April 2, 1917- First elected woman takes seat in U.S. Congress
1917

"I want to stand by my country, but I cannot vote for war. I vote no."
April 6, 1917

These are the words of Jeanette Rankin of Montana, the first woman elected to Congress, voting against the entry of the United States into World War One.  Rankin was one of 50 Members of Congress who voted aginst war.  What is amazing is that she cast this courageous vote on only her fourth day in Congress.  What is even more amazing is that she was the first woman in Congress while most women didn't even have the right to vote until 1920 when the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified


A Republican, she was elected on a platform that called for universal suffrage, citizenship for women independent from their husbands, support for unions, maternal and children's health, opposition to war and support of women's reproductive freedom. In 1918, sheran for U.S. Senate from Montana, but was unable to gain the Republican nomination.  In the 1920's and 30's she served as a citizen lobbyist, fighting for working people, and more specifically for women's and children's health.

She was a founding member of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and the founding Vice President of the American Civil Liberties Union.

She won a Congressional seat again in 1940.  Once agian, in her first year in office she voted against war.  This time she was the only Member of Congress to vote against World War II.  Her anti-war stance was so vilified that she didn't stand for re-election.

She dedicated the rest of her life to prevnting war and working for justice.

Some Rankin quotes:

"You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake"

"Small use it will be to save democracy for the race if we cannot save the race for democracy."

“We're half the people; we should be half the Congress”

"As a woman I can't go to war, and I refuse to send anyone else."

"There can be no compromise with war; it cannot be reformed or controlled; cannot be disciplined into decency or codified into common sense."

www.jrpc.org  Jeanette Rankin Peace Center

Let us continue to be inspired by the insight & courage of (extra)ordinary women such as Jeanette Rankin and one another...marlena santoyo