they played baseball in yankee stadium. they had spring training in 1947 in havana, cuba. there were four cubans who played. over 30 canadians played. they had spring training in mississippi and florida. they had an opportunity, some of those girls, to travel places around this country they had never seen before and would never have had an opportunity to travel. what that opportunity gave them was an opportunity to go to college. they saved some of that money, sent themselves to college, siblings.

they became doctors and lawyers. one became the first female manager of any department at northrop airlines. they became principals, surgeons, politicians, pilots, and they were able to do that because they had access to professional baseball. so when i asked them what did it mean to you to play in the league and they say everything, it's exactly right. what did it mean for this country and the efforts of these women to help during wartime? it meant everything. i've asked a number of these

women, so, what was it like to have to play baseball in a dress? of course their answers varied. some i can repeat. some i can't. basically the message is we would have played naked, whatever it took. we got to play baseball and we truly believe we helped keep baseball alive during the war. as i said, the league ended in 1954. it lasted 11 years. the league expanded over that 11 years from four teams to 12 teams.

it's possible that the expansion maybe happened too quickly. i think the fact there was expansion in the league, the fact that the war was over, women were being told to maybe go back to some of those more traditional roles. all of those things including the arrival of television in major league baseball on television helped to bring about an end to the all-american girls professional baseball league. if we look at the impact of african-americans, women, japanese-americans, any other group you could possibly think of, if we start to pick that apart, to look at their actual role in winning the war and surviving the war in some cases, we start to see a more full

picture of what life was like for people involved in the war and those involved even on the periphery. when we started this conversation today, this discussion today, we talked about the fact that total war, that war was this completely all-consuming thing, that it was not just about two armies shooting at one another. we started to think about that and what that meant and how can we further understand world war ii if we bring all these pieces and parts together. well, we can try and that's my -- that's what i'm trying to do here is to get us to understand, again, my mantra, it's all about perspective. because there's not one of those pieces that's less important or

more important. we have to understand them all to have a full view of world war ii. for me, because, of course, i am a woman's sport historian, for me the role of women in professional baseball during world war ii is an extremely important piece of this story. it's one most of us don't know about. also because those women, those 600 women, believe they made a difference in the war effort and they did. the number of women that i've talked to who worked in factories, those rosies, they believe they made a difference in the war effort, and they did. every single person who went to

work in a factory, who grew a victory garden, every single person who participated in blackouts, gas rationing, food rationing. every single one of those people participated in and helped to win world war ii. go ahead, kaitlyn. this is another picture, though, i wanted you to see. standing on the lawn outside the hall of fame in cooperstown, new york, is a statue and it is a

statue that is patterned after this swing. by the way, that just happened in 2006. this is an example what happened before every single baseball game. women lined up in the "v" for victory sign. and finally "a league of their own." 1992. the movie that finally brought these women's story to the forefront. for every single one of these individuals, for every single one of these groups we've talked about they play a role in world war ii.

they played a role in surviving world war ii. and for us to fully understand it, they have to understand all of those perspectives. questions, comments? yes? >> you mentioned there were four cubans and canadians in the league? there were african-americans, too, right? >> no, there were not. there were no african-american women in the league. it is a bit of a contentious subject. probably one of the best scenes in the movie" a league of their own" is geena davis there in the catcher's gear missed a ball and the ball went past her and two or three african-american women were standing off to the side and she ran and told the woman

to throw it to her, instead she threw it past her and into the hands of someone who was standing behind her and realized what an incredible arm that woman had. if you ask any of the players they will tell you there were no rules about segregation necessarily. black women just didn't try out. segregation from cradle to the grave. no, no black women played in the league. however, there were a number of black women who did play successfully in the negro leagues with the men. tony stone was one. the all-americans did not have

any african-american players. >> did other countries have -- did france or britain -- how did they treat their women compared? >> great britain did have -- and i don't remember the name of their women's pilot corps but they did have one and they had one before the u.s. did. as far as how they treated them after the war was over, i don't have that information. but they did make use of them and, in fact, jackie cochrane spent time there flying with those women and it was, as a result of they are time there and that experience, she was able to come back here and encourage strongly encourage the united states to do the same. >> it was supplies, that kind of thing, not combat related. although, of course, it's all combat related. other questions, comments?

