90 years ago today -- on August 26, 1920 -- 20 million American women won the right to vote.
Tennessee became the deciding vote on August 18, 1920, when legislator Harry T. Burn changed his NAY vote to YAY, after receiving a letter from his mother, which said in part:
Dear Son:
Hurrah and vote for suffrage! Don't keep them in doubt!
I notice some of the speeches against. They were bitter.
I have been watching to see how you stood, but have not
noticed anything yet. Don't forget to be a good boy and
help Mrs. Catt put the "rat" in ratification.
Your mother
Harry Burn, the youngest member of the Tennessee legislature, explained his change of heart, saying, "I know that a mother's advice is always the safest for a boy to follow."
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