The amendment that gave women the right to vote in the United States is the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It was passed by Congress on June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920. The 19th Amendment prohibits the denial or abridgment of the right to vote on the basis of sex, thereby granting women the legal right to vote nationwide.
The exact text of the amendment states: "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. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation".
This marked the culmination of decades of struggle by women's suffrage activists, with significant victories in some states before the federal amendment was passed. However, it initially primarily benefited white women, as women of color continued to face voting discrimination until later civil rights legislation.
