Phoebe Burn: Tennessee Strong by Linda Harris Sittig

Before I share Phoebe’s story, I need to tell you it was a story 72 years in the making.

THE BACKGROUND

The narrative begins on July 19, 1848, in Seneca Falls, New York. You might recognize the town as the setting for the Hollywood Christmas classic, “It’s A Wonderful Life,” starring Jimmy Stewart.

But for over 8 million American women who were the first ever to vote in a national election, Seneca Falls holds far more importance than a Hollywood movie set.

On July 19, 1848, Elizabeth Cady Stanton stood in the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel in Seneca Falls and offered her Declaration of Sentiments: “We hold these truths to be self-evident. That all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Elizabeth Stanton was a housewife, soon to be an activist. Her Declaration of Sentiments was modeled after the Declaration of Independence but addressed discrimination against women. At that time in history, American women could not own property, claim their working wages, sue for divorce, serve on a jury, or vote.

Elizabeth was held to ridicule by many in the crowd, but one notable man – Frederick Douglas rose to defend her and stood by her side.

The issue of suffrage (voting) would be hotly contested state by state for the next 21 years until 1869 when Wyoming issued women the right to vote. However, to make the change happen for all women, there would need to be a U.S.Constitutional Amendment.

As the women suffragists were campaigning for an amendment, many marched in protest parades, others were arrested for picketing in front of the White House, and still more were holding political rallies that urged Votes for Women. For a Constitutional Amendment to become law, it must pass by a two-thirds majority in Congress and then be ratified by three-fourths of all the states.

Now fast forward to 1918, just one month before the end of the Great War (WWI), the Senate defeated the proposed Amendment – two votes shy of passing. Then comes early 1919, and the suffragists ratcheted up their campaign. This time the Senate defeated the proposed Amendment by only one vote.

Finally, in June 1919, the 19^th Amendment passed both the House and the Senate. And you would think that hurrah, a great feat accomplished!

However, many individual states still opposed the Amendment, especially in the South. By the spring of 1920, only 35 states had approved the Amendment, one state short of the required three-fourths.

PHOEBE BURN

Phoebe Burn now enters into the story.

Born in 1873 in McMinn County, eastern Tennessee, Phoebe Ensminger, known by her nickname of Febb, was by all accounts feisty, strong-willed, and incredibly well-read. After graduating from U.S. Grant Memorial University (now Tennessee Wesleyan), Phoebe became a teacher and then married James Lafayette Burn.

She helped run his farm and became adept at milking cows, churning butter, raising crops, and raising four children. And, oh yes, subscribing to and reading four different newspapers and a dozen magazines.

She educated herself on both local and national politics. And although McMinn County was conservatively anti-suffrage, Phoebe thought of how the illiterate, uninformed male tenants on her farm were allowed to vote, but she could not.

On August 17, 1920, she was reading a barrage of bitter anti-suffrage letters to the editor in the local paper when she felt compelled to write to her son, Harry T. Burn, the youngest Senator from Tennessee. Her seven-page letter started with family and local news but progressed to the real heart of the matter.

THE HISTORIC LETTER

“Dear Son,… Hurray and vote for suffrage and don’t keep them in doubt. I have read the bitter speeches and have been waiting to see how you stood (on the issue) but have not seen anything from you yet. Don’t forget to be a good boy and help Mrs. ‘Thomas Catt’ with her “Rats.” Is she the one that put ‘rat’ in ratification? Ha!”

Her son received the letter the next day in Nashville, and as the Honorable Harry T. Burn sat in the state capital with the other politicians in the Tennessee House. He conspicuously sported a red rose in his lapel. The red rose was the symbol of those opposed to suffrage, where a yellow rose signified being pro-suffrage.

Today was the special session of the state congress to vote on the proposed suffrage amendment. Harry knew that if passed, it would mean that the 19^th Amendment would become law for the entire country. With his mother’s letter tucked in his pocket, he considered how hard she had worked her entire life. The day was already hot and muggy, and the room packed with supporters of both sides. Harry continued thinking about his mother.

One by the one, the votes were cast. When Harry stood to cast his vote, the anti-suffrage people wore jubilant smiles because of the red rose in his lapel.

And then, in a history-making moment, Harry pulled the red rose out of his lapel and voted for the 19^th Amendment. Pandemonium broke out, but the die had been cast. With Harry Burn’s vote, urged by his mother, Phoebe Burn, Tennessee ratified the 19^th Amendment, and it became constitutional law.

There would be difficult years to come. The Jim Crow laws would deny women of color voting privilege, and the fight for women’s equality in the workplace has continued for decades. August 2020 marks the 100^th anniversary of women getting the right to vote. November 2020 marks the 100^th anniversary of women voting for a President of their choice.

There are approximately 39.5 million women in America old enough to vote for the first time, and every single one of us should remember that it is an honor that was hard fought for by our women ancestors.

Remember Phoebe’s words: Hurray and Vote!

If you’d like to learn more about strong women, watch me on this YouTube clip AND become a follower of this blog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuTOr2CvZ_Y

~ Linda