the white house, the supreme court, and public policy events in washington dc and around the country. c-span is brought to you by your cable or satellite provider. next on american history tv, congressional research service analyst jane armstrong hudiburg talks about the life and legacy of suffragette, pacifist, and politician jeannette rankin. the first woman elected to congress. the u.s. capitol historical society posted this event. it is about 55 minutes. >> today, we are here to listen ,o jane armstrong hudiburg who is an old friend of the society. as i understand it only your first -- your first involvement falling in love with the capital was as a tour guide with the capital guide service. she was a writer and researcher for the senate history office. she was student programs

coordinator of the maryland general assembly in annapolis. i am still kicking myself for not following up with her offer to tour the dome at the statehouse. because now she is in d.c. with the congressional research service. we are happy to have her in the madison building down the street. she is a regular contributor. the latest article she submitted was in and issue a couple of years ago on bootlegging in the capital. that might suggest she is in to digging out hidden corners of the capital. jeannette rankin isn't a hidden anything. we all know who she is. she has got a statue. it is precisely those figures in history that have the most to surprise us with, because we think we know who they are and what their legacy is, but maybe jane hudiburg will share new information with us.

so help me welcome jane. [applause] jane: thank you, chuck. it is a great honor to be here. i have had a lot of great experiences with the capital historical society. thank you lauren and charlotte. i also appreciate that some of my current colleagues are here, and my boss, jim, is here, along with people from my new office and people from my old office. heather and mary from the senate historical office. even some people from way back in my capital guiding days are here. thank you so much. i really appreciate the support and appreciate you coming back, even though we had a delay in this talk. in this presentation, i will be speaking about representative jeannette rankin. i will use a lot of quotations from her. some of these quotations i have condensed. my sources include newspaper

articles, the congressional record, jeannette rankin's testimony before committees in congress and her interviews with her biographer. many of the images come from the library of congress's prints and photographs collection, where they are available from the office of the house historian, which has a great website. if anyone is interested in the source material, i am happy to provide more information after the talk. onm currently an analyst congress for the congressional research service, but all of the views discussed here are solely my own or contributed to the many people who interacted with jeannette rankin over her lengthy lifetime. jeannette rankin is remembered and celebrated for being the first woman elected to congress. infact, she won her election 1916, four years before the 14th amendment gave women the right to vote nationwide.

she is also known as the only member of congress to vote against the world wars. se voted the hou against the current war in germany -- voted for the current war in germany. she received harsh criticism for her vote and let congress at the end of her first term. she returned to congress 22 years later at the start of world war ii. this time when the president called for war, even confirmed pacifists joined the cause. under such circumstances, no legislator dared to vote against the war declaration. that is, no legislator except jeannette rankin. on this issue, one newspaper reported, "she raised her voice alone." when the name jeannette rankin is recalled, she is likely to be linked to these facts.

she was the first woman in congress and the only member to vote against both world wars. these tw factso formed a core part of her identity. but she was more than the two votes in more than the first female in congress. she was an activist her entire life and at her death, she returned again and again to the capital to testify, to protest. she continued to fight the rights of others, whether they were women, children, copper miners in montana. she thought for others to do so -- she fough for otherst. she deserves to be remembered. in this talk, i will focus on rankin's time in congress. but first, let's briefly consider her years in montana, in her work with the suffrage movement, before montana women got the right to vote, a

necessary step for rankin winning in 1916. in 1880 and was raised near missoula, montana. far from being isolated on the -- herr, she grew up father was a rancher and a building contractor, and her mother moved west to be a schoolteacher. her family was prominent in the community and the state's republican party. women whoof the other would join the suffrage movement,. first -- she went to college. she worked in washington state for a time before becoming fully immersed in the suffragette movement. she served as an organizer for the national american women's suffrage association, traveling throughout western states.

