Jeannette Rankin Biography Essay - 1619 Words

The United States Congress and its Government were designed to keep America and it’s citizens alive and satisfied. Created by men, and only men, it upheld what our founding fathers wished for our country. Congress, until around 1914, consisted of men and their opinions for the country. One would know that men have been there since day one and are still there today. But one would not commonly know is how and when a woman decided to make a change in the times and stand up for her beliefs. She was the very first woman in Congress, and stood against foreign war involvement. She held her head high against popular opinion and openly expressed the importance of women s suffrage to the minds of those around her. This remarkable and outstanding†¦show more content†¦She was perplexed by the settlement houses and worked in one in San Francisco. During her time helping people in the settlement houses, Rankin realized she wanted to be a social worker, and ended up studying at the New York School of Philanthropy for a while as well as the Columbia University of Social Work. After unhappily working in an orphanage in Spokane, Washington she headed to Seattle and attended the University of Washington. There she began her career in woman suffrage, and what would be her life’s legacy. Rankin went home for Christmas in 1910 and found out that someone in the legislature wanted to pass a bill with in the next month to give the state’s women the right to vote. For the first time, Jeannette faced a room full of men to address the legislature about giving women the right to vote. Even though the measure failed to pass, Rankin’s name was now widely known in multiple states. From there on, Jeannette Rankin traveled to New York and met a significant amount of women activists and reformers. She met Katherine Anthony, not being married, and began an intimate relationship with the brilliant biographer. On March 3, 1913 Rankin marched in the Great Suffrage Parade in Washington, D.C.1914. Rankin then traveled back to Montana where the women’s suffrage amendment passed in 1913 and was to be voted on by the voters of the state. Rankin and a group of suffragists traveled around the state to speak to voters and the amendment had passed