Elaine Weiss, author of The Woman's Hour

In the summer of 1920, 35 states had ratified the 19th Amendment, 12 had rejected it or refused to vote, and one last state was needed or the amendment might die. After a seven-decade crusade, it all came down to Tennessee; it was the moment of truth for the suffragists, and also for their antagonists, the "Antis." The political freedom of half of the nation was at stake. In The Woman's Hour, Elaine Weiss tells the story of the nail-biting climax of one of the greatest political battles in American history—the fight to ratify the constitutional amendment that gave women the vote.

Friends of Knox County Public Library, Union Ave Books, the East Tennessee Historical Society, radio station WUOT and the Knox County Public Library hosted the evening with award-winning journalist and writer Elaine Weiss on March 8, 2018. In her remarks, Weiss asserted the relevance of the events of that summer to today's political environment.