Women you learned about in History

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I caught the tail end of the PBS series about Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony
( I don’t recall the title) but how they were the foremothers of women’s right regarding the right to vote, for women to have custody of their children in divorce cases and inherit property, amongst many other incredible things that I NEVER KNEW ABOUT.

So, hubby and I were discussing what women we learned about in history classes and it became kind of a pathetic chuckle-fest of just how ignorant we are ( and probably lots others) of just what women went through through history.

Dolly Madison - Invented donuts.
Susan B. Anthony - designed the dollar coin that was mistaken for a quarter.
Florence Nightengale - Carried a lamp.
Betsy Ross - Sewed the flag
Helen Keller - Blind lady.
Anne Frank - and her diary
Queen Victoria - prudish views on sex.
Mata Hari - a spy that was shot.

I pride myself on knowing lots of things but my ignorance in Women’s Issues without coming off as a bra-burning feminist is truly appalling. I did find two wonderfuly informative, eye opening and easy to read books that I highly recommend for any person.

Feminine Ingenuity: How women inventor’s changed America. By Anne L. McDonald
(Isbn 0345383141, Ballantine)

Susan B. Anthony Slept Here: A guide to Women’s Landmarks. By Lynn Sherr and Jurate Kazickas. (Isbn: 0812922239, Times books)

Someone please tell me that they had a more indepth lesson of Women in History.

2

Who Cares about all them? Milla Jovovich is playing Joan of Arc! Happy day! Oh, happy, happy day!

3

Put your face to the screen and let me slap you silly.

4

Awwwe, I’m joking. I’m just rather fond of Ms. Jovovich. I now return you to your regularly scheduled thread…

5

There’s a wonderful five volume set titled * A History of Women * I highly recommend and you should read * Lies My Teacher Told me </* just for the section on Hellen Keller.

This is a very rich and interesting subject. It’s also a popular one. Amazon.com has a pretty good women’s history section. I’ve gotten a lot of my books from them.

6

Dolly Madison is my heroine!!!

“Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.”

7

However, take what this book says with a grain of salt. It’s becoming famous as a source of misinformation.

8

Check out Vicki Leon’s “Uppity Women of (period of history)” books…

People either love them or hate them.

9

It makes sense that they cast Jovovich as Joan of Arc, because there aren’t any compelling French brunettes in movies these days.

(That’s sarcasm. Boris is a big fan of Sophie Marceau, not to mention that one who was in The English Patient, but not much of a fan of Luc Besson, so it doesn’t really matter.)

I remember learning about Abigail Adams’ famous letter to her husband when he was at the Constitutional Convention (paraphrased): “Don’t forget us ladies.” His reply was, roughly, “That’s a good one, sweetie!” sigh

I remember learning a ton about Rosa Parks. It got to be too much, and I quit listening (I was like that as a teenager - if they repeated it often enough, I’d quit believing it). Recently I’ve looked more into Parks’ achievements, and found she deserves every bit of the attention she gets, since she didn’t just refuse to leave her seat this one time, she did a heck of a lot, and put herself in a lot of danger, to get the freedom she wanted.

I remember learning a little about Queen Elizabeth I in school, but most of what I learned about her was outside of school (like the whole kicking the Spanish Armada’s butt thang).

I remember learning about Jeannette Rankin, being the first woman in Congress and the only person to vote against declarations of war in both of the World Wars.

That’s all I can remember right now. Oh yeah, a really hot girl did her term project on Margaret Sanger. We had a very small history class, and she was the only girl. She was really embarrassed to talk about Sanger to all us boys. “Well, uh, Sangers’ goal was to teach women … about their … bodies.” It was very cute.

Nothing I write about any person or group should be applied to a larger group.

  • Boris Badenov
10

A few relatively unknown topics in women’s history:

Emmeline Pankhurst and the founding of the Womens Social and Political Union in 1903. The members of the WSPU organized demonstrations, public vandalism, and hunger strikes to agitate for women’s sufferage. They were treated about as well as black civil rights workers were treated in the 1950’s. Many were regularly beaten, arrested, and imprisoned. Those that organized hunger strikes were given forced feedings in prison.

The Bradwell vs. Illinois decision handed down by the Supreme Court in 1873 ruled that the 14th Amendment did not extend equal rights to women. Myra Bradwell was an emminently qualified legal expert who was not allowed to practice law because of her gender. Justice Bradley (who admitted he himself studied her legal writings) handed down one of the most patronizing legal decisions ever written.

Angelina and Sarah Grimke were two sisters who joined the abolitionist movement in the 1820’s. They were also two of the first women in the US to publically call for women’s sufferage.

Rosa Luxembourg was a left wing political activist in Poland and Germany a hundred years ago. In the chaos of post-WWI Germany, she attempted to organize a communist revolution but was killed by right-wing soldiers.

Most people only know the beginning of Helen Keller’s story. What I assuming Lissa is refering to is her later political career. Keller, as an adult, was an active member of the socialist party and an advocate of radical reform.

11

I’ve always admired Sojourner Truth. An advocate for womens rights and an abolutionist…now that’s a woman!