does anyone know what a victory garden was? go ahead. >> you don't have to buy as much. you were doing your part by providing your own. they started in great itain, didn't it? >> yeah. victory gardens were -- exactly. >> rations. >> yeah. it was a time where you can only buy certain foods and we were rationing things. victory gardens were exactly that. women were told, grow a garden. go out into your backyard, grow a garden, help to feed not only your family but maybe another family. there were lots of ways that

women participated in the war effort and certainly that was one. and if you were at home, you had kids, maybe you didn't have an opportunity to go off and work in a factory or play professional baseball but there were things you could do and that was certainly one. >> were children also sent to the factories to work? >> no. by the time -- by the time we get to world war ii we had child labor laws in place. no, children were not -- no, that didn't mean they didn't help in other ways because, of course, they did but, no, they were not expected to work in factories. in fact, that would have been illegal. >> we didn't have nurses in the army -- >> yes. >> they were in combat zones. >> yes. in theory they were not in

combat, right? but, of course, we had nurses who were killed during the war. we had nurses who were taken prisoner of war. so, yes, that happened everywhere but they were not officially in combat. we still have that argument, right? that's obviously changed a lot because women can, in theory anyway, do any of the jobs in the military that men can do, at least i believe that's the case. [ inaudible ] no. other questions, comments? >> the anti-japanese propaganda, the most decorated combat unit we had served in italy.

one of the hardest places that we had fights, the japanese-americans. >> yes. yeah, there were any number of stories like that. a number of the male japanese-americans who were rounded up and sent to camps and places like montana and wyoming had served in the united states military during world war i. these were american citizens in many cases. so, yeah, it was a very dark, i think, difficult time in our history. we understand if you think back about it and certainly we can bring this to the present and think about what we felt like after 9/11.

we are fearful certainly when we've been attacked. when we're threatened by a group of people. we rounded up japanese-americans and put them in what amounted to concentration camps in the middle of the country. sadly there are folks who want to do similar things today. other questions, comments? for your midterm that is tuesday -- yes? you could write me a nice essay about total war. where you talk about the importance of perspective and understanding all of those important pieces and parts. yes? okay.

i'll be counting on that. yes? >> would you agree that total war means that war was more than just fighting, it means, like, everybody was affected by the war and did their part to help in their own way? >> yes. i think you hit the nail right on the head and you said it much more succinctly than i did. it is exactly that. it is about those battles, of course about the, unfortunately, the killing and the protection of your country or your geographic location and the change that happens with individuals.

and if we expand our view beyond just that piece of it, then i think we can really get a sense of that. in the same way now most of you were pretty young, but in the same way that, again, i keep using 9/11 because it's the most current similar experience. those of us who were a little bit older on 9/11, yeah, you know, i didn't go to war. i didn't go to battle. but here's what happened to me. i walked into my classroom on that day and a classroom much like this one and we were all devastated, and we talked about that. we talked about what that meant. and then as the weeks went on, there were fewer and fewer young men in my classroom. and then after about, oh, i don't know, a month, six weeks,

i looked out into my classroom and i had two or three young men and that's it. i go back to my office and i have an e-mail from someone here at the university saying, by the way, a lot of reservists have been called up. so i stood in my classroom and i watched -- i watched these young men leave my classroom. they went to war. they literally went to war. i don't know what happened to them. i have no idea. did i fight in the war? no. will that memory live with me the rest of my life? yes. other questions, comments? okay.

all right. then i will see you on thursday. cspan's convention coverages today at 7:20. speakers include -- and finally, donald trump himself. making america one again is the theme of the con veng tonight. our preconvention show starts at 5:30 eastern. again, live coverage of the convention begins tonight at 7:20 eastern. next, santa clara university history professor nancy unger, discusses an activist who was active in the early 20th centuries. she is the author -- which tell

the story of this journalist, suffragist and pacifist who campaigned alongside her husband and son in their own bids for office. the humanist association of the greater sacramento area hosted this event and it's about an hour. >> today's truly delightful speaker asked me if i could give her only a brief introduction. let's see if i can. subject is and i would like to pronounce it, bell la fol et, who lived a full life from 1859 to 1931. in doipg the research for her new book, nancy discovered that the work of previous historians including herself, had drastically underestimated this great humanist. she discovered the surprising truths about the radical reformer who was denounced by

