and courageous space mission nasa had ever run. it looked too many people like near certain debts to go on this. it was all rushed to the launchpad. everything was for the first time. these men needed wives at home that did not reveal to their husbands just how much they were suffering, just how terrified they really were. >> announcer: q&a, sunday nights at eight eastern on c- span. >> announcer: next on american history tv, congressional research service analysts jane armstrong he berg about the life and legacy of suffragists, pacifists, and politicians. the first woman elected to congress. the u.s. capital historical society ousted this event. it's about 55 minutes. >> we are here to listen to jan jutte berg, whose an old friend

of the society. your first involvement with the capital, falling in love with the capital, or in love with the capital. the tour guide with the capitol guide service. jane was a writer, researcher. she was student programs coordinator for the maryland general assembly in annapolis. i'm still kicking myself for not following up on her offer to tour the beautiful dome. that's probably out of reach at this point. is now she's with the congressional research. we are glad to have her pick she's a regular contributor to our dome. the latest audie cole she submitted was bootlegging in the capital. that might suggest she's really into digging out interesting little hidden corners of the capital. now, jeannette rankin isn't a hidden anything. all of us know who she is pick

she's got a statue and it's precisely those kind of figures in history that have the most surprises because we think we know who they are and what their legacy is. but maybe jane will share some -- so help me welcome jane. [ applause ] >> thank you. it's a great honor to be here. i've had a great -- great experiences with the capital and thank you, lauren and charlotte. really helpful as well. i also appreciate that some of my current colleagues are here and my -- jen is here with other people from my new office and also from my old office. heather and mary from the historical office. even some people way back from my capital guiding days are coming up here. so thank you so much. i really appreciate the support

and appreciate you coming back even though we had a delay in the talk. in this presentation, i will be speaking about representative jeannette rankin. i'm going to use a lot of quotations from her pick some of these quotations i've condensed for the sake of brevity. my sources include newspaper articles, the congressional record, jeannette rankin's -- testimony before committees in congress. many of the images come from the library of congress's collection. or they are available from the office of the house historian, which has a great website, by the way. if anyone is interested in the source material i'm happy to provide more information after the talk. i am currently in an list on for the congressional research service but all the views discussed here are solely my own or are attributed 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. in fact, she won the election to the house in the 1960, before the ratification of the 19th amendment gave women the right to vote nationwide. she is also known as the only member of congress to vote against both world wars. in 1917, the house voted in favor of war against germany. rankin voted in opposition. at the time, she received heart criticism for her vote and left congress at the end of her first term, and she returned at the start of world war ii. this time when the president calls for war, even confirmed pacifists won the cause. the war vote occurred in 1941, just one day after the do -- japanese attacked pearl harbor. no legislature dared to vote

against the war declaration. that is no legislature except jeannette rankin. on this issue, one is paper reported -- one newspaper reported that she raised her voice alone. jeannette rankin is likely to be linked to these two facts, she was the first woman in congress and the only member to vote against both world wars. these two facts formed a core part of rankin's identity. she was more than the two votes and more than the first female in congress. she was an activist her entire life and until her death at the age of 92, she returned again and again to the capital. to testify, to protest. she continued to fight for the rights of others, whether they were women, children, or copper miners in montana. she took the fullest role possible in the democratic

process. and called for others to do so as well. and for that, she also deserves to be remembered. in this talk, i will focus on experiences in and around the capital. but first, let's briefly consider years in montana at her work with the for -- suffrage movement. the necessary steps toward the house elections in 1916. rankin was born in 1880 and raised on a ranch as the oldest of seven children. far from being isolated on the frontier, she grew up -- her father john was a rancher. and a building contractor. and her mother had moved west to be a schoolteacher. her family was prominent in the community and the state's republican party. like many of the other women who joined the suffrage

movement, rankin went to college first the university of montana, then the famous new york school of philippa three four -- philanthropy for social work. she served as an organizer to the national american women's suffrage association. traveling throughout western states, rankin gave speeches -- speeches on women's right to vote. she planted her own roots, drum up the crowd. she put up posters, and drew a large numbers of people from the town's and surrounding countryside. meanwhile, the montana state legislature was considering making women's suffrage a referendum item. as chair of the montana state suffrage committee, rankin enlisted the support of politicians, mill voters, and women who are unable to vote

but were nevertheless necessary backers of the measure. she even spoke in front of the state legislature the first woman to do so. at this time, the western state's one by one were allowing women the right to vote, starting with wyoming in 18 89. after the turn-of-the-century, many of the women -- i was going to say, it may 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 in the urban -- then in chicago. part of the problem was the eastern states went falling -- many of these states made it difficult to change their constitution. they required two thirds or three -- 3/10 vote to make any changes.

