National Law Day May 1, 2020 PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
PROCLAMATION
NATIONAL LAW DAY May 1, 2020
"Your Vote, Your Voice, Our Democracy: The 19'Amendment at 100"
WHEREAS, the United States is commemorating the centennial of the 19th Amendment
to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees that "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;" and
WHEREAS, the text that would become the 19th Amendment in 1920 was first proposed
in Congress in 1878; and
WHEREAS, many States granted women the right to vote in advance of the ratification
of the 19th Amendment. They included Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Washington,
California, Oregon, Montana, Arizona, Kansas, Alaska, Illinois, North Dakota, Indiana,
Nebraska, Michigan, Arkansas, New York, South Dakota, and Oklahoma; and
WHEREAS, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan were the first states to ratify the 19th
Amendment, all on June 10, 1919, six (6) days after it was approved by Congress. Tennessee
was the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment, the number then required to incorporate it into
the U.S. Constitution and make it the law of the land; and
WHEREAS, although formal voting rights could no longer be denied because of race or
sex after ratification of the 15th and 19th Amendments, many voters still faced ballot restrictions,
including registration rules, literacy tests, poll taxes, and moral and residency requirements; and
WHEREAS, there were 81.3 million women registered to vote in the United States as of
2018, comprising 53% of the electorate; and
WHEREAS, American women fought for, and won, the vote through their voice and
action. The women's suffrage movement forever changed America, expanding representative
democracy and inspiring other popular movements for constitutional change and reform.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Pittsylvania County Board of
Supervisors declare May 1, 2020, to be Law Day in Pittsylvania County, Virginia.
Given under my hand this 21st day of April, ! 0/
,,,,,,_
w 4•. "obert "Bob"W. W rren, Chairman
• f Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors
._'- %.c -i.'. -.,..* ' ATTEST:
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Pittsylvania County Board of Su ervisors