she gave speeches on women's right to vote. in addition to montana, she spent rest of her time in california working without compensation. she hired bands to drum up the crowd. she put up posters, made speeches, and drew large numbers of people from the towns and surrounding countryside. the montana state legislature was considering making women's suffrage a referendum item. as chair of the suffrage committee, rankin enlisted the support of politicians, male voters, and women were unable to vote but were necessary backers of the measure. she spoke in front of the state legislature, the first woman to do so. states time, the western one by one or allowing women the right to vote, starting with wyoming. this may surprise people because

after the turn of the century, many of the women -- it be surprising that the states are on the western side of the country because after the turn of the century, many of the women in the suffrage movement were associated with the progressive movement, which was known for its outreach work in the urban northeast and chicago. part of the problem was the eastern states were not following the western, because many of these states made it difficult to change their constitutions. often, they required two thirds or 3/5 votes to make a change. the majority of the state' s male voters might support suffrage, but not have the super majority needed. an amendment to the competition -- to the constitution was needed. montana was able to give women the vote by law by 53% vote.

their referendum passed in 1914. rankin influenced that outcome by lobbying the state legislature, as well as the public. two years later at the age of 36, rankin ran for congress. she had some advantages. her family was well-to-do and prominent in the state. she told a name for herself in the suffrage movement, and had the financial support of her younger brother, wellington, a well-known republican in his own right, who often served as her campaign manager. rankin had one more advantage. she received a vast amount of free publicity as both national and local papers cover the race. the reporters expressed a fascination with her campaign. 1916, the montana "jeannettedeclared,

rankin is making a phenomenal campaign around the state." she is a rare personality of fine intellect and unusual perspective. meanwhile, the seattle times made this conclusion. is an incredible speaker and a skilled politician." she had honed her political skills by lobbying politicians on behalf of the suffrage movement. at this time, montana had two congressional seats, but they were both in the same at-large district. in other words, the district encompassed the entire state of montana. rankin found the at larg arrangement gave her another advantagee. she had more statewide recognition, but it meant she had to travel long distances to reach far-flung populations. she held rallies in translations

-- in train stations and visited countless schools across the state. a little political polling, she had no idea if she had the support needed. in the end, she easily won the top spot in the primary. women, many democratic crossed to the republican primary in order to vote for her. on november 6, 1916, rankin probably voted for herself in the primary election. closed, she could not take the attention of not knowing the outcome. according to her biographer, rankin was unable to bear the suspense. she called the missoula newspaper office to learn the results as they trickled in. she did not tell the reporter her identity. first, she asked about woodrow wilson's reelection, and almost offhandedly, how did jeannette rankin run? she lost, was the reply.

discouraged, rankin went to bed. but as the newspapers reported, she won by more than 7000 votes. she believed three favorable conditions brought her to congress. the support of women voters, the at large district, and her stance against entering the war in europe. this last point we shall see also made it difficult for her to stay in congress. newspapers and reporters flocked to missoula. many wanted to interview the representative elect. photos hit the papers across the nation. some writers wondered if she could handle the stress of being not only the first woman in congress, but the only woman in congress. some reporters stopped -- scoffed at her ability to fit in, others give her credit for the circumstances.

one kentucky reporter noted, "was there any man willing to become one of the deliberative body made of 434 women in himself? no, a man in that position would have his current -- his courage out of the palm of his hand." to give you an idea of what it was like as the only female, jumping ahead to when she sat for the portrait of the 65th congress, or she is in the center surrounded on all sides by men. but look at it when you expand the picture how many men were on each side of her. 434 men, one woman. not only was rankin the only woman member of congress, but at that time, there were few women working in the capital. before she was sworn in, she hired two women staffers who she

knew and had lived with her or a time. these women became trusted aides. they would serve every function. secretaries, researchers, correspondence, policy advisers. reagan and her staff --rankin and her staff made a capital -- a capable team. evernote bathroom facilities near her office -- there were no bathroom facilities near her office. it seemed inconceivable women would ever be elected to congress, and no provisions had been made for them. jeanette and her secretaries had to make their way through a maze of stairways to reach public accommodations. this went on for decades after rankin as well, by the way. time, the constitutional start of a new congress was march but the4 first.