some as disgraceful to the white race. what? disgraceful? she fought for women, peace, civil rights. and for so much more. "the new york times" hailed her as perhaps the least known, most influential of all american woman who had to do with public affair this is this country. today, professor unger will help us to know belle for who she was and is. a marvelous model of progressive reform. nancy? >> hello. thank you for that lovely introduction. i have given eight talks to the humanist community of silicon valley and they are one of my favorite aud u yenss because

they stay awake and they ask great questions. so, i really when looking forward to this talk. and i want to thank you for inviting me to the humanist association of greater sacramento area. i want to thank bill potts for his heroic efforts to publicize this talk and make me feel welcome. i have written this brand-new biography and i am tieing to talk with you about it. about her as a representative of the many women who contributed significantly to american politics, even long before women had the vote. hillary clinton may well be the first female president and if she is, she'll deserve the credit for it. but as a clinton herself acknowledges, it took a lot of work by previous women and some men to compellingly make the

case that women are capable of political leadership. even at the highest levels. she was one of those women and as we look forward or maybe not looking forward quite so much to the 2016 elections, we have a lot to learn from this great american and not only about politics. lesson one. don't make the mystic of underestimates a woman just because she was first known as a political wife. although "the new york times" eulogized belle in 1931 as perhaps quote the most influential of all american women who have had to do with public affairs in this country, she faded quickly from popular memory. and when she is recalled, it's usually in relation to her husband and sons and i am afraid that i contributed to this

approach in my biography of her husband, finding bob la fol et and in my own defense, he started ilt this min mization of his wife's accomplishments began with this progressive reform giant famously calling her my wisest and best counselor. bob openly deferred to belle's judgment throughout his storied professional life as district attorney three term congressman, lawyer, three-term governor of wisconsin and most significantly, during his 19 years in the u.s. senate. according to their son-in-law, george middleton, except john adams with his abigail, no man in public life was to have so equal a mate. books, articles, essays, a short film and plays including a full

length musical, all hail belle as the little woman behind the great man and only a few go so far as to recognize her as an important reformer in her own right and no account until now reveals the depth and range of her interest, ambitiouses and activism and the contributions she made to meaningful progressive reform. so, lesson two. don't believe everything that you read or hear. upon her death in 1931, newspapers across the nation hailed belle for her self-lessness, wlingness to remain out of the public eye. her contentment in a career for herself in favor of carrying out a higher calling that of wife and mother. she had a masculine mind. one back handed accolade

conceded, but thep quickly praised her for being essentially feminine, maternal. like that old compliment, you don't sweat much for a fat girl. another hers is an interesting career. for those women who of necessity must remain in the background. famed journalist lincoln stefans, a family friend who should have known better painted la follette as a self-sacrificing woman who consciously surrendered her own ambitions, quote, she could act he said, but she was content to beget action and actors. she played herself, the woman's part. she sat in the gallery in the congress or at home with the children and the advisors. she could, but she did not often make the speeches or do the deeds. although this helpmate behind the scenes assessment came to dominate the historical record, in reality, belle la follette

exhibited considerable political leadership. although she and her husband worked together to promote the many progressive goals they shared, she was far from being merely his assistant. she held no elected office and could not even cast a ballot until she was 61 years old. yet she overcame her natural shyness to wield tremendous influence as a journalist and public speaker. activities she took on not only out of idealism, but because her family needed the money. all those who joined lincoln stefans as identifying her as the victorious mother did her a grave disservice. she did make the speeches and do the deeds and the nation improved because she did. so lesson three. don't buy into tired ideas about gender or anything else.

born belle case in 1859 she grew up in the farming community of wisconsin where her commitment to feminist principles was cemented at a young age. in her experience, men and women were both so indispensable to the success of farm life that few couples quibbled over whose work was more important. as she put it, quote, while traditions and laws fixing the legal disabilities and the interior status of women prevailed women's great practical usefulness and highly developed judgment placed them for all practical purposes on an equal footing with men. such a perspective was consistent with her family's religious views. when her mother, mary case, heard anna howard shaw lecture at the family's free congregationalist church promoting women's right to vote

