Jeannette Rankin: First Lady of Congress Illustrator: Dan Andreasen Description Would you have the courage to stand up for your beliefs, even if no one agreed with you? Jeannette Rankin did. Born to a Montana rancher and his schoolteacher wife, Rankin was the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress, in 1916. (She was elected by the men of Montana as woman did not yet have the vote.) The first week on the job, she had to vote on whether the United States should enter World War! Rankin voted no. This unpopular stand ended her political career for a time… In 1940, she was again elected to the House of Representatives. This time she had to vote on whether the United States should enter World War II. Rankin alone voted no, becoming the only member to oppose U.S. entry into both world wars. People were really mad at Rankin, but President John F. Kennedy later said of her: “Few members of Congress have ever stood more alone while being true to a higher honor and loyalty.” (Exerpted from the Washington Post – Book of the Week) What Was My Inspiration? Upon first coming across a Jeannette Rankin quote in my son's high school history book, I thought, wow! Who is this woman? Where could she have come from? And why haven't I heard about her?  The quote? If women could vote, Jeannette had said, women who rose at dawn, cooked, ironed, scrubbed, baked, mended, and cooked again, yet who were listed on the census reports as "without occupation" – they would be able to change their lives. So with that in mind, Jeannette, gathering strength from the blue Montana skies and the Rankin creed of hard work and belief in oneself, enlisted the help of her brother Wellington, a rancher in Montana, and announced she was running for Congress. This was 1917, three years before the 1920 ratification of the 19th Amendment, giving all women the vote. This was the West, where newspapers in the East wrote articles asking if Jeannette carried a six-shooter and trimmed her skirts with fur. But Jeannette had made up her mind. She had a bigger purpose than being a Congresswoman. "I'm working for women's suffrage and against war," she said. Jeannette didn't listen, and with Wellington's help, she won the election and became the first woman in Congress. Then she stood by her campaign promise of not sending boys from Montana to fight in a foreign war, and voted against America's entry into World War I. She was not re-elected and spent the next twenty three years working for peace and for women's rights. But in 1940, she again won a seat in Congress, and again had to vote for or against America's entry into a world war. What she did, and how she did it, left me astounded. How could I not write about this feisty, forward looking, ageless, inspiring role model for young women? And the further I dug into her papers, letters, and speeches, the more I marveled over the focus and integrity with which she lived her life. "Women's Suffrage" by Anna W. By Anna W. Jeannette Rankin was an amazing woman who had to overcome many challenges and troubles. She was extremely famous in that period of time. She is an excellent woman. Rankin was the first woman in congress. She stood up to people who loathed her; she was strong, and brave. Jeannette was traveling the world just because people wanted to hear her speak. She attended The University of Montana, and got a science degree in biology. Rankin was a seamstress, a teacher, and designed clothes, all before she joined congress. This spectacular woman could not be more important and special to America. No woman is as brave as Jeannette Rankin. She kept protesting and putting up signs saying “How long do women have to wait to vote?” The president, Theodore Roosevelt, went on her side when he saw how hard she was trying to change America. The women of Montana could vote now. Rankin went to work for the New York Woman’s Suffrage Party (NYWSP). In 1912 she became the leader of NYWSP. This elegant, unbelievable woman has changed America forever. Miss Jeannette Rankin successfully changed America’s and her own life by her accomplishments. She voted “no” on war, but she was not strong enough yet, so the “yes” votes won. Her famous quote, “I’m not running for congress, I am running for woman’s suffrage, and against war”, was at that time well known, and helping her votes for congress. She only wanted to be the 1st woman in congress so she could change the world. That was her dream. I think she is a hero because she had the guts to show her beliefs. The obstacles that she crossed were amazing. She traveled 9,000 miles back and forth across Montana, and saw people who were very poor, and people who were very wealthy, and women who could not vote. She was finally kicked out of congress because of what she thought. This strong, outgoing, loyal woman is very important to our country. As an individual, she built up strength, and was rejoined on congress. As congresswoman, Jeannette was known especially for her accomplishment on joining congress. She was a woman of compassion. Reviews "Younger readers will be fascinated by Jeannette Rankin: First Lady of Congress. With clear writing and detailed illustrations, this appealing historical account of one of the twentieth century's most important congressional pioneers, makes Rankin accessible to young people in the twenty-first century. "Rankin is someone children should know: the first woman to sit in the House of Representatives, and the only female to vote for woman suffrage in Congress. Marx does an excellent job in introducing her, in lyrical prose: ‘Jeanette Rankin was born in Montana--/ Big Sky Country. / The sky was as blue as the feathers on a blue jay's back.’" "In this historical account, Marx’s candid text and Andreasen’s finely detailed illustrations work together to capture the strength and spirit of one of America’s most inspirational leaders." |
