U.S. Treasurer Rosie Rios was in Seneca Falls, New York (the birthplace of women's rights) on August 31 to discuss women on the new $10 bill. Hosted by the National Women's Hall of Fame, the Town Hall meeting was held at the Wesleyan Chapel, the site of the first Women's Rights Convention in 1848, now part of Women's Rights National Historical Park, a unit of the National Park Service. Through the work of womenon20s, Harriet Tubman was selected earlier this year through a nationwide vote to be on the new $20 bill. As we continue to discuss women on the money, let's discover some of the many accomplished women through history. Match the following women with her contribution:
____ 1. She died before enactment of the Nineteenth Amendment enfranchising women, yet she knew its outcome was inevitable - as she said "Failure is Impossible."
____ 2. A guide and interpreter for the Lewis and Clark expedition.
____ 3. A conductor on the Underground Railroad, she brought more than 300 people out of enslavement.
____ 4. One of the chief architects of the first women's rights convention in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York, she worked on the cause of women's rights for fifty years.
A. Sacagawea
B. Elizabeth Cady Stanton
C. Susan B. Anthony
D. Harriet Tubman
Because Sacagawea and her infant were part of the Lewis and Clark expedition, the native peoples who were encountered along the way knew that the expedition came in peace. Sacagawea served as a guide and interpreter for the expedition, which she and her family joined in 1805. Her knowledge of native plants was helpful to the expedition and her calmness helped save journals and papers when their boat almost capsized. Featured on a U.S. dollar coin, Sacagawea has been inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton decided to advocate for women's rights while attending the World Anti-Slavery Convention in London in 1840. There she met delegate Lucretia Mott, who had been denied a seat at the Convention as she was a woman. Together they decided that they would work on the cause when they returned to the U.S. The opportune time presented itself in 1848 and they called a convention in Seneca Falls, New York. There the Declaration of Sentiments was issued and the fight for women's rights began. Stanton would work for women's rights for the next fifty years. She has been inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. An advocate for putting her image on the new $10 bill spoke on her behalf during the Town Hall meeting.
Although Susan B. Anthony did not attend that first women's rights convention in 1848, her name has become almost synonymous with the women's rights movement. Working in partnership with Stanton, Anthony toured the country tirelessly for thirty years. She came to the women's rights movement after being denied the opportunity to speak, because of her gender, at a temperance convention. Featured on a U.S. dollar coin, Anthony has been inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
Escaped slave Harriet Tubman risked her life 19 times to go back to the South and rescue an estimated 300 people from bondage. Known as a fearless "conductor," she carried a pistol with her in case her charges became reluctant and needed encouragement. Her courage and daring earned her the nickname of "Moses" (as this brave person couldn't possibly have been a woman!). During the Civil War, she served as a scout and spy for the Union Army. Tubman, the candidate selected by nationwide voting to be featured on the $20 bill, has been elected to the National Women's Hall of Fame.
Learn about more she-roes and celebrate amazing women. All of these women are profiled in the book Her Story: A Timeline of the Women Who Changed America. We are proud to stand on their shoulders and honor their contributions.
(Answers 1-C, 2-A, 3-D, 4-B )