she was captivated by the words of this pioneering minister and physician. mary case later told her daughter that she felt, quite indignant that women did not have the same rights as men. bel belle's brother agreed. stating matter of factually i do not see any reason why i should vote if belle cannot. lesson four. be fearless and challenge authority. belle case refused to accept the differential meek role assigned to girls. a friend recalled that young belle case quote frequently discomfitted her teachers and fellow pupils by questioning and challenging things that were taught and accepted. and was fearless in insisting on things being understood and being worth while before accepting them. her years as a student at the

university of wisconsin fueled her fearlessness. one professor recalled miss case with her eagerness for knowledge and readiness to pay the price in hard work profited to the full by the university's opportunities. lesson five. remain your own person. belle case's classmate bob la follette pursued her avidly. it was at her insistence that their engagement remain a secret. and bob grew increasingly frustrated when belle seemed far more interested in pursuing her career than planning a life with him. only after belle completed two years of teaching did she marry bob on new year's eve in 1881 in a ceremony conducted by a unitarian minister who honored the bride's request that the word obey be omitted from the marriage vows.

lesson six. stop wasting your time. eight months and ten days after their wedding, belle gave birth to the first of their four children. although belle la follette said the supreme experience in life is motherhood, she also said there is no inherent conflict in a mother's taking good care of her children, developing her own talents, and continuing to work. even when her children were small, la follette refused to waste her time on the activities most people assumed should take up the day of a middle class wife and mother. la follette believed in quote, simplicity and ease in dress, furnishings even food, asking what custom could be more barbarous than a ten course dinner? she advocated, quote, less kinds of food, fewer courses, less

work. lessen seven. stop apologizing for not wasting your time. belle la follette rejected the expectation that women would cling to out moded conventions at the same time that men flocked to new conveniences that made their lives easier and more efficient. as the telephone came into popular use for example, she found it absurd that women were criticized as both lazy and extravagant for phoning in their grocery orders, while men were praised for their efficiency in transacting business over the phone. why is it she asked sardonically that those who are most deeply convinced that women's place is in the home are most concerned when women stay at home and telephone for supplies instead of going to the market. following the advent of the type writer she complained women

apologize for a type written personal letter as though it were an offense even though the deciphering of their hand writing is a most nerve racking process. she believed women should embrace any innovations that may spare them from unnecessary labor. to those who bemoan the loss of women's personal touch she responded in favor of preserving women's time health and emergenenergy. many associates with the hand made and home made has been sacrificed for the greater gain. lesson eight. be comfortable, guard your health. belle la follette further defied convention by abandoning stay and corsets for more comfortable looser fitting garments and urged other women to do the same. she noted with some disgust the man who said women ought not to vote as long as they cannot

fasten their own gowns made the best anti-suffrage argument i've ever heard. it's certainly humiliating we submit to the tyrannies of dress as we do. la follette reserved special scorn for the time women were encouraged to waste bemoaning their inability to live up to unrealistic bodily ideals. although she struggled to keep her own weight in check, she strove not to obsess about it but to focus instead on remaining fit. now in case you've let your subscription to the wisconsin magazine of history lapse, this is the cover of the current issue. and that's la follette briskly walking in the 1920's with bud, the family bulldog. i found this image the original image for this on ebay for $5. in 1912, la follette still ran three miles before breakfast every day. and in 1914, at the age of 55,

"the washington post" celebrated her scaling of a 12,000 foot volcano in costa rica. lesson nine involve yourself in the larger world. la follette's always passioned believe pin quote, the growing sdri desire of women of leerisure to employ themselves and share in the work of the world was emphasized in 1912 in the book women and labor. la follette viewed it like an epic poem, majestic, powerful and thrilling. it described women who led empty lives and who were wholly dependent upon their husband's incomes as parasitic. a term la follette would use repeatedly in her demands that women be allowed equal

opportunities and useful occupations. early in their marriage, belle so enjoyed helping bob with his legal studies that she took up the law course as well. becoming in 1885 the first woman to graduate from the university of wisconsin law school. see if you can pick her out. one of my friends notes she seemed to be the only one who actually earned a diploma. a passion that was not shared by the young couple was life in the nation's capital. once bob was elected to congress in 1888. to the query what do washington women talk about? belle la follette complained all too much about the weather. and exceeding graciousness and desire to please pervades every function like having all the meals, only dessert. she reminded her sisters in washington's official life, we are not supposed to belong to

