Like I stated in the last post, all of those women were extremely important in gaining rights for women in American politics. In this post, I will talk about the women who have been directly involved in American politics. Some of them were firsts, others were just extremely influential.
Victoria Woodhull: She was the first woman to run for President of the United States in 1872 (Gill). She ran on the ticket for the Equal Rights Party, on the platform for an eight hour workday, profit sharing, a graduated income tax and many other welfare programs (Shearer).
Jeanette Rankin: The first woman elected into the House of Representatives, she was a Republican from Montana (Gill). Rankin served two separate terms, from 1917-1919 and again in 1941-1942 (Gill).
Rebecca Latimer Felton: A democrat from Georgia, Felton was appointed, not elected, she was the first woman to serve for Congress, and only for one day in 1922 (Gill).
Francis Perkins: In 1933 she became the first person to serve in a political cabinet (Gill). She was in President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s cabinet as Secretary of Labor (Gill).
Condoleezza Rice: She became, “one of the most influential women in the world of global politics,” when she served under George W. Bush as his national secretary advisor in 2000 (Condoleezza Rice Bio). She played a crucial part in establishing the most aggressive form of foreign policy that the U.S. has adopted in modern history, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq (“Condoleezza Rice Bio.”).
Sandra Day O’Connor: In 1981, O’Connor became the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court (Gills). Even before this, she served on the Texas state senate and then became the first woman in the US to hold the position of majority leader (“Sandra Day O’Connor”).
Ruth Bader Ginsberg: She was the second woman on the Supreme Court, appointed in 1993 (Brody). She argued and was the deciding vote on many cases that dealt with important issues of women’s freedoms.
Hillary Clinton: Although Clinton is remembered for many things, she first appeared in political limelight as the first lady to Bill Clinton. Following the plethora of events, stories and gossip, the couple left the white house with the nation interested in whether their relationship would continue. In 2001, Hillary was elected to the New York senate, the only first lady to also hold public office (Bio.com). She entered into the political race as a democratic candidate for the 2009 election year. Clinton lost the race to Obama and, following his election, he presented her with the position of Secretary of State (Bio.com).
Nancy Pelosi: She was first entered into office as a Congresswoman from California (“Nancy Pelosi”). In 2007 she became the Speaker of the House, making her “the first woman to serve in a top leadership role in a major U.S. political party (“Nancy Pelosi”)”.
Works Cited
Brody, Seymore. “Ruth Bader Ginsburg.” Jewish Heroes and Heroines in America. Jewish Virtual Library, 2006. Web. 03 Apr. 2012. <http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.ortg/jsource/biography/Ginsburg.html>.
“Condoleezza Rice Biography.” Encyclopedia of World Biographies. Advameg Inc., 2012. Web. 06 Apr. 2012. <http://www.notablebiographies.com/news/Ow-Sh/Rice-Condoleezza.html>.
Gill, Kathy. “Milestones In Politics For American Women.” US Politics. About.com, 26 Jan. 2012. Web. 02 Apr. 2012. <http://uspolitics.about.com/od/usgovernment/a/women_milestone.htm>.
“Hillary Clinton Biography.” Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, 2012. Web. 06 Apr. 2012. <http://www.biography.com/people/hillary-clinton-9251306>.
“Nancy Pelosi.” Answers.com. Answers Corporation, 2012. Web. 06 Apr. 2012. <http://www.answers.com/topic/nancy-pelosi>.
“Sandra Day O’Connor.” Answers.com. Answers Corporation, 2012. Web. 02 Apr. 2012. <http://www.answers.com/topic/sandra-day-o-connor>.
Shearer, Mary L. “Who Is Victoria Woodhull?” Elect to End Party Politics. 27 Oct. 1999. Web. 02 Apr. 2012. <http://www.victoria-woodhull.com/whoisvw.htm>.
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