session often did not commence for several months. woodrow wilson called congress to consider the war in europe, and specifically, german submarine attacks. started on session april 2, 1917, the day rankin would be sworn in. that day, she was the guest of honor at a breakfast. it was sponsored by members of the national american women's suffrage association. she spoke to the crowd of supper just and chat -- of suffragists and child welfare activists. there will be many times when i make mistakes, and it means a great young to me to know i have -- a great deal to me to know i have your support." she spoke from the balcony addressing the crowd. from there, she proceeded to the capital, arriving to be sworn in

along with the other members of the 65th congress. this is a little news clip they had of the 65th opening day. you can see the jefferson building in the background. that day, the house chamber's galleries were packed. curious observers. over the ranking to see -- curious observers peered over the railing to see her enter.

they yelled themselves hoarse. there was disdain unable sides of the chamber when miss jeannette rankin entered the hall. one witness, the life of a congressman, recorded the proceedings in her journal. she described in great detail rankin's physical appearance as she walked to her seat, escorted by her elderly 110 a colleague. -- her elderly montana colleague. she wore a well-made, dark silk and chiffon suit. her skirt was a modest walking length, and she walked well and unselfconsciously. brownir was a commonplace and are branched -- and arranged in a pompadour. she carried a bouquet of flowers given to her at the suffrage breakfast. she did not look to her right or left until she reached her seat.

but before she could sit down, she was surrounded by men shaking hands with her. i was rejoiced to see she met all of them with a frank smile and shake hands cordially. it would have been sickening if she smirked or giggled or been coquettish. was a sensible young woman going about her business. when her name was called, the shee cheered and rose so had to rise and about twice, which she did with entire self possession. and her day rankin colleagues were sworn in, president wilson undressed congress, calling for a war declaration. the next few days, friends and house members try to persuade rankin to vote for the war. a no vote would risk the suffragist cause. it would also rank -- risk rankin's political career.

her own brother warned her after the vote, there will be nothing. still, rankin held firm. at 3:00 in the morning, the final debate wound down. the clerk prompted each member to vote. ignoring the first rollcall, rankin responded the second time she heard her name, "i want to stand by my country, but i cannot vote for war." press turnedthe against her. while no reporter disputed her use of the now famous phrase, how rankin said these words is uncertain. a newspapere, claimed she spoke with a sob and a voice scarcely audible. additional newspapers claimed she shed tears, prompting an angry pennsylvania state legislature to declare this is

the time for education. this is the time when we all jeannette rankin wept. rankin and others denied she cried during the vote. one congressman called the story apocryphal. however, rankin's most likely reflected the stress of great promotion. she knew american boys would be heading off to war and many would not return. this understanding triggered quite a few tears on the house floor. according to another newspaper, it was a time when a strong men were unafraid of their emotions. the hour perhaps of the country's's greatest crisis. and while the public for gave congressman who openly wept, the loan congresswoman was not given the same consideration. >it is important to note that while she was opposed to war, she did support measures to prosecute the war.

once congress voted to go to work, she wanted the u.s. to win. she voted on measures for soldiers going into war. rankin was concerned other issues would be pushed aside as the nation focused on more. she did not want women or children to lose any gains made by them or on their behalf. she and her staff wrote regular columns, extolling the need to keep women moving forward. in one column, she disagreed with calls for women to support the war efforts by hand grinding their own flour. carried on the waves of misguided patriotism have come settle attempts to destroy the industrial standards of this country. rankin also fought for the rights of women who married foreign men. she introduced a bill that would have allowed women to keep their citizenship and property after marrying aliens. as a montanan, she knew women who married canadians and in the

process lost their citizenship, including their new right to vote, even though they had not set foot outside of montana. while she was fighting for women throughout the country, rankin sought to expand democracy elsewhere. she introduced a resolution stating the u.s. supported political independents in ireland, stating, "women recognize irish struggle because of the struggle they went through for liberty and democracy." eyed national and international affairs, she represent the largely rural people of montana. she provided economic security for farmers and miners. on efforts to assist miners strike perhaps doomed any chance term.r to win a second she took on the powerful anaconda copper company, which was profiting heavily from wartime expenditures, and blacklisting miners.