the butterfly and parasitic class. le lesson ten recognize the personal is political. belle la follette urged all women to start recognizing problems they thought of as personal were in fact political and, therefore, required women's political activism. quote, how much we pay for food, coal, and clothing is very largely determined by control of a natural resources. the tariff, the distribution of tax and by the regulation of the great private monopolies and freight rates. these are women's problems. la follette strenuously opposed her husband's plan to begin a magazine in 1909. was the die was cast she devoted herself to making la follette's magazine a meaningful voice of progressivism. that magazine is published today

as the progressive. in an article entitled foollishness she railed against the narrow range of superficial topics others deemed suitable for women readers. she concluded let's fool these men publishers and put our time on the world's events. in countless columns in the magazine's home and education pages belle la follette introduced defined and expanded and celebrated promoted progressive reforms. women readers responded with gratitude and other journalists celebrated her innovative approach. celine harmine of the cincinnati inquirer noted one of the cleverest and most readable women's pages in the country is edited by belle case la follette. she's the first editor of a women's department to go on strike against the conventional formulas for hair dye and accepted recipes for beauty.

la follette is always independent and fearless in her expression of opinion. in 1911 the north american press syndicate engaged la follette to provide articles six days a week. her series, thought for the day which covered topics including suffrage, economics, dress, children, women's work, health appeared in 57 newspapers in more than 20 states. lesson 11. fight for what's right. even if it violates time worn traditions. in addition to the standard slate of progressive goals, including labor protection, natural resource conservation and tariff and tax reform, belle la follette advocated a wide range of less conventional innovations. she supported the right of a woman not to take her husband's name upon marriage. she promoted the school of

education, opposed corporal punishment for children and supported sex education for children. she saved special ire for capital punishment which she termed a survival of barbarism whose existence is contrary to the best thought and practice of modern civilization. she also according to her youngest child, ultimately became an agnostic. although both the la follettes peppered their speeches and writings with religious imagery they did not attend church which was unusual for a u.s. senator and his family. to protect her husband's reputation, however, in this one area, belle bent rather than freely acknowledged the truth. bob delighted in telling family friends that as belle guided a wealthy couple from bob's district through washington, d.c., they asked point blank which church the la follettes

attended. belle quote, told them we attended the congregational church oftener than any other in washington. this was technically not a lie belle rationalized because a minister we had known well in madison had preached in the congregational church one sunday and we had gone to hear him. belle la follette advocated cleaner railroad cars and depots and scheduled designed to shorten layovers. she also proposed postponing presidential inaugural ceremonies until april. writing in 1912, must we go on forever suffering the inconveniences of dates so badly adjusted to our present day life just because they were written into the constitution over 100 years ago? in this way, she saw women's lack of political experience as working to their favor as they were less conditioned to accept

out moded traditions. lesson 12. meaningful change almost always requires persistence. in 1930 the national league of women voters honored 71 women, including la follette, for their service to the league and to the american women suffrage association. when her name was inscribed on a bronze tablet housed in the national headquarters in washington, d.c., la follette protested that she did not deserve such an honor. yet her contemporary, alice paul called la follette the most consistent supporter of equal rights of all of the women of her time. and in a 1912 story on suffrage, one "new york times" headline declaredici declared simply mrs. la follette is leader. looking back that year, la follette admitted i spoke seven

days a week in succession, usually three or four times a day, sometimes six or eight. during one 12 day tour, she gave 31 speeches in 14 different counties. lesson 13. be able to compellingly articulate your political goals. la follette marched in the great suffrage parade in new york city on may 4th, 1912. and less than a year later, she testified before the u.s. senate committee on women's suffrage that granting women the vote was, quote, a simple matter of common sense. you know how lincoln defined government at gettysburg. ours is a government of the people, by the people and for the people. and are not women people? according to the national magazine, mrs. robert la follette gave a remarkable and forcible address and the audience hung upon her words.

