Jeannette Rankin

Jeannette Rankin: A Determined And Motivational Leader

Jeanette RankinBain News Service, restored by Adam Cuerden / Public domain“‘I may be the first woman member of Congress... but I won’t be the last ’” (qtd. in “Rankin, Jeannette”).  Jeannette Rankin played a fundamental role inspiring many women of future generations; she was known as the first woman to be elected to congress. Born on June 11, 1880 in the farming city of  Missoula, Montana, she was the youngest of seven kids (Morin). As Rankin grew older she decided she wanted to find a job in social work. She attended the New York School of Philanthropy to study from some of the nation’s best social activists. After Rankin got her degree in 1909, she attempted for a position in this field, however, the laws regarding social work were very strict and unfair which resulted in Rankin quitting her job (“Rankin Becomes”). At the 1916 election Rankin’s chances to win were not in her favor because the state had previously elected many Democrats. Although she was a Republican, Rankin managed to obtain one of two seats in the House of Representatives (Morin). Rankin served two terms in office, the first from 1917-1919 and the second from 1941-1943. Throughout the whole time there she remained true to herself as a pacifist and continued to vote against the wars, but this led to the end of her time in Congress (“Jeannette Pickering”). Later in her life Rankin continued her work to inspire women to stand up for themselves as a united front. During early 1968 when she was 86 years old, Rankin and five thousand women went to Capitol Hill to voice their opinion regarding the Vietnam war (“Jeannette Rankin”). Rankin kept fighting throughout her whole life for what she believes in while inspiring many people at the same time. A hero like Rankin is someone who can remain determined and motivate others with their own ideas and values. Determination is not always easy to live by because it means never giving up even if the circumstances look bleak. An average person can have a hard time remaining determined but a true hero always tries to find a way to succeed. Motivation, on the other hand is something a hero does to help people achieve their goals. Instead of the hero only caring about themselves motivating others can spread a more positive and meaningful message out into the world. Jeannette Rankin opened up a pathway for women to gain better rights and power for themselves. She remained determined throughout her whole life for peace and continually motivated others to take a stand against adversity.

Jeannette Rankin was consistently determined to stand by her values and develop laws to provide more support for women. When Rankin first started her campaign she used the fact that the laws regarding social issues needed adjustment to gain votes. “She accused the federal government of caring more about hogs than children and contended that Congress needed a woman to look after the interests of children” (“Rankin Becomes”). Jeannette wanted to help other woman and children because she felt the men in Congress always talked about their own issues but never about the issues of women or children. Rankin went to Congress because she wanted to open up a wider discussion about the needs of all American citizens, not just men. Rankin displayed a great form of heroism from her determination to fight for the needs of others.  Jeannette also made it her mission to get women better laws to protect themselves in America. “Rankin saw herself as the women's representative, and she pressed the social feminist agenda of suffrage, equal pay, child welfare, protection of working women, birth control, infancy and maternity protection, and independent citizenship” (“Jeannette Pickering”). Unlike all the other men in congress she pursued the idea of giving more rights to women. Rankin started a pathway to influence more discussions about how women should be treated just as fairly as men. She is willing to use her power in Congress to make change rather than to gain political statues showing she cares more about equality than herself. Other people in Congress didn’t fight for women’s rights like Jeannette, proving she got political power to make a change. Rankin was always an advocate for reform about people’s rights even when she wasn’t serving in Congress, she persevered her whole life to fix social and political issues neglected by the men in Congress. Rankin led the Peace March in 1932 to fight for peace planks for the political parties and then in 1935 she advocated for the Neutrality Act which is to help America to not be involved in foreign wars (Morin). Between her time as a congresswoman Rankin continued to fight for peace which was something she was extremely passionate about. Rankin voiced her opinion for what she genuinely thought was the right thing to do even if she was just an ordinary person. She showed her willingness to spread peace instead of the anger and hatefulness of war like a true hero. Jeannette Rankin was always determined to modify all the social issues in politics so American citizens could live an easier life.

Rankin used her leadership ability to motivate herself and other women to speak out on social issues which created a revolution for women’s rights and peace in America. Rankin had a special talent to talk and learn about social issues since they can make others uncomfortable. “From New York Jeannette wrote her sister Mary, ‘There is nothing horrid about studying social problems.’ Mary might find them depressing, but Jeannette believed something could be done” (Smith). Rankin had a passion for helping people and seeing them benefit from her guidance. Rankin always saw a different side to things, and she wanted to change the rules of sexist laws against women. For example Rankin, as well as many other women, wanted independent citizenship from their husbands so they are treated as an individual rather than a part of their husband. Rankin was motivated by social issues regarding women to help them gain their own voice and strength. Jeannette was also very adamant about her stance against wars, she didn’t think fighting was necessary. However, when she voted against the war many people hated her for it, “‘I knew that we were asked to vote for a commercial war, that none of the idealistic hopes would be carried out… It was easy to stand against the pressure of the militarists, but very difficult to go against the friends…’” (qtd. in “Jeannette Rankin”). Rankin knew that going against war will impact her life and her relationships with people, but she chose to vote “No” and stayed true to herself. Even though it was hard, Rankin focused on what she thought was better for her country. This motivates her followers to make the right decisions based on what they think is truly right and wrong instead of conforming to society’s standards. Jeannette was a role model for women to be fearless about their ideas. After her political career Rankin continued to fight and inspire women to stand up and speak out, “The following January she led several thousand women, calling themselves the Jeannette Rankin Brigade, from Washington's Union Station to the grounds of the Capitol to ask Congress to end the war” (Morin). Rankin has motivated so many women in her time to stand up for themselves and their opinions which was not that common at that time. She gave women an opportunity to break away from the stereotypes that women are supposed to be quiet and listen to their partners. Rankin used her influence and power to motivate people to take a more peaceful approach to wars and achieve more effective rights for women.

Jeanette RankinC. T. Chapman, Kensington, Md. (Photographer) / Public domain

Jeannette Rankin was a powerful woman who was determined to fight for women's rights and peace in her life while motivating other woman to speak out on political issues. She used her voice to spread peace and equality all over America. Rankin also represented woman in a new light by showing men that women can hold power and come together as a united front. Today, there are a hundred and seven woman in Congress who represent nineteen percent of The House of Representatives and twenty three percent of the Senate (“Members of”). During Rankin’s time she was one of four hundred and thirty five people in the House to be a woman. Rankin has inspired many other woman to hold power in office after her time as a political candidate. Any women who is a citizen in the U.S. can now legally vote and even serve in Congress just like Rankin. As someone who is interested in politics and may pursue a career in the government, Rankin is a big inspiration to me. Because of her, I know that my opinion should be valued and respected even if it’s not the most popular idea. Jeannette showed women that we can achieve anything if we continually work hard towards our goal. Rankin remained determined through her whole life while motivating others to do the same, leaving a big impact on the inclusion of women in politics.

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