the company dominated the montana state legislature. the legislature divided montana's at large district into two districts. not surprisingly, rankin's territory now have a large to the credit population. with her house seat in jeopardy, she ran for the senate, but lost the republican primaries. she ran as an independent in the general election, but lost that race as well. someone say wellington rankin's prediction had come true. maybe his sister's career was over with the no vote. had one more opportunity to take a stand in the last you months of her term -- the last few months of her term. rankin argued for the creation of a committee on women's suffrage, which formed after the election to consider an amendment to the constitution.

she served as the ranking member of that committee, which was an unusual honor given her lack of seniority. 1919, a packed gallery in she opened the debate. in this picture, notice the people wearing white. that was the color of women's suffrage. i am wearing a white shirt today in honor of that. rankin's speech connected the war with the need to expand democracy to women. we are facing today a question of political evolution. international circumstances have forced this issue. our country is in a state of war. the nation has had a terrible shock. the result has been a sudden change in our national consciousness. the things we had for years taken for granted are suddenly assuming a new significance to us. deep down in the hearts of the american people is a living faith in democracy. sometimes, it is not expressed in the most effective way.

sometimes it seems almost forgotten, but when the test comes, we see it is still there, helping men and women to understand each other in their common needs. it is our natural -- our national religion, and is based on equal opportunity, able protection, equal freedom for all. today, there are men and women in every field bending all their energies toward a realization of this stream of universal justice. they believe we are waging a war for democracy. can we afford to allow these men and women to doubt or a single instance the sincerity of our protestations of democracy? how shall we answer the challenge, gentlemen? how shall we explain to them the meaning of democracy, in the same congress that voted for war to make the world safe for democracy refuses to give this small measure of democracy to the women of our country?

the galleries." they were full of her supporters. then a number of men praised rankin, but some stood opposed. one representative brought up rankin's emotional sentiment. as notnot vote for war," giving women the right to vote. the sole " representative of women's suffrage in the house admitted not from judgment but her women's heart that while she looked her country, she could not vote for war. how would you like to see a majority of the membership of congress made up of women? this is no issue to be decided by women's fears and tears and emotions. this is an issue to be decided by the manly men of america. this is why i am opposing the pending amendment."

reservations, the house voted to pass the amendment either embarrassed super majority needed -- by the barest super majority needed. rankin was presented with the flag that flew over the house at the time. however, didtence, not pass that resolution, and rankin would leave before the ratification of the 19th amendment. still, the earlier vote rankin that witnessed was unimpressive

first step in the march toward universal women's suffrage. gave ah 4, 1919, rankin farewell speech. she told her colleagues in the chamber, "i am sorry to leave you for the women of this nation leave franchised, that i with you the great trust of in franchising the women of this country." in response, the members thanked her for her service. a fellow antiwar member submitted these remarks into the congressional record. life reveals rare characters. manhe 66th congress, no showed greater courage or sacrifice, no one was ready or to die a political death then the brilliant and accomplished lady from montana. if the voters of her state do not return her to the house or senate at some later date, i feel sorry for them.