congress did not grant women the vote. early in the first term of the wilson administration, belle la follette was a member of a contingent of suffrage advocates that met with the president. although wilson listened respectfully, they were hurried out of the white house after ten minutes. having failed to persuade the u.s. senate or the president, la follette took her case back to the american people. she spoke for 63 consecutive days in july and august of 1914 in a tour that included pennsylvania, ohio, indiana, and michigan. the senate finally approved the suffrage amendment on june 4th, 1919, with la follette observing from the visitor's gallery. we shed a few tears she recorded, noting with pride that wisconsin was the first state to ratify the 19th amendment. bob la follette confided to their children that wisconsin

beat them to it on the suffrage amendment because of your smart mother. belle la follette worried that illinois would try to steal the first honors, wired representatives in her home state to be sure that wisconsin acted virs. and as soon as a telegraph of confirmation was received i went on the floor and read it into the congressional record. mama and all of us feel good, you bet. lesson 15. black lives matter. belle la follette was widely acknowledged within the african-american community nationwide, but especially in washington, d.c. as a dedicated and fearless leader in the fight for racial equality. beginning in 1913 she wrote a series of searing articles decrying the efforts of the wilson administration to racially seg reigate federal services. she urged to action her washington female readers in particular. revisiting her oft repeat

assertion that privileged wives were quote not supposed to belong to the butterfly and parasitic class but should represent the earnest intelligent womanhood for the nation and fight for the equality of all. la follette denounced the injustice in violation of democratic principles imposed by the new orders. as she did that, she skewered the hypocrisy of whites who supported segregation. it seems strange she observed caustically that the very ones who consider it a hardship to sit next to a colored person in a street car entrust their children to colored servants and eat food prepared by colored hands. on january 4th, 1914, she spoke to the colored ymca in washington, d.c. it was an electrifying event. wild cheering by the 1,000

people present, almost all of whom were black interrupted her many times. a headline says wife of la follette says government fails. said there would be no constitution of peace until the question is settled and settled in the right way. innovation of several minutes followed her remarks. an african-american woman noted quote, the tremendous affect upon all who heard your stirring speech. it's the topic overshadowed all the others in the black community. she concluded her message of thanks, may god continue to bless you. may he continue to lead you and may he continue to give you courage to do and to dare. la follette delivered essentially the same peaspeech the annual banquet of ncaa in

new york city. the race issue, like the suffrage question, the sex question, are any other perplexing unsettled problem disturbing society today, should be freely and seriously discussed in private conversation, in the public press, and from the puppet. the situation does not call for violence but demands unaltering faith in well-directed efforts. she added that integration was quote, in mno way of a matter o social privilege. it's a matter of civil right. lesson 16. opposition can sting but support is validating and provides much needed encouragement. one anonymous writer warned belle la follette that quote, for a white lady to address a

negro audience is out of place. adding it does not raise you very much in the estimation of decent white people. a correspondent from tennessee denounced la follette for her quote, idotic demands. other critics exhibited less restraint. one reader termed belle la follette disgraceful to the white race. and suggested the only true reason for her actions was that she was herself black but only a little light in color. it was signed a real white person with no black stripes down the back like you. la follette's efforts also generated support. a white employee of the government printing office and a civil war veteran concluaddress follette directly. i thank you the black race needs such as you to aid them and the white race needs you to bring it

to its senses. navy department arbiter ralph tyler an organizer for the national business league. wrote he read her article with renewed inspiration and courage. because it clearly indicated to me that my race still has good, strong and imminently fair white friends in this day of threatened segregation. just as we did in the dark days of subjugation before our emancipation. i thank you for your article and i know i but voice the sentiment of my race in doing so. in 1914, la follette spoke to a predominately black audience at the national trade and professional school for women and girls in washington, d.c. and when she was introduced by african-american anctivists as the successor of harriet beacher stowe lawyer james hayes bowed

his head and said amen. speaking for his race, hayes told la follette we thank god for such a white woman as you. we thank god for sending you to us and thank you for coming. a few more like you would awaken the sleeping conscious of this nation. lesson 17. promote peace always. at the same time that she was writing for the family magazine fighting racism and campaigning for women's suffrage, belle la follette took up a new cause. ultimately becoming one of the most recognized leaders in the crusade for world peace. la follette widely promoted recognition of war's futility and the practical possibilities of world peace through binding arbitration. her impassioned advocancy would bring a rain of complaints. but she steadfastly refused to

modify her beliefs. la follette's argument was that in the quote, struggle for balance of power, this idea that war is the only way of settling differences among nations is a survivor of the dark ages. on january 10th, 1915, belle la follette was one of 3,000 women who gathered in washington, d.c. as a meeting that culminated in the formation of the women's peace party four years later became the women's international league for peace and freedom. so this is belle right there, that's jane adams. lesson 18, don't be intimidated by the rich, powerful or the popular if you believe they are wrong. theodore roosevelt was outraged by such passivism. on april 16th, 1915, the chicago

