Historians call this turning point in 1920 the War of the Roses. Whether women could vote in our national elections was the issue to be decided. The suffragists who supported a woman’s right to vote wore yellow roses. The antis who opposed the 19th amendment wore red roses. 35 states had already ratified the amendment, but 1 more state was needed to secure the 3-quarter’s majority. Tennessee looked to be the only state that could be favorably disposed. As the representatives from Tennessee assembled to cast their ballots on that fateful Wednesday, August 18, the entire nation watched anxiously. The state representatives simply wore a yellow or red rose in the lapels of their jackets to display their intentions. The 1st vote ended up in a tie. Then a single representative named Harry Burn switched his rose from red to yellow. Tennessee ratified the 19th amendment giving the majority necessary for women in our country to vote. Harry Burn’s vote changed the entire course of our nation’s history for politicians eagerly court the female vote today knowing that it will likely determine the outcome of the election. When Burns was asked why he changed his vote he referred to a letter that he had recently received from his mother and said, I know that a mother’s advice is always safest for her boy to follow and my mother wanted me to vote for ratification. May is the month when we annually honor our mothers. Mothers have a critical influence on their children. And, as Harry Burns reminds us, even a single mother can change the course of a nation’s history.