the loss of her services is not only a loss to montana, but to the whole people." left turned out, rankin the membership of congress, but she did not leave congress or the nation behind. instead, she returned again and again to the capital to testify before the house and senate committees. in the 1920's and 1930's, rankin remained active in the peace and social welfare movements. she lobbied congress on behalf of herself or organizations seeking to prevent war, banned child labor, and improve working conditions. she testified for the need to improve maternal health in rural areas. she defended the federal trade commission's ability to investigate practices. she turned her attention back to antiwar concerns, representing the national council for the prevention of war at several congressional hearings. irritated so, she

more than one member of congress, who objected to her proposals. in a 1935 hearing entitled "taking the profits out of war," rankin stated, "i protested against the earlier war, and i am still against this war. the last war was a rich man's war, but it was the poor man who fought the war. nevertheless, the committee has not heard any poor man's idea for taking the profit out of war." the committee chair responded, "let us hear your proposal." rankin made a radical suggestion. money money orreate a medium of exchange that would be good only during the war, and that would be the only legal tender, the only legal money during the war, and that money would become illegal at the moment the war ends. those who made profits would have nothing to guess they cannot use the money that was made.

i don't think that when over to well. rankin objected to the amount of money in the defense industry. she said they get contracts that run into the hundreds of millions. they spend in advertising as every other institution doe. it is that propaganda for war that needs to be cut down. congress to advised study military expenditures. the chairman of the house committee on foreign affairs reprimanded her stance. when are somewhat amazede an effort is made to organize another committee by a lobbyist. we do not appreciate it, and i speak for the sentiments of this committee when i say it." undaunted, she returned to prevent congress from rolling back neutrality provisions. "i am only interested in keeping out of the war. i am willing to suffer the

consequences. the loss from war is permanent. the pace of progress is always slowed, and it may take hundreds of years to regain the standards we have now. if we fail to keep out of war, civilizations have them lost in the past. they can be lost in the future." all this testimony set the stage for rankin's second run for congress at the age of 60. at the time, montana still had two separate districts. it only has one now, by the way. but the district she was running for had become more favorable for republicans and was not holding to the copper company -- was not beholden to the copper company. rankin visited school after school, calling for peace. the experience reminded her of a childhood memory. visited heressman school in missoula, he addressed

most of his remarks to the boys. he encouraged them to run for office. then he turned to the girls and said, "perhaps one day you will be the wife of the president of the united states." now in 1940, rankin told the schoolchildren, "one day, we will have a woman president." she continued, "there are opportunities for girls now and opportunities for boys, too. " and she turned to the boys and said, "maybe one of you will be the husband of a president." she beat the republican incumbent and faced another former member of congress in the general election. -- shesive republicans won reelection to the house, taking 54% of the vote. at the time, rankin predicted, "no one will pay attention to me this time.

there is nothing unusual about a woman being elected." now, she was described as a slight, white-haired woman. she charged her second term focused on stopping or blowing down the march toward war, but her amendments were not adopted. meanwhile, she traveled across the country, giving lectures in support of peace and ecology -- and neutrality. detroit.n her way to on the train, she learned that the attack on pearl harbor. she headed back to washington. years later, she recalled that sunday evening. after briefly returning to her office, she left before anyone could see her. in her words, "i got in my car and disappeared. no one could reach me. everyone tried to reach me and they couldn't. i drove around washington and got matter and matter -- got madder and madder."

she did not seek anyone's advice. "i was not going to put myself through that again. i just went out on my own." the next day, president roosevelt addressed a joint session of congress calling for war. you all are familiar with his opening sentence. which will, a day live in infamy, the united states of america was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the empire of japan." he was equally clear in his concluding statement. "i asked that the congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by japan on december 7, a state of war has existed between the united states and the japanese empire." immediately wallowing a short speech, -- immediately following -- short speech, congress

rankin stood and announced her objection, to which the speaker responded, "this is no unanimous -- speaker request." one by one, they expressed their views. but he would not recognize rankin to speak, although she's it up quickly -- although she stood up quickly. she said, please mr. speaker, but the speaker would not call on her. . then the rollcall vote began. when rankin's name was called, she voted no. and she said, "as a woman, i cannot go to war, and i refuse to send anyone else." according to the washington -- representative jeannette rankin fled and took a barrage of questions.