the majority of the mill voters might support women's suffrage but not have the super majority needed for the state to change the status for women. an and amendment -- an amendment was needed. montana it was able to get -- give women the vote in 1914. as i said, rankin rankin -- influenced that. two years later, at the age of 36, rankin ran as a republican for congress to repave the doughtery pay the women who -- repay the women who supported her. she herself built a name for herself in the suffrage movement and she had the financial support of her younger brother, willington, it will no -- well known montana republican, who also served as her campaign manager.

rankin had one more advantage. she received a vast amount of free publicity at both -- as both national and local newspapers covered the race. in october 1916, the montana enterprise declared jeannette rankin candidate for congress on the republican ticket, making a phenomenal camping all over the state. the new york sun reported to -- she is a rare personality of fine intellect. the cl times made this -- seattle times made this conclusion. she is a skilled politician. indeed, she had already honed a political skill by lobbying politicians all over the country. at this time, montana had two congressional seats. but they were both in the same at large districts. in other words, the district

encompassed the entire state of montana. rankin found that the arrangement gave her another advantage. she had more statewide technician than her competitors. it when she had to travel long distances to reach far-flung voting populations. she held rallies and trained stations. and visited countless schools across the state. still in an era of little political polling, she had no idea if she had the support needed to win one of the two seats. she out earned the next competitor by 7000 votes. many democrats crossed to the republican primary in order to vote for her. on november 6, 1916, rankin voted for herself in the general election. as the polls closed, she couldn't take the tension of not knowing the outcome. according to her biographer, rankin was unable. she didn't

tell the reporter her identity. first, she asked about the election. offhandedly, how did jeannette rankin run? oh, she lost one voter replied. the discouraged rankin went to bed. finally, the newspapers reported, she actually won by more than 7000 votes. she believed that three favorable conditions brought her to congress. the support of women voters, the at large districts, 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, reporters flocked to interview the representative elects. hitting the newspapers across

the nation. some writers, though, wondered if transferred -- rankin could handle the stress of being the only woman in congress. >> while some reporters -- others did give her credit for braving the circumstances. one kentucky reporter noted, was there any man willing to become one of a deliberative body made up of 4034 women and himself? no, he included. a man in that position would have his courage bruised from the palms of his hands. to give you an idea of what it was like for her is the only female, jumping ahead to when she sat for the portrait of the 65th congress. here she is in the center, surrounded on all sides by men. look at it when you actually expand the picture, how many men were on either side of her.

434 men, one woman. not only was rankin the only woman member of congress. at that time, they -- there were few women working in the capital. before she was sworn in, rankin hired two women staffers who she had known and who also lived with her for a time. [ captioners transitioning ]

the crowd's.

it means a great deal to me to know that i have your encouragement and support. then that she was driven to the headquarters of the association where 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 down in the background. i believe.

so that they the house chamber galleries were packed. suffragist and other curious observers appeared over the railing to see rankin enter the room. reporters described the scene . men and women in the galleries pounded hands together and yelled themselves hoarse. members did the same on both sides of the chamber when this jeanette rankin, the lady from the montana, entered the hall. one witness record of the proceedings in her journal. she described her physical appearance as she walked to her seat scolded by her colleague. -- escorted by her colleague. she wore a well-made dark blue suit with wide colored cuffs.

her skirt was a moderate walking length and she walked well and unselfconsciously. her hair brown and arranged in a rather to spreading pompadour shadowing your face. she carried a bouquet of yellow and purple flowers given to her at the breakfast. she did not looked right or left until she reached her seat. fall back on the republican side, but before she could sit down she was surrounded by men shaking hands with her. i rejoiced to see that she met each one with a big smile and shook hands cordially and on effectively. it would have been sickening if she had smoked or giggled or been -- she was just a young woman going about her business. when her name was called the house cheered and rosa so that she had to rise and bow twice, which she did with entire self concession.

