendment
Passed by Congress: June 4, 1919
Ratified: August 18, 1920
Certified: August 26, 1920
Nineteenth Amendment Quick Facts
When did each state ratify the Nineteenth Amendment?
On June 10, 1919, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan were the first three state legislatures to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment. Wisconsin got its paperwork to Washington, DC first giving them bragging rights as the first state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment.
August 18, 1920
Tennessee became the thirty-sixth and final state needed to ratify the amendment, which passed by only one vote on August 18, 1920. The remaining state ratifications trickled in over many years with Mississippi earning the distinction as the last state to ratify in 1984, although Mississippi, as all states, were not allowed to deny the right to vote based on sex since the certification of the Nineteenth Amendment on August 26, 1920.
Black women and the Nineteenth Amendment
The Nineteenth Amendment stated that people could not be denied the right to vote on the basis of sex. This gave Black women the constitutional right to vote, and many Black women did vote, although racial discrimination and other barriers continued to prevent many from exercising that right, especially in the South where poll taxes, literacy tests, and outright intimidation were used to prevent many from voting. Black men had already gained the right to vote when the Fifteenth Amendment was ratified in 1870. But they faced the same hurdles that Black women did after 1920. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 removed those barriers to voting. However, the Supreme Court has issued three rulings, which weakened key protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965: Shelby County v. Holder (2013), Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee (2021), Louisiana v. Callais (2026).
Voting barriers due to a lack of citizenship
In addition to the variety of ways people could prevent women from voting, some women and men were excluded due to the denial of citizenship. Even after citizenship was granted, marginalized groups still faced discrimination and were prevented from voting.
Native American women (and men) could not vote until 1924 with the passage of the Indian Citizenship Act.
Chinese American and other Asian American women
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The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 barred Chinese immigrants from becoming naturalized citizens.
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Chinese American women who were born in the United States and who lived in states where a women's suffrage amendment had passed, were able to vote although many faced discrimination.
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In 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment included all women who were citizens in the United States, whether native-born or naturalized.
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Congress passed the Magnuson Act in 1943, a law that specifically allowed Chinese immigrants to naturalize and vote.
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The barriers that remained affected those who immigrated and were not naturalized.
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In 1952, the McCarran-Walter Act eliminated race as a barrier to immigration and naturalization, which insured Japanese, Korean, and South Asian American women could vote.
Hispanic American women
"Suffrage in Spanish: Hispanic Women and the Fight for the 19th Amendment in New Mexico" by Cathleen Cahill for the National Park Service
Puerto Rican women and men
People born in Puerto Rico are citizens of the United States. But, as residents of a territory rather than a state, Puerto Ricans are not allowed to vote for congressional representation or for president.
D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Territories: An Explainer
Washington, D.C. (District of Columbia) women and men
D.C. residents lack congressional representation and, since the Twenty-third Amendment are allowed three electoral voted for president and vice president.
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Fifteenth Amendment
Special Note
Information and images provided on the panel and this corresponding website page are intended for personal and classroom use only. The information and its presentation remain the intellectual property of the authors, in partnership with the Justice Bell Foundation, and may not be reproduced, republished, distributed, or otherwise used for commercial or other purposes without permission.
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Explore the Exhibit
As you move through the exhibition, you'll explore the story of the Justice Bell, the women who fought for voting rights, and the movement that helped expand American democracy. We invite you to consider not only how the vote was won but also why civic participation continues to matter today.
In 1913, Erie hosted one of Pennsylvania’s first suffrage parades when local women helped energize the statewide campaign for votes for women.
Panel Two: Pennsylvania Women Organize
Discover the statewide network of women and organizations that organized meetings, rallies, publications, and public events to advance the campaign for women's suffrage.
Panel Three: Creating a Woman’s Liberty Bell
Learn how Pennsylvania suffragists created the Justice Bell, a powerful symbol modeled after the Liberty Bell.
Panel Four: The 1915 Justice Bell Tour
Follow the Justice Bell’s journey across Pennsylvania during the 1915 suffrage campaign.
Panel Five: The Justice Bell Rings
After a long struggle for voting rights, the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920 marked a historic victory for women’s suffrage.
Panel Six: We Stand on Their Shoulders
Meet some of the remarkable women whose courage and determination helped secure voting rights for women and strengthen American democracy.