surrounded on all sides, she called for a capitol police escort back to her office. that was continued, "24 years ago, miss rankin voted against america's entry in the war against germany. then, her hair was black and her blue eyes, were young and she could turn to comfort to the others who voted no with her. yesterday, she raised her voice alone." indeed, she truly was alone as every senator also voted for war. rankin spent the afternoon in her office under police protection. two days later, she faced another vote. she recorded herself as president, but refused to vote for or against the war. this time without any allies in congress, rankin faced the harsh criticism alone. newspapers reported her as disgraceful and disloyal. a newspaper in montana called her a fanatical woman who failed to see beyond the confines of

her own perspective. rankin did have a few defenders, though. a teenage girl wrote to the daily ms. lillian, -- to the daily missoulan, she have the right to free speech. an editor offered his opinion. instead of booing rankin, americans it should thank god they hav here example -- they have her example. 100 men in congress would have liked to do what she did. it was a brave thing. now,in 100 years from sheer courage based on moral indignation is celebrated in this country, the name of jeannette rankin, who stood firm and folly for her faith, will be written in monumental bronze, not for what she did, but the way she did it.

according to these defenders, rankin's solitary vote proved that america is a free society, a value worth fighting for. still, rankin's critics far outnumbered her supporters. telegraphs poured in all over the nation. we feel that by your actions today, you have done a great disservice to the state of montana. if you cannot act as a true and patriotic representative, we suggest you refrain from acting at all. indeed, it appears the telegraph sentiment prevailed. after the vote, rankin had no more great acts in congress. to finish the remainder of her term and left washington, this time without a doubt it was a war vote and is not a copper company that sank her chances for reelection. she did not attempt a new campaign. but she remained active in the peace movement and expanding

rights across the globe. in the years after the second war vote, rankin visited countless countries, india, turkey, asia, africa, south america. she traveled by ships, railroads, buses, planes. aged not slow her down. in 1968 at the age of 87, fellow ativists urged her to plan march on washington in protest of the vietnam war. she was happy to oblige, and thus was born the jeannette rankin brigade. the reports very. some said 3000 women. declared 10,000 women assembled at union station to march to the capital building. mourningssed in black clothes. young mothers pushed baby strollers. a dozen or so women walked up the capitol steps, petitions in hand, calling for the end of the

war. the elderly rankin let a smaller number into the building to meet with senator mansfield from wanting a. as she -- from montana. as she did so, a police officer offered a steadying hand. a friend objected, she can walk him a she doesn't need you to help her. she nodded. you don't need to help us. we are unarmed and not at all threatening. to you need those big guns to hinder an old lady? but other antiwar protesters were extremely threatening. fact, a couple months later, president lyndon johnson announced he would not run again, and many said this decision was due in part to the unpopular war in vietnam. march into rankin's senator mansfield's office was not her last trip to the capital. in 1969, she testified on behalf of the direct election of

president's.she wanted to eliminate the electoral , -- electoral college. in 1970, she returned to the rayburn the link for her own 90th birthday party. now in a wheelchair, she reveled in the praise members of congressh eaped -- members of congress heaped on her. sent a statuena of her to the collection. attention, stands at greeting thousands of schoolchildren as they stream and for tours of the capital. it depicts a bold woman boldly facing the future. the phrase, i cannot vote for war, is written across the statue. when these words were first uttered, they were called weak, nervous.

now, they represent the courage of jeannette rankin, the first elected to congress and the only one to vote against both world wars. she has inspired countless members of congress pursue firsts of their own. they are likely to look back on jeannette rankin with fondness. shi am going to show you a few pictures of notable female members of congress. not all, there are many, but just a few that were influenced by jeannette rankin. our group chase smith, the first -- margaret chase smith. i could do a whole lecture on senator margit chase smith -- margaret chase smith. an african-american woman in congress. nancy pelosi, of course. barbara mikulski, who is my

senator. the first female chair of the senate appropriations committee. and i wanted to recognize representative louise slaughter, the first chair of the powerful rules committee who passed away last week while she was still a member of congress, and i believe her funeral is tomorrow. she has inspired many people in her own right. conclusion, to paraphrase an editor in 1941, "now sheer courage is celebrated in this country. the name of jeannette rankin is written in monumental bronze, not for what she did, but for the way she did it. know, rankin did not vote for war, but she could and she did stand up for the democratic

