Women’s History Month is a chance for us to honor the sacrifices of the women whose accomplishments have given every woman and girl the opportunity to succeed, thrive and make her own mark on history.  Please join Washington Area Women’s Foundation in celebrating this very special month by learning more about our shared history and investing in the future by making a donation.  Watch the video below for details.

Q: Who was the first black woman from a Southern state to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives?  Hint — she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994.

A: Barbara Jordan was the first African-American elected to the Texas Senate after reconstruction and the first Southern black woman ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.  In 1976, she became the first African-American woman to deliver the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. Her speech is ranked 5th in Top 100 American Speeches of the 20th Century list and is considered by some historians to have been the best convention keynote address in modern history.  She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, among numerous other honors.

Q: Which First Lady arranged the planting of the 3,000 cherry trees that bloom every year in the Tidal Basin?

A: First Lady Helen Taft arranged for the planting of 3,000 Japanese cherry trees in the Tidal Basin in March, 1972.  She planted the first two trees and was joined by the wife of the Japanese ambassador.

A Cincinnati native, Helen Taft married William Howard Taft in 1886.  Mrs. Taft was a major champion of her husband’s political career.  Two months after Taft became president in 1909, Mrs. Taft suffered a stroke which impaired her speech.  She continued to entertain and served alcohol at White House events, even though prohibition was a major issue of the time.

Mrs. Taft died in 1943.  She is buried at Arlington National Cemetery next to her husband.  Her legacy lives on today in the thousands of cherry trees that blossom every spring.

Q: Who was the first known American woman to enlist in the Army?

A: Deborah Sampson Gannett enlisted in the Continental Army in 1778.  Because women were not able to enlist at the time, she disguised herself as man and used her brother’s name, “Robert Shurtliff.”  A tall and strong woman, Deborah wanted “to become one of the severest avengers of the wrong.”  She was chosen for the Light Infantry Company of the 4th Massachusetts Regiment.

Deborah fought in several skirmishes.  In the first, near Tarrytown, New York, she was injured by two musket balls in her thigh and a cut on her forehead.  She begged to be left on the battlefield to die, but was taken to a hospital where doctors treated the cut on her head.  She left before they could get to her other injury and discover her secret.  Deborah ended up removing one of the musket balls herself using a knife and sewing needle.  The other was too deep for her to extract.

Later, a doctor did end up discovering her secret while he was treating her for a fever, but he did not reveal her identity.  She was honorably discharged in 1783.  After her discharge, Deborah publicly revealed that she’d been in disguise.

Deborah went on to marry and have children but suffered many financial hardships.  Like many soldiers, she had difficulty obtaining the pension she was due and in 1790, she began working publicly to secure her pension.  She was aided by close friend Paul Revere.  She was placed on the pension list in 1805 and was ultimately able to secure a general service pension in 1821.

Q: Which woman was arrested and charged in 1872 because she had the audacity to vote in a presidential election?

A: Susan B. Anthony — a civil rights and women’s suffrage activist — was arrested in 1872 for voting (Serena & Nancy were right!).  On November 1st, she and her three sisters entered a Rochester, New York voter registration office and demanded they be registered.  When election officials refused them, Anthony quoted the Fourteenth Amendment which states that “all persons born and naturalized in the United States… are citizens….” and entitled to citizens’ privileges including, Anthony reasoned, the right to vote, regardless of gender.  When officials still refused her, Anthony threatened to sue them.  She was registered and four days later cast her ballot — a straight Republican ticket.

On November 18th, as U.S. deputy marshal arrived at Anthony’s home to arrest her.  She insisted that he put handcuffs on her before leading her out of the house.  Anthony was among a group of women arrested for voting earlier that month, along with the ballot inspectors who authorized their votes.

She was convicted seven months later after a trial in which the judge refused to allow her to testify or submit statements.  Conveniently, he also wrote his opinion of the trial before it even began, and he read that after her conviction, too.  The sentence was a $100 fine, which she never paid and the government never collected.  She used the publicity from the trial to spread her message.

Throughout Women’s History Month, The Women’s Foundation will be sharing facts, news and commentary about women and the important roles they’ve played in our communities — both yesterday and today.  Visit the blog every morning and check back again in the afternoon for new info!