--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The worst thing that ever happened to…" description: "\"The worst thing that ever happened to America was the 19th Amendment.\" — Neil deGrasse Tyson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/681/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_amendments_the-worst-thing-that-ever-happened-to-am_1233767.png" --- # The worst thing that ever happened to America was the 19th… ![“The worst thing that ever happened to America was the 19th Amendment.” quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/681/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_amendments_the-worst-thing-that-ever-happened-to-am_1233767.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/681/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_amendments_the-worst-thing-that-ever-happened-to-am_1233767.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/681/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_amendments_the-worst-thing-that-ever-happened-to-am_1233767.png) > “The worst thing that ever happened to America was the 19th Amendment.” [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The 19th Amendment, granting women voting rights, had unintended negative consequences for America, according to the speaker. **In simple terms:** The speaker claims the amendment harmed America. Key Takeaway Consider the broader impacts of social reforms. Themes politics gender history consequences Mood critical thoughtful Type controversial analytical When to use this quote - policy analysis - educational talks - public debates Key Concepts suffrage social change unintended effects Questions to Reflect On - What evidence supports this view? - How do we weigh progress against unintended side effects? A Different Perspective The claim is controversial and may overlook many positive outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amendments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amendments/) [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Worst things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst-things/) ## Related quotes > [The ratification of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote marked a major turning point for America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-parson/the-ratification-of-the-19th-amendment-giving-women-the-right-to-vote/) [Mike Parson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-parson/) > [While women were finally given the right to vote in the United States with the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, the Republican…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayleigh-mcenany/while-women-were-finally-given-the-right-to-vote-in-the-united-states/) [Kayleigh McEnany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayleigh-mcenany/) > [“Women like Aislynn cast their first votes in 1870. It was not until 1919 that the US Congress passed the amendment to allow women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-denning/women-like-aislynn-cast-their-first-votes-in-1870-it-was-not-until-2/) [Susan Denning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-denning/) > [We have been terrorised by what happened in America and we express our condolences to the American people who suffered from this unexpected catastrophe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muammar-al-gaddafi/we-have-been-terrorised-by-what-happened-in-america-and-we-express/) [Muammar al-Gaddafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muammar-al-gaddafi/) > [What has happened to America's survival instincts?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/what-has-happened-to-america-s-survival-instincts/) [Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/) > [I wanted to act; wherever that was, I was happy. It just happened to be in America for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-macdonald/i-wanted-to-act-wherever-that-was-i-was-happy-it-just-happened-to-be/) [Danielle Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-macdonald/) > [“ Nite Owl II: But the country's disintegrating. What's happened to America? What's happened to the American dream? The Comedian: It came true. You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/nite-owl-ii-but-the-country-s-disintegrating-what-s-happened-to/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [I've seen what's happened to America. We're no longer respected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-ve-seen-what-s-happened-to-america-we-re-no-longer-respected/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [There's never been such a devastating incident as what had happened in America with George Floyd passing away. 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You have to widen the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/there-are-other-people-other-economies-governments-cultures-religions/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [The proportionality of what has happened to America because of unemployment and housing makes everything else look like a flea on a dog's ass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-ratigan/the-proportionality-of-what-has-happened-to-america-because-of/) [Dylan Ratigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-ratigan/) > [What happened to the America we grew up in, the America of Truman, Ike, JFK and Reagan?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/what-happened-to-the-america-we-grew-up-in-the-america-of-truman-ike/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [If I were in politics, and if you ever get me in the White House, trust me, there's a big change coming. What happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/if-i-were-in-politics-and-if-you-ever-get-me-in-the-white-house-trust/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) > [You can look at what's happened to America in the last years and say a lot of people were asleep. A lot of people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-craven/you-can-look-at-what-s-happened-to-america-in-the-last-years-and-say/) [Wes Craven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-craven/) > [You want to remain hungry and stay in a good place as a competitor; at the same time, you want to be confident but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-odom/you-want-to-remain-hungry-and-stay-in-a-good-place-as-a-competitor-at/) [Lamar Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-odom/) ## More by Neil deGrasse Tyson > [I don't want to go into space because of war. I think we would if it was triggered. 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People who believe themselves ignorant of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/informed-ignorance-provides-the-natural-state-of-mind-for-research/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [If you seek only easy problems to solve, then ultimately, there'll be nothing about you to distinguish yourself from others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/if-you-seek-only-easy-problems-to-solve-then-ultimately-there-ll-be/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The caricature of science is that we hold tight to the theories we have, and shun challenges to them. That's just not true. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-caricature-of-science-is-that-we-hold-tight-to-the-theories-we/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [New generations of humans inherit the acquired discoveries of generations past, allowing cosmic insight to accumulate without limit. Each discovery of science therefore adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/new-generations-of-humans-inherit-the-acquired-discoveries-of/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I've said multiple times that the world's first trillionaire is going to be the person who exploits the resources of asteroids, the natural resources…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-ve-said-multiple-times-that-the-world-s-first-trillionaire-is-going/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [ They \[scientists of centuries past\] call on God only from the lonely and precarious edge of incomprehension. Where they feel certain about their explanations,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/they-scientists-of-centuries-past-call-on-god-only-from-the-lonely/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [We explore our environment, more than we are compelled to utter poetry, when we're toddlers. We start doing that later. Before that happens, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/we-explore-our-environment-more-than-we-are-compelled-to-utter-poetry/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [You can't have people making decisions about the future of the world who are scientifically illiterate. That's a recipe for disaster. And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/you-can-t-have-people-making-decisions-about-the-future-of-the-world/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Science surrounds you. It's not something that you can step aside, step over or push out of your way because you were never good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/science-surrounds-you-it-s-not-something-that-you-can-step-aside-step/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The idea that God resides in the unknown is what philosophers call the God of the gaps. And we have this thing called science,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-idea-that-god-resides-in-the-unknown-is-what-philosophers-call/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Everybody's got money for vacation time. Look at how much we all spend just to get - well, I get sick on the loop-the-loop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/everybody-s-got-money-for-vacation-time-look-at-how-much-we-all-spend/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) [Explore all 1,143 Neil deGrasse Tyson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) ## More Amendments quotes > [This separation was absolute in our original Republic. But the sky-godders do not give up easily. In the 1950s they actually got the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/this-separation-was-absolute-in-our-original-republic-but-the-sky/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The First Amendment makes confidence in the common sense of our people and in the maturity of their judgement the great postulate of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/the-first-amendment-makes-confidence-in-the-common-sense-of-our/) [William O. 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We feel those of the present but neither see nor feel those of the future; and hence we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/all-human-situations-have-their-inconveniences-we-feel-those-of-the/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [If, in the opinion of the people, the distribution or modification of the constitutional powers be in any particular wrong, let it be corrected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/if-in-the-opinion-of-the-people-the-distribution-or-modification-of/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [The First Amendment exists to protect our religious liberty--to ensure that all Americans are able to seek out worship God with all our hearts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/the-first-amendment-exists-to-protect-our-religious-liberty-to-ensure/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [Laws that forbid the carrying of arms . . . disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/laws-that-forbid-the-carrying-of-arms-disarm-only-those-who-are/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [As civil rulers, not having their duty to the people duly before them, may attempt to tyrannize,... The people are confirmed by the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tench-coxe/as-civil-rulers-not-having-their-duty-to-the-people-duly-before-them/) [Tench Coxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tench-coxe/) > [The lessons of the First Amendment are as urgent in the modern world as the 18th Century when it was written. 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