Listen to your Mother: a Mom-ument

Knoxville, Tennessee

On August 18, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th and final state to ratify the Constitutional amendment granting women the right to vote. The deciding vote -- at least in some accounts -- was cast by 24-year-old Harry T. Burn, a freshman state representative previously opposed to the amendment. He was persuaded to change his mind, he later said, by a letter from his Mom, who wrote, "Don't forget to be a good boy" and "vote for Suffrage." Burn later explained, "I knew that a mother's advice is always safest for a boy to follow, and my mother wanted me to vote for ratification."

Tennessee unveiled a statue of Burn and his proud Mom -- her guiding hand resting on his shoulder -- in June 2018. It was sculpted by Alan LeQuire, who had previously created the giant statue of the goddess Athena in Nashville.