12

Marie Curie. I admired her because she was Polish, and an incredible scientist. She overcame incredible odds (only woman in her class, no money, husband killed in a traffic accident, and cancer) to become one of the greatest scientist of the last 200 years.

13

History included women!? Sheesh, not in my high school curriculum, it didn’t.

Oh, well there was the history class, taught by Coach Blank, who mostly ran movies for an entire year. But in the ancient history section he did lecture on Cleopatra,“si-REEN of the Nile”. (His pronunciation.) I think he’d seen the movie w/ Liz Taylor.

From there he segued directly to the American Revolution. (Nope, no Middle Ages, no Renaissance.) Dolley Madison and Betsy Ross rated a mention. The first saved George Washington’s portrait when those finky Brits burned the capitol, and the other sewed the flag.

Sigh.
Veb

14

From Shirley’s list:

What I find sad is that, while the list is obviously intended for its humor, far too many people would have those reactions to those names. And 1/4 of those women shouldn’t even be on such a list: Betsy Ross was a real person who had no serious role in history, only showing up because her grandchildren aggressively pushed an old family legend into the public consciousness; Mata Hari never successfully spied on anyone, was apparently caught trying to be a double agent for the French, and went to her senseless execution with great dignity–nice lady, but only an example of wartime stupidity.

As noted above, Helen Keller had a long and active political life that has been drowned in maudlin stories about her childhood.

Again, as noted above, Dolly Madison waged a long and unsuccessful campaign to bring women into the political mainstream. Had the American colonies had a culture that supported something akin to the French salons, she might have been more successful.

Flo Nightengale had to contend with years of male medical hostility on the one hand and equally depressing societal scorn on the other. Up until the Crimean War, the only women who helped out with medical services near the battlefields were camp followers. Since her family was upper crust, many people dismissed her as having run away to become a “soiled lady.” (I don’t believe that Clara Barton, a few years later in the U.S. had quite as difficult a time.)

I also recommend the Uppity Women of the. . . . series. (I got my wife “Middle Ages,” “Renaissance,” and “Antiquity”; I don’t know whether they have one out on the Enlightenment or not.) They are fun, but they still don’t do justice to the topic.

Tom~

15

After I posted the original thread with the crack of Dolly Madison invented donuts, I wondered if anyone would see the humor in that or :::shudder:::would they actually believe me. It’s good to see the wheel is spinning…

I have the above books written down and on my wish/to look for books for my next feild trip at the book store.

16

While we are on a slightly feminism bent:

Another good book that I will pick up and it’s been highly recommended is “See Jane Win”.( I don’t have an author, sorry.) I have had it recommended to me over and over by countless people.

It isn’t about famous women in/throughout history, but successful women (corporate leaders) of our times being interviewed ( I think) and what they considered the things that made them successful.

17

I’m surprised no one mentions Hypatia.
She was brutally murdered in 415 A.D by a mob who resented her intellect and beauty. She was the first female polymath. She was a philosopher, scientist and mathematician of the first order. She was also the caretaker of the famed Library of Alexandria.

Any discussion about women in history has to put her at the top of the list.

18

I remember grade school history lesson about Molly Pitcher (aka Mary Ludwig Hays McCauly), who carried water to soldiers during the Battle of Monmouth during the Revolutionary War, and ended up taking her husband’s place loading a cannon.

We also learned about Barbara Fritchie (“Shoot if you must this old gray head, but spare your country’s flag.”), as she defied the Confederate troops of Stonewall Jackson during the Civil War. (Later historians have attributed the statement to Mary Quantrill)

TT

“Believe those who seek the truth.
Doubt those who find it.” --Andre Gide

19

They didn’t really teach us about the women’s emancipation movement, or the legal/social status of women up until the beginning of this century. A brief mention of “suffragettes” with a quick pan to Molly Hatchet as if being dour dowdy and humorlessly anti-pleasure were the reasons for wanting the vote. Meanwhile, the feminist movement of the 70s was going on right then and they didn’t discuss that in class either.

Designated Optional Signature at Bottom of Post

20

The closest I got to a female heavy course in history was a “mini-course” in high school caller “Herstory” even then it was all Betty Friedan, Gloria Stienham, and other 20th century types.

I’d rather have heard about Hatshepsut who ruled Egypt as Pharoh in her own right, or the Vestal Virgins of Rome who were the record keepers for the Imperial Family and even the Emperor came when the head of the order called.

Eleanor of Aquitaine wife of two kings mother of two kings who co-lead her own crusade. Or Matilda who’s throne was usurped by her cousin Stephen, but she managed to strike a deal to assure her children inherited. Anne Bolyne who was the cause of an entire nation breaking with the Roman church, or her daughter, Elizabeth, who brought her nation into world dominence.

How about Anne Bonney and Mary Read the female pirates, terrified their shipmates with their ferocity. Or Grace O’Malley the pirate queen.

Mary Baker Eddy who founded an entire Protestant denomination church, or Deborah Samson who served as a private soldier during the American Revolution.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan Anthony, Carrie Nation, Amelia Pankhurst, Golda Meir…and so on. These storis are gold, it just seems that we have to go mining for it.

~tomorrow is promised to no one~