Mary McLeod Bethune was born on July 10, 1875 in Mayesville, South Carolina to two former slaves. She was a dynamic figure and a tireless worker who devoted her life to the betterment of the lives of others, specifically the lives of blacks, women, and children during the Progressive Era. She was one of the few women in the world that served as a college president. Upon her death, columnist Louis E. Martin said, "She gave out faith and hope as if they were pills and she some sort of doctor." Bethune began her career as a teacher, believing that the key to changing the lives of blacks was to educate black women, saying “I believe that the greatest hope for the development of my race lies in training our women thoroughly and practically." In 1904, she started the Literary and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls in Daytona, which eventually became Bethune-Cookman College. She was president of the college from 1923–42 and 1946–47, one of the few women in the world who served as a college president. In 1896, he National Association of Colored Women (NACW) was formed to promote the needs and rights of black women. In 1917, Bethune became the President of the Association’s Florida chapter, a position she held until 1925.
Mary Domsky-Abrams; one of the few to get out of the building, in the beginning of the fire, she recalls talking to one of the managers named: Bonstein. “ As he came near us on that fateful day, one girl asked him, “Mr. Bonstein, why theres is not water buckets?. In case of fire, there would be nothing with which to fight it.” He became enraged at our group of price committee members, and with inhuman anger replied” If you’ll burn, there’ll be something to put out the fire.”
Margaret Cochran Corbin (1751-c.1800) fought alongside her husband in the American Revolutionary War and was the first woman to receive pension from the United States government as a disabled soldier. She was born Nov. 12, 1751 near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., orphaned at the age of five and was raised by relatives. When she was twenty-one she married John Corbin. John joined the Continental Army when the American Revolution started four years later and Margaret accompanied her husband. Wives of the soldiers often cooked for the men, washed their laundry and nursed wounded soldiers. They also watched the men do their drills and, no doubt, learned those drills, too.
“Even in the modern day world, women struggle against discriminatory stigmas based on their sex. However, the beginnings of the feminist movement in the early 20th century set in motion the lasting and continuing expansion of women's rights” (Open Websites). One such organization that pushed for women’s rights was the National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA) established in 1890. The NAWSA was the largest suffrage organization and worked toward securing the right to vote. The NAWSA however was split into two, the NAWSA and the National Women’s Party (NWP), when suffragists were disagreeing on how to achieve their goal.
The history of The Black Civil Rights Movement in the United States is a fascinating account of a group of human beings, forcibly taken from their homeland, brought to a strange new continent, and forced to endure countless inhuman atrocities. Forced into a life of involuntary servitude to white slave owners, African Americans were to face an uphill battle for many years to come. Who would face that battle? To say the fight for black civil rights "was a grassroots movement of ordinary people who accomplished extraordinary things" would be an understatement. Countless people made it their life's work to see the progression of civil rights in America. People like W.E.B. DuBois, Marcus Garvey, A Phillip Randolph, Eleanor Roosevelt, and many others contributed to the fight although it would take ordinary people as well to lead the way in the fight for civil rights. This paper will focus on two people whose intelligence and bravery influenced future generations of civil rights organizers and crusaders. Ida B.Wells and Mary Mcleod Bethune were two African American women whose tenacity and influence would define the term "ordinary to extraordinary".
Mary Rowlandson was an Indian captive, and also an American writer. She was born in England approximately 1637-1638. She immigrated to Lancaster, Massachusetts with her parents. Joseph Rowlandson became a minister in 1654 and two years later he married Mary. They together had four children, one whom died as an infant, but the others were Joseph, Mary, and Sarah.
Ida B. Wells continued the fight against mob violence and lynching to the end of her life. She showed us the way towards achieving real social justice by participating in the founding of the NAACP -- the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People -- in 1909. This alliance of whites and blacks represented a new stage in the crusade to stop racial violence and inequality. The great legal, moral, and political victories won by the NAACP and the civil rights movement stand as proof of one of Ida Wells' deepest convictions. Wells understood that justice could not be fully achieved without interracial cooperation.
Mary McLeod Bethune was an innovative leader because she took a story which was largely latent in the population, equal education rights for black children, and brought it to national prominence through the creation of the Bethune-Cookman college. She was also a visionary leader because of the incredible success she was able to attain in advancing the cause of equal education.
Mary MacKillop was born in Fitzroy, Melbourne on January the 15th 1842. She was the first child to Alexander MacKillop and Flora MacDonald. Mary was one child out of 8 and spent most of her childhood years looking after and acting like a second mother to her siblings. The MacKillop family were quite poor so at the young age of 14, Mary got herself a job as a governess and as teacher at a Portland school. All the money Mary earned went towards her families everyday living. While working as a governess, Mary met Father Julian Tension Woods. By the time Mary had reached the age of 15 she had decided that she wanted to be a nun. She also wanted to devote her life to the poor and less fortunate. So upon meeting Father Julian Tension Woods she told him her hopes and dreams, and together they decided to set up a school. In 1861, they worked together and opened Australia's first free Catholic school. At the time only the rich could afford schooling. But at the school Mary opened anyone was welcome. Mary was a great teacher and became very popular within the community. Although Mary was very pleased with her work she still felt a religious calling. So Mary and Father Woods started their own order, 'The Sisters of St. Joseph.' In 1867 Mary then moved to Adelaide where she opened another school. Before long there were 17 schools open across Australia. Mary's followers grew and by 1909 she had followers all over Australia. Mary later died on the 8th of August 1909.
Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first female physician in America, struggled with sexual prejudice to earn her place in history. She was born in Bristol, England on February 3, 1821 to a liberal and wealthy family. She was the third daughter in a family of nine children. Her father, Samuel Blackwell, believed in the value of education and knowledge and hired a governess for the girls, even though many girls were not educated in those days. In 1832, the family sugar cane plantation went bankrupt, forcing the family to move to America.
At this point, they were simply fighting for social acceptance. Brave women began to give public speeches about their opinions on slavery and women’s rights. These women included Ernestine Rose, Abby Kelley Foster, and Lucy Stone. Several women also attempted to vote, but were either turned down or arrested for violating the law. About a decade later, the first National Women’s Rights Convention took place, due the fact that women’s suffrage had begun to become a very well-known concept among America’s female population. As suffrage continued, several suffrage organizations were established, two of which were on the national level. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton co-lead one, while Lucy Stone lead the other. Both groups were rivals for years, even though they both wanted primarily the same thing. Eventually, the two groups became allies and merged in the 1890, under the name National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) with Anthony as the leader. By 1916, a woman named Alice Paul formed the National Women’s Party (WWP). Unfortunately, over 200 of its supporters were arrested while picketing
...s, and beliefs. She spoke on behalf of women’s voting rights in Washington D.C, Boston, and New York. She also was the first speaker for the foundation, National Federation of Afro-American Women. On top of all of it, she helped to organize the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (blackhistorystudies.com 2014).
The Quakers in particular realized that this was very contradictory to the public morality of America. Slavery was constantly destroying the social and cultural defenses that Africans relied upon. As for women, they were denied the right to vote and to hold political offices. New Jersey lawmakers specifically had the mindset that women suffrage should be rejected for the “safety, quiet, and good order and dignity of the state.” However, these two groups began fight against their oppression. Through writing and petitioning, African Americans weaken the arguments in favor of slavery reminding whites that African Americans, too had the natural right to liberty. Furthermore, African Americans like Benjamin Banneker, Phillis Wheatley, and Richard Allen became more accomplished, leading whites to reconsider the role that African Americans could have in society. Slavery was eventually abolished by 1800 in the northern states due to these things. Although the racist mindset was still there, the abolishment of slavery in the north was a step in the right direction. Moreover, republicanism also encouraged women like Abigail Adams to take a stand. In response to the wave of republicanism that was sweeping America, made new demands on their husbands and government. African Americans made emphasis on natural rights. Women focused political ideology. They argued that if this new republic were to last, women must be able to “nurture the right values in their children and as wives to instruct their husbands in proper behavior.” Women began make advancement. In 1780, a large volunteer women’s organization was founded by Ester Deberdt. In 1790, the New Jersey legislature allowed property owning women to vote. Jefferson, however, said that America was still not prepared for a woman to hold office. Yet, the important aspect that was changing in America was the view that the essence of
The history of nursing important to understand because it can help our professionals today to know why things are the way it is now and can have solutions to unsolvable problems from history. Captain Mary Lee Mills was an African-American woman born in Wallace, North Carolina in August 1912. She was a role model, an international nursing leader, and a humanitarian in her time. She joined many nursing associations, she participated in public health conferences, gained recognition and won numerous awards for her notable contributions to public health nursing. Her contributions throughout her lifetime made a huge impact on the world today and has changed the lives of how people live because of her passion for public health nursing.
Female African-American's were kept from experiencing any form of higher learning; they were confined to common household chores- duties that were befitting of a maid. The majorities were sent to perform field duties. It is clearly shown in the autobiography of Sojourner Truth, written by Nell Painter, that Sojourner (a.k.a.) Isabella Braumfree was forced to do this type of work throughout her adult life. Meanwhile her life began to take shape in spite of the continuous restriction of her emotional growth. This was directly related to her mother's beliefs about God and the magnitude of His power in relation to suffering and distressing si...
Once the Civil War was over, women wasted no time beginning their fight for their rights again. To bring together the people of their cause, the National American Women’s Suffrage Association (NAWSA) was created in 1887 (McGill, Elizabeth Cady Stanton). Elizabeth Cady Stanton became the first acting president (Loveday, Women’s Suffrage). To gain more people to support their cause, the NAWSA teamed up with the newly freed slaves (Loveday, Women’s Suffrage). Together, they hoped to further their causes and lend support when it was needed. In the mid-1890’s, Stanton also created the first Women’s Bible(McGill, Elizabeth Cady Stanton). It wasn’t accepted into the NAWSA, though, because the members feared the controversy around (McGill, Elizabeth Cady Stanton).