process." thank you, and if you have any questions, i am happy to try and answer them. [applause] >> did jeannette rankin encounter any retaliation for her participation in the suffrage movement? many other suffragists who participated were arrested and jailed for their activities, for protesting. jane: i didn't see any of that in the newspapers i surveyed. that is a really interesting question that i could look into. she did suffer a lot for being antiwar. she had some falling out with suffer just because of -- with .uffragists because of that i never came across her being arrested, but i can look into it. interested in the reaction of the other freshmen republicans. the two photographs you have,

the one of the entire congress, and she is honored front and center. they all being gentlemen, of course. -- i am sure the others around her are the senior leaders, and the other freshmen are all stuck in the back. did anybody talk about that and her ability to command attention? jane: i am sure there were a lot of people who had their noses joint. i alluded to that, where she became the ranking member of a new committee, which is highly unheard of for a freshman at that time. i think a lot of people did realize she had such an unusual status that they couldn't expect her to have the same circumstances as anybody else. and a lot of the circumstances she faced were very negative. not having a bathroom or not getting the respect that a lot of the male freshmen would get.

but she did also have the advantages as well, because when are new,435 and you usually no one knows who you are. but that was not the case for her. everybody knew who she was. people all over the country had read the newspapers. she came in with that advantage. there were probably some people who talked about it behind her back, but i did not see any particular quotations on that. [indiscernible] the convention was established in the 2017 omnibus bill. in all be commissioned 50 states to celebrate the 300

anniversary. ym wasn't integrated for women until the 1990's. talking about the restroom caught my attention. lounge became a in 1980,ounge, and there were still no restrooms near the house floor. it was not until nancy pelosi became the speaker, she took over the office which is off the speakers lobby, and equal access on the other side. took justw long it for that. when you look at that in the house chamber. you see why it is so important to celebrate the 100 anniversary. my mother and mother-in-law were born in 1920, when there were no rights.

some were just fighting for legal rights. animals had more rights in 1915 and women did in this country. as far as cruelty. for her to be elected in that period is even more astounding, when you think about it. jane: i do think so. i think she was elected before women had the vote nationwide is impressive. she were able to see how far we have come today, i think she would be happy that we have had a female speaker of the house, but i think in other ways she would be surprised that we have not come further along. it would be a mixed bag for her. she would see some advances and be happy about that bathroom, but in other ways, she would be mad.

>> [indiscernible] representative who was afraid that the majority of the house would be women. that hasn't happened yet. material for her campaign. one of them says, look for the name on the ballot. if you don't see it, asked the judge for elections. was their fear that precincts might omit her name? jane: i think so. i don't think that ended up being a problem. but it was a concern for her, and she was going to make sure everyone knew it had to be there. in the end, she did very well in her election. i don't think it turned out to be a real problem. >> a couple of questions. is set inl question,

1940 she was reelected. is that actually correct, because it's a congressman or woman service previously then gets elected -- jane: i have colleagues in the back who might be able to answer that. probably reelected -- elected again might be the better -- say she wasably elected a second time. >> do they reelect them later if they serve again? jane: yes. >> maybe a terrible question, of did the legacy

[indiscernible] clear into the 1960's. i was looking at women in congress in the 1960's. they reached 18 or 19 members in the house, both house and senate, total members. somewhere in the middle 1960's, they had 11. 1917.s a longtime, from visit possible -- is it possible changed theacy national mood toward voting women's office for all those years? because the numbers never really took off. amazingly, in the 1960's, the next generation --announcer: jane: that is an interesting question. i don't know if it would be very easy to determine, because you have to look at intentions

behind not only the people who did run and the people who decided not to run. i don't know if you can actually answer that. i know her vote against the first world war upset a lot of people because they felt like it pulled back the possibility for women to vote in the suffrage movement and women who might want to be politicians. there was this fear that that vote could have taken down the movement of both suffrage and female politicians. that i think there would be many other factors to conside before i would sayr jeannette rankin was a part of that. >> except for the party and multiple votes on war and were making, you would think she and eleanor roosevelt would have been chums.

