Never Underestimate A College Educated Woman with Her Own Money

Visiting Susan B Anthony Birthplace Museum in Adams, MA reinforces what I have come to know about the great women of  change I have read about in the early nineteenth century...educated women that come from wealthy supportive families that include a father and mother in the home, started a movement that all women would join in time.

Many of the Suffragettes had a moral code they followed because of their religious beliefs, however knew when to NOT follow these religions when it impaired women's right to be vocal about equality to any man in marriage, intelligence, professional position, and decision making. SBA and Alice Paul identified as Quakers. They decided to dedicate their life to change for women. For women to have power in politics and the law, they had to be able to legally vote. For without a vote they were being governed without representation in the USA. They chose a career over a family, never married or had children. Since there was no birth control, how do you think these educated women accomplished this?

The main women, the founders, came from religious, respectful, families that supported the Abolitionist cause and saw the need for women to vote. Many of the top leaders decided not to marry or have children. Their obsession was for one thing, work to obtain the legal right to vote for women. 

The founders were in close contact with the aristocrats of society. These aristocratic women had family wealth and who had married men of wealth, these were the ones that financed the Suffragettes through donations.  Husbands supported the donations to the cause, not all men were bigoted. Once enough donations were secured, the leaders could go on the lecture circuit to spread the news to women about the need to lobby the government to give women the right to vote. They printed their own flyers, they sewed their own banners, and marched in peaceful parades.  Violence occurred when crowds that disagreed started it.

Lecturers were able to collect more money for the cause from the general public on the lecture circuits. Women who had obtained a college education through much adversity and women that did not come from wealthy families joined. Whatever was needed they volunteered to do. They would do manual labor and domestic duties, nothing was beneath these women of determination with a heart to serve others to cause positive change for all. None of these women would reduce themselves to selling their bodies for any purpose. This would not be considered.

What these women endured through imprisonment, chauvinistic men, blinded women, that hit them, threw bottles and vegetables at them simply because they wanted equality is unimaginable to the modern woman of USA...or is it?  Where did these "strong women go?"

Today we have American women more concerned about looking beautiful, being worshipped, getting rich, and being praised, than being respected independent thinkers with a heart of service to others including their own children. 

Many women and "celebrity" women today will take off their clothes to get attention, to walk the red carpet, to be in a movie, to be famous, and too many young girls and boys, lacking sound parental guidance are confused as they watch this on their Ipads...Egads!  This is not behavior to copy and it does not move women forward. We are going backwards in women's evolution with this behavior.

Here's a tip: Ladies, men like us even if we are fully clothed, there is another way to get respectable attention in this world.

We need women that are thought leaders that have a healthy self-respect to cause positive changes for all women and children in all professions with a view to "peaceful solutions." 

"If change is to be, it starts with me."

Susan B Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Catherine Catt, Alice Paul did their job in their time and now it is our time to carry the torch for men and women to unite for freedom, respect, independence and peace in our own country and our turn is now.  

Thankful for the right to vote, it was a beginning, now it is my turn to make a difference, so I write. I endeavor to be the change I want to see in the world knowing it is not my job to change anyone.

I found anger moves in me when I believe it is my job to change others and they do not.  We need change not angry hate towards one another.  We need laws that protect us from violence. We need to question our own thoughts.

What are you doing to cause positive social change? Do you think you need to do anything?

Thanks Susan, Catherine, Alice, Cady, etc.!