Jeannette Pickering Rankin is a great example of someone who bravely stands up for their beliefs despite what the majority thinks. Before she became the first woman to become a member of the U.S. Congress, Jeanette placed herself in situations where she would learn about the difficulties faced by those who were poor and second-class in the United States.
Born in a well-to-do and prominent family in Montana in 1880, Jeannette’s early life was safe, secure, and much better than an average girl of her time. Her first college degree was in Biology, however, after exposure to the slums of Boston, Jeannette realized life for most people was not as simple and easy as she had experienced.
Rankin turned her focus and studies towards Social Work and Social Legislation and soon realized that denying women, especially single mothers, the right to vote was adding to the troubles in the slums. Jeannette advocated for and worked in the poor areas of San Francisco, New York, and Washington. Her focus then turned to Women’s Rights, where she surprised the politicians and visiting public in Montana’s legislature with her eloquent speech on behalf of the suffrage movement. Soon after, she became the field secretary for the National American Woman Suffrage Association, organized the Montana Suffrage campaign. The Suffrage movements all over the U.S. were fiercely opposed by the well-funded and organized anti-suffrage movement which used political and violent tactics in attempts to dissuade women from desiring to vote.
Seeking an opportunity to make political change, Rankin ran as a candidate for U.S. Congress. Despite women still not being able to vote, she won and became the first woman elected to a national legislature in any Western democracy. Jeannette used the fame of her “first woman” position to continue to work for women’s rights, efforts to end child labor, equal pay, child welfare and most of all, peace. Within four days of her election, Congress took a vote to enter World War I. Rankin, along with only 56 other representatives voted against the war, which brought her criticism from many, including popular women suffrage leaders who felt her vote would stall their progress.
“What one decides to do in crisis depends on one’s philosophy of life, and that philosophy cannot be changed by an incident. If one hasn’t any philosophy in crises, others make the decision.” – Jeannette Rankin
As a result of her vote, opposing politicians used gerrymandering techniques to adjust her district so she would lose the next election. She would not be re-elected until 20 years later.
Though disappointed, Jeannette did not lose heart. In the years between being a representative in congress, she became the founding Vice President of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a founding member of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, and a field secretary for the National Consumer’s League. Rankin toured the U.S. giving hundreds of speeches on behalf of bills supporting children’s welfare and women’s rights.
At the verge of another World War, Jeannette Rankin ran again for congress and won. This time she would be the only person voting against the war saying “As a woman, I can’t go to war and I refuse to send anyone else. It is not necessary. I vote NO.” More specifically, Rankin argued that the attack on Pearl Harbor was deliberately provoked by the U.S. Party leaders demanded that she change her vote, but she refused. She had to hide in a phone booth afterward to escape the angry mob. A smear campaign was quickly launched as she was denounced by the press and her colleagues. As a result, Rankin did not even try to run for a third term.
“There can be no compromise with war; it cannot be reformed or controlled; cannot be disciplined into decency or codified into common sense; for war is the slaughter of human beings, temporarily regarded as enemies, on as large a scale as possible.” Jeannette Rankin
Yet this did not stop her from advocating for peace. Jeannette traveled to India multiple times to study Gandhi’s methods of non-violent protest and self-determination- She then returned to the United States, lecturing on militarism, disarmament, and lead protests against the Korean War, and later the Vietnam War. Her statement that “You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake” also became famous. She lived to be 92 years old and died in 1973.
Jeannette Rankin is a great example of bravery and principles. She could have enjoyed the fame and pride of being the first woman legislator, but instead, she chose to use her position of power, and sacrifice her social standing to become a life-long advocate of peace. Because of this, Jeannette Rankin is a Moral Hero!