did you find any of that? jane: it was important to note that at this time, you had the progressive republicans.a lot of people who were republican in the early 20th century probably would have become democrats leader on, and the progressive republicans and liberal democrats overlapped on a lot of issues. when you look at a lot of the women in the progressive movement, they were republicans, but what they were fighting for was elimination of child labor and improving work conditions. it is hard to say if one person was a republican or a democrat when you look back over the time it had a different meaning. another thing about jeannette rankin his she never said i am a republican. she said i run on the republican ticket. she was a very independent person. her family was very involved in the republican party, and that

is what influenced her to stay in the republican party. but she was not a big fan of parties. when she looked at the republic -- the election process, she was clear in her testimony that she was not a fan of primaries and the way the primaries make people skewed to one side or another. she wanted everyone to have an equal chance of winning, the matter what hardy they were from -- the matter what party they were from. >> was she the first one to put on a serious campaign? jane: i believe so. as far as i know. there might have been people who tried running but didn't get anywhere in the process. >> voting in all of those states in the west. jane: yes. any more questions? chuck: thank you again.

[applause] jane: i am happy to answer questions if anyone has individual instance they would like to ask. i appreciate everything, and thank you, chuck. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2018] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] sunday,e sunday -- >> conservative politics. when perceived liberal excesses and disenchantment with the size of government gave way to the right, the resurgence of richard very.had a ronald reagan made his debut as a presidential candidate, service -- foreshadowing the movement to come. our guest is an editor and an author. and matthew dallek, at george washington university professor. watch 1968, america in turmoil,

conservative politics, live sunday at 8:30 eastern on inpan's "washington journal" american history tv on c-span3. >> this weekend on railamerica, we look back 50 years to the 1968 presidential campaign, nation"ce the interviewed ronald reagan and george wallace. >> when we talk about the convention and the delegates, 30%.stimates range to goldwater delegates returning this year. do you see yourself as the only hope of the conservatives in the party? they certainly are not going to rally around nelson rockefeller, and maybe not around richard nixon. else -- where else to they have to go besides you? >> i have been working for two

years to get the party to drop the labels. and yet, we have been very successful. i think there is a different philosophy or belief in the republican party today at the grassroots level. i think you will find the republican party today is far good inling to see other republicans in the interest of unity and the interest of winning. we have had our bloodbath and learned a lesson from it. the party was virtually out of existence just a few years ago, and i don't think you are going to have that problem. i don't think people are going to this convention frozen in an ideological mold. >> you were quoted that people know the way to stop a riot is to hit somebody on the head. >> i have said something similar to that. when someone begins to loot and burn a building down which endangers the health and idea of

everyone, that is a good way to stop it. if you let the police knock somebody on the head or breaking a plate glass window or for assaulting a police officer who was assaulting a person on the street throwing a fireball, i think we would get out. that is exactly what ought to be done. if i were the president of the united states, i would take whatever is necessary to prevent what happened in this city. you do that, you are going to satisfy the overwhelming majority of people of all races in this country because it is not a matter of race, it is a matter of anarchy. the government has cap town to every -- has kowtowed to anarchist groups. >> ronald reagan and george wallace on "face the nation" on

>> next on lectures in history, keith bohannon teaches a class about what is known as the lost cause myth, the term given to the post-civil war arguments by confederates seeking to justify the split from the union and the defeat. his classes about one hour. prof. bohannon: in recent years, there have been a number of arrible events, including mass shooting in charleston, south carolina in 2015, then heardast summer we all about, watched, the protest in charlottesville that resulted in several deaths. these terrible incidents have prompted a new phase in a national debate regarding symbols of the southern confederacy, and