the same day rankin and her colleagues were sworn in president wilson addressed the joint session of congress calling for a war declaration. the next few days her friends and house members try to persuade rankin to vote for the war. a no vote they said would risk a december just cause. it would also go -- also risked her political career. knowing her antiwar views her own brother warned her after the vote there will be nothing. still rankin held firm. at three in the morning on april 6 the final 17 hour debate wound down. the clerk prompted each member to vote . ignoring the first rollcall, she responded the second time she heard her name. i want to stand by my country she said. i cannot vote for war. immediately the press turned against her. no reporter disputed her use of the now famous phrase howard

rankin said these words is uncertain and an article entitled sobbing jeanette montana's big timber pioneer you -- newspaper claimed that she spoke with a sob and a voice scarcely audible. additional newspapers reported that rankin shed tears as she boded prompting an angry pennsylvania state legislator to declare this is a time for agitation. this is a time where we all -- must confront the difficulty that presents itself before the entire role at this time and jeanette rankin wept. rankin and others denied she cried during the vote. in d1 congressmen told the story apocryphal. rankins voice most likely reflected the stress of great emotion. she knew that american boys would be headed off to war and many would not return. this understanding triggered quite a few tears on the house

for. according to another newspaper it was a time when strongmen were unashamed of their emotion. the our of the country's greatest -- while the public forgave congressmen who openly wept the loan congresswoman was not given the same consideration. it is important to note that while rankin was opposed to war she did support measures to prosecute the war. once congress voted to go to were she wanted the u.s. to in and in the weeks following that the were vote she voted on measures to assist soldiers going into war. rankin was concerned that other issues would be pushed aside and as the nation focused on war in particular she did not want women or children to lose any games made by them or on their behalf. she and her staff -- the need to keep women moving forward and one call -- women to support the war effort by hand grinding their own flour.

carried along the waves of misguided patriotism has come settled at times to destroy the industrial standards of this country. rankin also fought for the rights of women who married foreign men. she introduced a bill which is not passed that would have allowed women to keep their citizenship and their property -- she knew many women who married canadians and in the process lost their citizenship including their new right to vote even though they never step foot outside montana. while she was fighting for women throughout the country rankin thought democracy is beyond elsewhere. she introduced a resolution stating the u.s. supported political independence in ireland. is dating women realize irish struggle because of the struggle that they have gone through for liberty and democracy. even while a shiite national and international affairs are rankin still represented the large rural people of montana.

she introduced measures to provide economic security for farmers and minors. her effort to assist minors on strike perhaps -- for her to win a second term in the house. she took on the powerful anaconda copper company which was profiting heavily for more times, expenditures and according to rankin blacklisting minors who saw more control over their working conditions. the company dominated the legislator . at the urging the legislator and divided montana's at-large district into 2 districts. not surprisingly rankin territory had a large democrat popular -- population. with her health in jeopardy she ran for the senate in 1918, but she lost the republican primary. she ran as an independent in the general election and lost that as well. someone say -- perhaps her career was over with the no vote on the war.

rankin had one more major opportunity to take a stand in the next few months of her term. rankin and like-minded members argued for the creation of a committee on suffrage, which formed soon after the election to consider an amendment to the constitution. before the end of her term rankin served as the ranking member of the committee, which was in unusual honor given her lack of seniority. before a packed gallery on 1919 as she opened the the. in this picture you notice the people wearing white. that was the color of women's suffrage. that is why i am wearing a white shirt today in honor of that. rankin speech connected the war with the need to expand democracy to women. mr. speaker, she said, we are facing today a question of political evolution. international circumstances --

