Women in America were legally allowed to vote nationwide with the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on August 18, 1920. This amendment prohibited denial of the right to vote on the basis of sex, effectively granting women the right to vote across the United States.
Before the national amendment, several states, especially in the Western U.S., had already granted women full or partial voting rights, starting as early as 1869 in Wyoming Territory. However, the 19th Amendment marked the official national enfranchisement of women.
It is important to note that while the 19th Amendment legally granted voting rights to women, women of color and other minority groups often faced discriminatory barriers that prevented their full participation until later civil rights legislation, such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