herald published a scathing assessment of the women's peace party. in which the still enormously popular former president called the party's platform silly and base. influenced by physical cowardice, vague and hysterical. foolish and noxious and ignoble abandonment of national duty containing not partful icle of and exposed our people to measureless contempt. belle la follette fired by that roosevelt assumed that war is the only means of settling international differences and moreover that war is bound to settle them right. history demonstrates that even imperfect and temporary plans of mediation conciliation and arbitration have been more effective than war in securing justice. that, therefore, the enlightened and progressive thought of the

age should be organized to eradicate the madness of war and be concentrated upon the future settlement of international disputes by an international tribunal. roosevelt's charge that the party was cowardly and foolish particularly rankled. was christ cowardly? how long did the agitation before human slavery last before it was abolished? to roosevelt's assertion that by war alone can we acquire those veeri viral qualities to win. la follette observed the problem with mr. roosevelt is that he is intoxicated with a false idea of war. history, la follette urged sewed that people were capable of coping how they changed -- changing how they coped with disagreements. more enlightened forms of

resolutions ultimately replaced dueling for example. which had been considered an honorable way to settle individual differences. in a speech on peace day, 1915, la follette reminded her listeners about 70% of the national income each year went for paying for past wars or building up arms for future ones. she put this in terms that she felt would most resonate with her audience. what would you think of a housekeeper who was afraid of burglars and who instead of working to get a communal police organization to protect her home with all the other homes let her obsession destroy all her equity and spent 70% of all the household budget on iron fences and iron doors and high walls which shut out all the light and had only 30% of her income left to clothe and feed her children. when the children of the woman in this scenario died because of her misallocation of resources,

la follette asked, wouldn't you consider such housekeeping such mothering sheer insanity? and yet that is exactly the kind of housekeeping our great nation is engaged in. women's call for peace la follette concluded is not sentimental rebellion against the inevitable toll of life. it is calm recognition of the utter futility of this method of solving differences between nations that gives us today a deep and burning determination to contribute our powers toward the end of international warfare, to cease the inevitable retardation for the development of humanity and civilization. lesson 19. we're coming to a close here. it won't go on forever. put your heart for the long run into what you believe. the vilification endured by her

entire family for the peace activism of herself and her husband during the war years did not curb belle la follette's post war efforts to reject military preparedness. which she denounced as, quote, the awful folly of wasting the billions in dollars that should go for education and human betterment. la follette toured 14 cities in 1921, urging voters to reject any candidate not commit today the reduction of preparedness and arms. when criticized for efforts publicly denounced as futile, if not unamerican, la follette took the long view to counsel others against discouragement. every effort of this kind is slow. in actual results, democracy, slavery, suffrage. lesson 20. you can make a difference. when la follette learned that secretary of state charles evan hughes opened the washington

naval conference in 1921 by proposing a 50% reduction in the three graeat navies of the worl it took her breath away. she was thrilled when idaho senator william bora credited the public opinion that she had been so central in generating as the motivating factor behind hughes' proposal. the conference resulted in three major treaties and a number of smaller agreements. most important to la follette was the five power treaty, which involved the major naval powers including britain, the united states and japan. la follette also worked to gain the release of americans imprisoned for their criticism of their country's role in the war. after la follette helped obtain the release of socialist and labor leader on christmas day of 1921 he hailed her as a gifted woman of extraordinary vision and understanding superb moral

courage, a deep love of humanity and a profound sense of obligation to her fellow beings and to the cause of the common people. lesson 21. after a victory, don't rest on your laurels for long. la follette turned to military recruitment. in 1923 she spoke in washington, d.c. before the annual meeting of the american section of the women's international league for peace and freedom. she criticized the military's determination to conflate patriotism with military training. to read the posters and look at the alluring pictures that confront us on the streets she complained, we would think that the army and navy offer one long life of gaiety. that same year, she wrote admiringly of some of the changes she witnessed first hand in the newly created soviet union. and in 1924 h she broke

precedent as a political wife by formally campaigning for her husband's final presidential bid. and i want you to take notice at that hand bill. it shows one of the problems i had doing my research. i did an initial search for belle la follette in the nie"ne york times" and got 110 hits. i thought it can't be right. there has to be more. she wasn't belle la follette to "the new york times" she was mrs. robert la follette. i put that in and got 708 hits. you have to be thinking in the context of the times. lesson 22. strategic long term thinking usually beats knee jerk reactions. following the death of robert la follette in 1925 a petition circulated among members of the wisconsin legislature asking belle la follette to become a candidate to fill her husband's unexpired term. she could easily become the first woman senator. but she chose not to run.