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 have for years -- taken for granted are assuming a new significance to us. deep down in the hearts of the american people as the living face of democracy. sometimes it does not -- it is not expressed in the most effective way. sometimes it is forgotten, but when the test comes we find is still there groping and aspiring in helping men and women to understand each other and their common need. it is our national religion and -- the desire for the measure of justice, which is based on equal opportunity, equal protection, equal freedom for all. today there are men and women in every field of endeavor who are bending all of their energies toward the realization of the dream of universal

justice. they believe we are waging a war for democracy. can we afford to allow these men and women to delve up for a single instance of? sincerity of our protestation of democracy. >> how shall we answer the challenge gentlemen? how shall we explained to them the meaning of democracy. the same krog terrace -- congress that voted for war refuses to give the small measure of democracy to the women of our country. prolonged applause from the gallery. the gallery was full of supporters. done a number of men stood to praise rankin and to also advocate for the amendment. sums that opposed pier 1 representative brought up her emotional sentiment. it cannot vote for war is a reason not to give women the right to vote he said. that's all-female representative admitted not from judgment but from her women's heart that while she loved her country she could not vote for war.

with the were still on 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 real manly men of america. this is why i am opposing the appending amendment. despite the reservations the house voted to pass the amendment by the bare super majority it needed. 274-136. to celebrate she was a print -- presented with a flag that flew over the house at the time of the vote.

rankin would leave congress before the ratification of the amendment in 1920. the earlier vote that she witnessed was the first step. a very impressive first step. in 1919 her last day in the house she gave a farewell speech. she told her colleagues in the chamber i am sorry to leave you before the women of this nation are enfranchised, but i leave to you the members of the 65th congress. the great trust of in franchising the women of this country. in response members thanked her for her service. representative ernest a fellow antiwar member added these remarks. now and then i life reveals rare characters which all you

must admire. the 65th congress and a member showed greater courage and self- sacrifice. no one was readier to die a political death for principal and 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. as it turned out rankin left the membership of congress, but she did not leave congress or the nation behind. instead it she returned again and again to the capital to testify before house and senate committees. in the 1920s and 30s rankin remained active in the peace and social welfare movement. she lobbied congress on behalf of herself an organization seeking to prevent child labor

and improve working conditions. in 1920 she testified for the need to improve the current health in rural areas and in 1920 when she defended the federal trade commission's ability to investigate industrial practices at. in the 30s she turned her attention back to antiwar concerns. representing the national council for the prevention of war congressional hearing. as she did so she irritated more than one member of congress who objected to a proposal. in the 1935 hearing entitled taking the profit out of war rankin stated i protested in a vote against the early war and i am still against this war. the last war was a rich man's work, but it was a poor man who fought the war. never the less the committee has not heard any poor man's idea for taking the profits out of war. the committee chair responded now let us hear your proposal. rankin then made a radical suggestion. on the declaration of war

congress -- must create a medium of exchange that would be good only during the war. that would be the only legal tender during the war and that money would become illegal the moment the war ends up. then of course those who made profits would have nothing because they could not use the money that was made. i do nothing one over two. in a summit hearing -- i do not think that went over too well. in a senate hearing that she said the invested interest in the war gets contract from the government. running the hundreds of millions of baseband in advertising just as every other institution does and that tremendous a propaganda for war that has to be cut down. in the 1937 she advised congress to study military expenditures. the chairman of the house committee on foreign affairs reprimanded her stance. we are somewhat amazed when an effort is made to organize

another committee by a lobbyist. we do not appreciate it and i think i speak the sentiments of this committee when i say that. undaunted she returned in 38 and 39 to prevent congress from rolling back neutrality provisions. i am interested only in keeping out of the war she told the committee. i'm willing to suffer the consequences of loss of trade. the loss of for more is permanent. the pace and progress is always slowed and it may take hundreds of years to regain the standards we have now i've. if we failed to keep out of war civilizations have been lost in the past. they can be lost in the future. for all of the testimonies -- second run for congress at the age of 60. at the time montana still had to make separate districts and it only has one now by the way. the district she was running for had become more favorable for republicans and was not as

beholden to the copper company. >> famous for her status as the first women in congress rankin visited school after school calling for peace. the experience reminded her of a childhood memory. when a congressman visited her school 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 a president of the united states. now in 1940 rankin told the school children someday we will have a woman president. hearing the hoots from the boys she continued there are opportunities for girls now and opportunities for boys also. she turned to the boys and she said someday one of you may be the husband of a president. in her primary she beat the

