In 1878, the so-called “Susan B. Anthony” Amendment made its first appearance on the Senate floor. The proposed amendment, which stated that “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,” would be rejected many times before it was finally passed. From the time the amendment was first introduced in Congress to its eventual ratification, life in the United States changed radically. New technologies emerged, a World War was fought, and many of the leaders of the early women’s suffrage movement died. Though the cleverness, political savvy, and commitment of the many people involved with the fight for women’s suffrage cannot be denied, chance played a large role in the final steps needed to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment. Who could have predicted that one of the final states to decide on the amendment would be Tennessee? Who might have guessed that the vote would be close–so close that it would come down to a twenty-six year old legislator from Niota County, Tennessee? And who knew that in the jacket pocket of that young man was a letter written by his mother, urging him to vote for suffrage?

The Burn Vote was set to have its world premier at River&Rail in August 2020. What would have been the inaugural show of the 2020-2021 season and a celebration of the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment’s ratification was put on hold for the pandemic. Ever since then, live theatre has been making its gradual comeback, and The Burn Vote is once again set to make its debut. In the four years since the show was originally set to premier, things have inevitably changed. From our understanding of the complicated history of the women’s suffrage movement to contemporary politics concerning women’s rights, we feel that this story is still one worth telling. 

When you were given this program, you were sitting in a small black box theatre in Knoxville’s Old City. Our job, as theatre artists, would not truly be complete if the story we told never left this room. We hope you will continue to learn about the development of suffrage and women’s rights in the United States. Without even leaving Knoxville, you can find many traces of this story all around you. On the corner of the Hyatt Place on Gay Street, you will find a plaque denoting the childhood home of Knoxville’s most esteemed suffragist, Lizzie Crozier French. And in Old Gray Cemetery, she is laid to rest in her family’s plot. The telegrams that Harry receives throughout the show, real messages from constituents sent to the young legislator, and the now famous letter from Febb, can all be found online or in-person at the McClung Historical Collection. And of course, bronze statues of Febb, Harry, and Knoxville’s three most influential suffragists stand proudly in the heart of downtown, a reminder of those who played critical roles in enfranchising women across the nation.