Tag Archives: holiday

We Hold These Truths… Independence Day Thoughts #4thofJuly

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Fourth of July graphic

Happy Fourth of July!

The Declaration of Independence states “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” But nowhere does it mention women.

When I was growing up, I was told that the word “men” was intended to refer to all mankind, including women, a comforting notion. Howevere, I no longer believe that, in large part because I now know that Abigail Adams* wrote to her husband John in March of 1776 with the words “remember the ladies”. Since I’m quite certain he did not have dementia at the time, it’s obvious that the ladies were deliberately excluded.

suffragette with sign

Yeah, they were pissed off. (Suffragette With A Sign
@ Therealdarla)

Nor are women mentioned in the US Constitution, and the right to vote is not delineated. In the early history of our nation, laws about who could vote were decided by each individual state. None allowed women to vote. Wyoming Territory gave women the right to vote in 1869, followed by Utah Territory (1870) and Washington Territory (1882). When the territories became states, they preserved women’s suffrage. It may seem odd that these Western states were the first, but given the fact that women were scarce in the Old West, I suspect suffrage was a way of attracting more women to settle in the Far West. Or perhaps the Western territories were more egalitarian, since there was no existing old-style patriarchy to run things, like there was back east. Hard to say for sure. You can find out what year your state first allowed women to vote at the National Constitution Center’s website.

My point is, women’s rights are not something we can take for granted. The right to vote was hard won by several generations of women, starting in 1848 and finally culminating in victory in 1920 by passage of the 19th Amendment, 130 years after the Constitution was ratified.

As our current president would say, “Sad.”

I hope to live long enough to see full gender equality.

Equality between man and woman

Equality between man and woman
@ BrianAJackson

In the meantime, have a happy and safe Fourth of July!

Linda

* For more on Abigail Adams, check out Alina K. Field’s Fourth of July post.

Thinking of Our Veterans This #MemorialDay

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Memorial Day graphic

I’m thinking about the men in my family who served our nation on this Memorial Day.

Two of my ancestors fought for the Union during the Civil War: one from Pennsylvania (my dad’s side of the family) and the other for West Virginia (my mom’s side of the family.) Both were wounded, one at Gettysburg, the other at the Battle of the Wilderness.

cannons

Memorial Day dates back to 1865, shortly after the end of the Civil War, when people in both North and South put decorations on the graves of those who fell in what is still the bloodiest war in American history. The holiday was called Decoration Day before the name was changed to Memorial Day.

My dad volunteered for service in World War II in August of 1942. He first tried to join the Navy as a Seabee, but was turned down for being underweight. He never was a large man, maybe 5’7″ tall. So he went across the hall to the Army Air Corps and enlisted. (He always said that in those days, the Army would take you if you could see light and hear thunder. He was quite the joker.) He worked on the ground crew of the bombers keeping the sights adjusted so the bombs would hit their target. He served first in North Africa and then in Italy.

My brother joined the Air Force right out of high school and served in the Pacific area as the Korean War was ending. I still have the doll he sent me from the Philippines.

In 2015 and again in 2016, I visited the Normandy landing beaches and the American cemetery in Colville. Learning about the D-Day landings and then seeing the rows of crosses really hits home the tremendous sacrifices made by our Allied soldiers that day. The experience is moving and humbling.

American cemetery

Grave markers at American cemetery, Colville, France

Wishing you all a joyful and meaningful Memorial Day.

Linda