The Celebration of the Ratification of the 19th Ammendment
The 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, was ratified on August 18, 1920. The amendment was the culmination of a decades-long suffrage movement and became law on August 18, 1920, when it was ratified by the required number of states. It had long been promoted by suffragettes such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. At the time, this Amendment gave more than 27 million American women the right to vote. However, many women, especially Black women, Native American women, Asian American women, and others, were still effectively disenfranchised by state laws, poll taxes, literacy tests, and citizenship restrictions even after ratification. Asian American immigrant women couln’t vote until the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 allowed them to gain citizenship. Other laws and acts had to be passed for all women to have a voice.
The Congress of the United States enacted Public Law 116-71, which authorized the striking of a maximum of 400,000 2020 Women’s Suffrage Centennial Silver Dollars to celebrate the ratification of the 19th ammendment. The Philadelphia Mint struck both versions of this new commemorative silver dollar, and both versions bear a “P” mintmark.
Silver Dollar Design Details
The obverse and reverse of this coin were designed by Christina Hess and sculpted by Phebe Hemphill. The obverse of the 2020 Women’s Suffrage Centennial Silver Dollar features three different women from differing generations and backgrounds. Each of them wears a hat and a hairstyle suitable for the differing time periods, symbolizing the many years that it took for women to obtain the vote. The woman in the foreground wears a “flapper”-style hat with a “1920” button indicating the year of ratification. The right periphery has the phrase “E PLURIBUS UNUM” on it, while the left periphery simply has the word “LIBERTY.”
The reverse of the coin is very symbolic as it features the year “2020” (year of striking) being dropped into a ballot box with a circle that states “VOTES FOR WOMEN,” and the top of the ballot box is inscribed with “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.” The lower periphery bears the motto “IN GOD WE TRUST.”
(A 2020-P Women’s Suffrage Centennial Silver Dollar, Uncirculated, Obverse [left], Reverse [right].)
(A 2020-P Women’s Suffrage Centennial Silver Dollar, Proof, Obverse [left], Reverse [right].)
A $10 surcharge was added to the cost of the coins, and it went to the Smithsonian Institution’s American Women’s History Initiatives. The Philadelphia Mint struck both the uncirculated and proof versions of these coins, and both bear a “P” mintmark. The Mint sold 13,624 uncirculated coins and 33,480 proof coins.
Coin & Medal Set
A Coin and Medal Set was also released, including a proof silver dollar and a medal available only in this set.
(A 2020-P Women’s Suffrage, Coin and Medal Set, Proof.)
(The Medal in the 2020 Women’s Suffrage Coin & Medal Set, Obverse [left], Reverse [right].)
The medal was struck in silver. The obverse depicts a child’s hand reaching up to hold the Women’s Suffrage Centennial weight, as the struggle took generations to accomplish.
The reverse depicts some of the text of the 19th Amendment on the United States flag. Congress authorized 10,000 of these sets to be struck, and 9,996 were struck and sold. Add this special commemorative to your collection today and view other U.S. silver modern commemorative coins.
