Harry T Burn was a member of the Tennessee Legislature when women's suffrage was to be voted upon. The vote was deadlocked with 48 - 48 on each side, and Harry initially voted not to pass women's suffrage. With the initial vote a tie, the legislature decided to have a re-vote the next day. Harry was only 24 at the time, and on that very eve of the re-vote, he received a letter from a very special woman. His mother. She encouraged him to vote for women's suffrage, and so he did. His vote tipped the scales in the Tennessee legislature, which tipped the scales in the US, helping to pass the 19th amendment, granting women the right to vote. When reflecting on his vote, Harry said "I believe in full suffrage as a right... I believe we had a moral and legal right to ratify. I know a mother's advice is always safest for her boy to follow, and my mother wanted me to vote for ratification." How grateful I am for Phoebe Ensminger Burn (Harry's mom) and that God made sure the mail was delivered on time, before the final vote. Good things to think about on this historic anniversary of our right to vote.
I will forever be a feminist; I believe that women and men are equal and should have equal rights and opportunities.
A poster during the suffrage movement.
The only redeeming thing about this picture is that because we can't see their faces, we don't know who they are, and they won't be immortalized as being on the wrong side of freedom, justice and equality... and maybe they were at the booth to argue that women should be able to vote?... maybe?
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