republican and faced another former member of congress in the general election. she won reelection to the house taking 54% of the votes. at the time as she predicted no one will pay any attention to me this time. there is nothing unusual about a woman being elected. now what she is described as a slight white-haired woman. she focused on stopping or at least slowing down of the merger toward work, but her amendment to military measures were not adopted. meanwhile she traveled across the country giving lectures in support of peace and

neutrality. on december 7, 1941 she was headed to detroit to speak. on the train she heard of the news of the attack on pearl harbor. she got off the train in pittsburgh and headed back to washington. years later she recalled the 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. nobody could reach me. wellington tried it. everybody try to reach me and they couldn't. i just drove around washington. when she returned she did not take her brother's advice or the advice of anyone else. i was not going to put myself through that again. i was not going to put others through it. trying to persuade me than my not doing it. i just went out on my own. the next day president roosevelt addressed the joint session of congress calling for war. you all are familiar with his opening sentence. yesterday december 7, 1941 a date which will 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 ask that the congress declare

that since the unprovoked attack by japan a state of war has existed between the united states in the japanese empire. immediately following the short speech the joint session dissolved in the house reassembled to consider a state of war with japan. the first war resolution. rankin announced her objection to which the speaker responded this is no unanimous consent request. no objection is in order. one by one members expressed their views on entering the war. the speaker would not recognize rankin to speak although she stood up quickly each time another member sat down. at one point radio stations called her saying please mr. speaker, but the speaker would not call on her. >> the rollcall vote began. when her name was called she said once more in a firm and clear voice she voted no.

she then said as a woman i cannot go to war and i refuse to send anyone else. the gallery elected -- corrupted in booze in his is. according to the washington post at this point representative jeanette rankin of montana played almost in terror and took shelter in a telephone booth against a barrage of photographers and reporters questions. surrounded on all sides that she calls a for a capital police escort back to her office. 24 years ago she voted against america's entry in the war against germany. then her hair was black and her blue eyes were young. she could turn for comfort to the 49 other members of the house who voted no with her. yesterday she raised her voice alone. indeed she truly was alone as every senator also voted for war. rankin spend the afternoon in her office under lease protection. two days later she faced another war vote on december 11

she recorded herself as a present, but refused to vote for or against the were worth jiminy -- the war with germany. she faced the harsh criticism alone. newspapers reported her as disgraceful and disloyal. the montana messenger called her a fanatical women who failed to see beyond the confines of her own or perspectives. she did have a few defenders. a teenage girl wrote whether we agree with the woman or not she has a god-given right to stand up and claim her right of free speech. the editor of the helena people's was entered his opinion. instead of doing hurt they should speak up -- another montana editor wrote probably 100 men in congress would like to do what she did. not one of them have the courage to do it. they entirely disagree with the wisdom of her position, but

lowered it was a briefing. when in 100 years from now courage based on moral indignation that celebrated in this country the name of jeanette rankin who stood firm and folly for her state will be written in monumental bronze. not for what she did, but for the way she did it. according to these defenders rankin's a vote in the war proved that america is a free society. a value worth fighting for. still hurt critics far outnumbered her supporters. telegraph support and from montana and all over the nation. one said because it by your action today you have done a great disservice to the state of montana and american people. if you cannot act as a true and patriotic representative in a time of national apparel we suggest you refrain from acting at all.

indeed it appeared the telegraph sentiment prevailed. after the vote she had no more great acts as a member of congress. she finished the remainder of her term and left washington. this time without a doubt it was a war vote and not a copper company that sunk her chances at reelection. she did not attempt a new campaign. she remained active in -- expanding rights across the globe. in in the years after the second war vote rankin visited countless countries india, turkey, europe, asia, africa. south america. she traveled by cars and buses and planes. she grew older, but age did not slow down. in a 68 at the age of 87 fellow peace activist urged her to plan a margin washington and protest the vietnam war. she was happy to oblige. thus was born the jeanette rankin brigade . the reports of

varied. and some set of 3000 women. sums at 5000. one even declared that 10,000 women assembled at union station to march to the capital building on a cold cast january day. they dressed in a black clothes and older women were in wheelchairs. young mothers pushed baby strollers. of that group a dozen or so women walked up the capitol steps with petitions in hand calling for the end of war. the elderly rankin lot -- led a smaller number into the building to meet with the majority leader from montana. as she did so a police officer offered a studying hand. rankin's friend objected. she can walk. you do not need to help her. rankin nodded . she said you do not need to worry about us. we are unarmed and not at all threatening. do you really need those great big guns to handle an old lady? actually rankin's group and other protesters were in fact extremely threatening. in fact a couple months later