a petition signed by hundreds of women asked dear mrs. la follette will you can you turn away from your heritage, your people your shepherdless flock? those who knew her best thought her refusal to run in favor of her son was a typically shrewd move. belle case la follette will stand as one who ambitious for her husband and their sons was ambitious first of all that their shared ideals of social justice which were also her ideals should prevail. according to phil la follette his mother recognized her term would be granted more as a tribute to her late husband than as a serious political investment. by virtue of his sex as well as his age, robert jr. would be far more likely than his mother to be repeatedly reelected and could therefore, lead the la follette progressive movement

for years to come. further cementing its legacy. with his mother serving as his campaign manager robert la follette jr. was elected to the senate seat which he would occupy for the next 21 years. lesson 23. progressive activism is a life long commitment. following her husband's death, belle la follette not only kept the family magazine alive, she served as the chief advisor to both robert jr. and her son, phil, elected in 1930 to the first of three terms as wisconsin's governor. she also continued to advise wisconsin congressman james freer urging him to remind the folks over and over again of the cost of the world war. and to give them concrete suggestions and ways and means of preventing another war. although writing her husband's biography was her top priority, as the nation sank deeper into the great depression, she could

not resist continuing to campaign for progressive solutions to problems old and new. she denounced president herbert hoover for doing too little to alleviate the growing unemployment. criticizing him for being a friend of the power trust. she championed absentee voting, campaigned to save the children's bureau and wrote admiringly of the efforts of gandhi to implement his five point program in india. particularly his dedication to women's equality with men. only her death in 1931 brought an end to her activism. so the final lesson give credit where it's due. belle la follette deserved recognition for contributing significantly to the political achievements of her husband and sons. but indetermination to provide that recognition has obscured the contributions that she made in her own right to causes of her own choosing.

blocking recognition of her full legacy. a closer look reveals an unexpected belle la follette a passionate feminist, dedicated to peace, civil rights, and making her nation a better place through a variety of innovative reforms. her life, i believe, offers valuable lessons for today. thank you. [ applause ] thank you very much. i am delighted you stayed awake and you're here. this is terrific. i certainly would welcome any questions or comments. >> towards socialism and her

relationship with eugene -- [ inaudible ] >> she did not say that she was a socialist. but she was a pacifist and she was certainly far more radical than her husband, who was pretty radical for a u.s. senator. so i would say that in many ways she was a soecialist but did no claim that title. she and her husband, though, did argue about this issue. and they were pretty open about it. so i would say that she did not go as far to claim herself a socialist. i can't go that far. i hope that answers your question. it's a little iffy. yeah. >> are girls in today's schools finding out about people like

belle la follette? is that in the curricula. >> are girls today learning about belle la follette in today's school system? obviously depends on who is teaching. i think you have a much better chance if you're in wisconsin. but if you go online and put in belle la follette and do video there's a four minute video of her that is just terrific. and my son is vice principal in east paolo alto when i guest lectured to his sixth graders they know about her. that isn't answering your question. i think political history is not really in fashion right now. it's more social history. because she does women's issues and so forth she can bridge that divide. but i would say even in wisconsin, most people don't know who the la follettes are. so i think that she is a hidden gem i'm trying to, you know, get a little more attention for her.

>> i'm wondering how you were introduced to her and also was that an excerpt from your book? >> no. so how did i first come to find belle la follette and was it a excerpt. i put together this just for you. but i wrote a biography of robert la follette when i was in graduate school. i had never heard of him. i read this paragraph about this man who did all these things politically that i approved of. he was very liberal and able to achieve a lot of meaningful reform, the direct election of senators, a lot of protection of workers, the stuff that was really changing people's lives on a daily basis for the good. i was interested in why someone who had been such a successful senator and who really wanted to be p