The late American activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton once said: “The prolonged enslavement of women is the darkest page in human history.” Years after Elizabeth played her role in the women's suffrage movement, her relentless efforts finally paid off. The Nineteenth Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, was passed by Congress on June 4, 1919, and finally ratified on August 18, 1920. The Nineteenth Amendment goes on to state that: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex.” A struggle that had lasted almost a century had officially ended and women had finally achieved equality with men. The fight for women's right to vote began long before it was officially recognized. In fact, most of the women chosen to start the movement did not live to see the movement's final victory. Women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B Anthony, and Lucretia Mott, among numerous others, paved the way for the demonstration of gender equality we see today. The women's suffrage movement is said to have begun on July 19, 1848 at the First Women's Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, New York. It is estimated that about three hundred people attended the conference held at the Wesleyan Chapel. Here the women discussed the disadvantages women face in life due to sexual discrimination and presented the “Statement of Feelings”. Similar to the Declaration of Independence, it declared: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; who are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”. This convention was a turning point in the movement with the activity...... middle of paper ...... t Virginia and Tennessee, were invalid and making suffrage a federal law was unconstitutional. These arguments were initially heard in the lower courts and state appellate courts where both chose to dismiss the case. Subsequently, Leser v. Garnett was argued in the Supreme Court on January 24, 1922, and a decision was made on February 27 of the same year. The court also unanimously decided to dismiss the case. Works Cited Kraditor, A. S. (1971). The ideas of the women's suffrage movement, 1890-1920. New York: Anchor Books.Expansion Memorial. (2013, November 16). Virginia Minor and women's right to vote. National Park Service. Retrieved December 3, 2013, from http://www.nps.gov/jeff/historyculture/the-virginia-minor-case.htm Copied to Clipboard! Sullivan, G. (1994). The Day Women Voted: A Photographic History of the Women's Rights Movement. New York: Scholastic.