linden -- lyndon johnson announced he would not run again and maybe people said this decision was due in large part to the unpopular war in vietnam. remarkably hers march in the mansfield office was not her last trip to the capital. in 1969 she testified before congressional committees on behalf of the direct election of presidents. she wanted to eliminate the electoral college and set up a system that would allow voters to rank their preferences. in 1970 she returned to the rayburn building for her 90th birthday party. now in a wheelchair and sporting a signature wig she reveled in the praise. members of congress -- indeed even after her death in 93 rankin just could not stay away from the capital. in 1985 montana sent a statue of the -- she stand at

attention in the capital visitor center greeting thousands of school children as they stream in for two of the capital. the figure depicts a bold woman with a clear eyes and calmly facing the future. the phrase i cannot vote for war is written across the bronze statues face. when these words were first uttered they were called week, timidity, a sign of nervous hysteria. decades later they represent the courage and conviction of jeanette rankin. the first woman elected to congress and of the only member to vote against both world wars. rankin has inspired countless members of congress to achieve -- the powerful men of today and tomorrow are likely to look back at jeanette rankin with fondness . they may view her as daring and outspoken. not weaker emotional. i'm going to show you a few pictures of the notable female members of congress. not all of them. there are many. just a few who were influenced by jeanette rankin. margaret chase smith.

first woman to serve both house and congress and i can do a whole series of lectures on senator margaret chase smith. shirley chisholm. first african-american woman in congress. nancy pelosi of course. i wanted to recognize representative luis first female chair of the powerful house rules committee. she passed away last week while she was telling member of congress and i believe her funeral is tomorrow. she has inspired many people in her own rights. so in conclusion to paraphrase that montana editor in 1941. now when encouraged -- celebrated in this country the

name of jeanette rankin is written in monumental prongs -- bronze. not for what she did, but the way she did it. she could not vote for war, but she could and did stand up for the democratic press. thank you and if you have any questions i am happy to try and answer them. yes. >> did rankin encounter any retaliation for her participation in the suffrage movement? so many other suffragists who participated were arrested and jailed for their activities. for protesting. >> i did not see any of that in the newspapers that i surveyed. that is a really interesting question that i could look into. she did suffer a lot for being antiwar and she had some

falling out with suffragists because of that. i never came across her being arrested or anything like that, but i could look into that further. yeah, sure.>> i am interested in the reactions. the other freshman republicans. the 2 photographs you have there. the one of the entire congress. she is honored front and center. they are all being gentlemen of course. i wonder what -- i am sure the others around her are the senior leaders and of the other freshmen are all stuck in the back. did anybody talk about that and her ability to command attention? >> i am sure there are people who had their noises at -- i alluded to where she became the ranking member of the 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 data they could not expect her to have the same circumstances as anybody else. a lot of the circumstances that she faced were very negative it. not being able to go to the bathroom or not getting the respect that a lot of the male freshmen would get. she did also have advantages as well because when you are 435 members and brand-new usually nobody knows who you are, but that was not the case for her. she came into the congress and everybody knew who she was. people all over the country had read the newspaper, so 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 to pull up on that.

>> the house and jim was not integrated for women until the 1990s. that is what got my attention. finally they let the older speakers lounge off the hall -- become a women's lounge. still no restroom near the house floor. it was not until nancy pelosi became speaker and took over.

that is how long it took just for that you know when you look at that and see why it is so important to celebrate the 100th anniversary. in 1920 women did not have rights. if you look back the suffragists were fighting for legal rights. animals had more rights in 1915 then women did in this country and as far as cruelty and other things. for her to be elected in that period is even more astounding when you think about it. >> i do think so. i think she was elected before women had the vote nationwide. really impressive.

i think that if she were able to see how far we have come today i think she would be happy that we had a female speaker of the house. i think in other ways that 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, but in other ways i think she would be mad. she liked to say -- yeah. the one representative who was like afraid that the majority of the house would be women. that has not happened yet. material for her campaign and that one of them says to look for the name on the ballot if you do not see it asked the judge. was there really some fear that

-- might omit her name? >> i believe so. i do not think that ended up being a problem, but it was a concern for her and she was going to make sure that everybody would know that it has to be there. in the end, she really did very well in her election, so i do not think that it turned out to be a real problem.>> a couple questions. this is a technical question on your language. you said in 1940 she was reelected. if that actually corrected because if a congress woman or man has served previously -- >> i actually have colleagues in the back you might be able to answer that. probably reelected -- elected again might be the better -- >> yet. you are the expert -- yeah. you are the expert.? i would say she was probably elected a second time.

reelected later. >> okay. good. this may be a terrible question. is at the legacy of rankin's role and -- clear into the 1960s because i was looking at women in congress in the 60s and of the reached 18 and 19 members of those in the house. i'm talking about both house and senate. total numbers. somewhere in the middle of the 60s -- that is a long time from 1917. is it possible rankin's legacy also affected the whole national mood towards

voting women into office for all of those years because the numbers really took off. even went down amazingly in the 60s before suddenly the next generation -- >> that is an interesting question. i do not know if it would be very easy to determine. even if i really looked into it because you have to look at intentions behind not only the people who did run, but the people who decided not to run. i do not know if you can actually answer that. i know that her vote for -- against of the first world war upset a lot of people because they felt like it pulled back the possibility of women to -- both in the suffrage movement and women who might want to be politicians, so there was a fear that the votes could have -- both of the movements of the suffrage in female politicians,

but i think there will be many other factors to consider before i would say jeanette rankin was a part of that. >> except for their party affiliation and her vote against war it seems like she and eleanor roosevelt would have been -- did you find any of that? >> it is important to note that at this time you had the progressive republicans and a lot of the people who were republican in the early 20th century probably would have become democrats later on and the progressive republicans and liberal democrats faced overlapping on a lot of issues. yes. when you look at a lot of women in the progressive movement they were republican, but what they were fighting for was child -- elimination of child labor and helping people's

working conditions, so it is hard to say if one person was republican or democrat when you look back over the time when it had a different meaning. another thing about jeanette rankin was that she never said i am a republican. she said i run on the republican ticket, so she was very independent. her family was very heavily 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 the parties and when she looked at the election process for president to make it a direct election in the 1960s it she was clear in her testimony that she was not a fan of primaries and having the way the primaries make people skewed to one side or the other. she wanted everybody to have an equal chance no matter what party they were from.

>> she was the first one elected? was she the first one to put on a serious campaign? >> i believe so. yes. as far as i know. there might have been people who tried running, but just did not get anywhere in the process. as far as major -- >> all of those states in the west did not run? >> yes. another question? >> thank you, again. >> okay. thank you. i am happy to answer any questions if anybody has any individual questions they would like to ask. i appreciate everything and thank you, chuck.>> monday on landmark cases. a case on capital punishment. in 1976 troy leon greg a convicted armed robbery and murder challenged his death sentence.

his case and further capital punishment cases were considered by the court. the supreme court ruled against it, but establish stricter guidelines for states wishing to impose the death penalty. our guest to discuss this landmark case is harold snyder. one of the nation's top capital punishment legal scholars and professor at harvard law school. he argued against the death penalty in a number of cases before the court. she was also a former clerk of supreme court justice service marshall into the legal director of the criminal justice legal foundation. advocating in favor of capital punishment at a more swift moving criminal justice system. watch landmark cases and monday at nine eastern on cspan and join the conversation. our hashtag is landmark cases and follow us at cspan. we have resources on our website for background on each case . a link to the national constitution and interactive constitution and the landmark cases podcast at cspan.org/landmark cases . up

next. western university professor, laura clark shower talks about her book the threshold of manifest destiny. gender international expansion in florida. she argues that 19th-century property rights in florida benefited married white women while heavily disadvantaging single women and people of color. university of missouri is host of this 90 minute discussion.>> good afternoon, everybody. thank you so much for joining us. i am an assistant professor in the women's and gender's to study -- university of missouri. my name is julie and i am really honored to be introducing our women's history month keynote address speaker, laura. this keynote address has been generously sponsored by women's and gender studies and by the kander institute here at the university of missouri.