Book excerpt: "We the Women" by Norah O'Donnell

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In "We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America" (to beryllium published Feb. 24 by Ballantine Books), CBS News' Norah O'Donnell, penning with Kate Andersen Brower, uncover the often-overlooked stories of the "hidden heroines" who fought for state and equality successful each areas of American life, from the courtroom to the battlefield, from male-dominated corridors of power, to protestation movements.

Read an excerpt below, and don't miss Mo Rocca's interrogation with Norah O'Donnell connected "CBS Sunday Morning" February 22!

"We the Women" by Norah O'Donnell

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Introduction

On July 4, 1876, celebrations of America's centennial were planned each crossed the country, with the grandest lawsuit taking spot successful Philadelphia. Thousands stood successful the blistering prima to perceive the speechmaking of the Declaration of Independence, but a tiny radical of women gathered successful America's birthplace had their ain patriotic connection to deliver.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and different suffragists from crossed America had been denied the close to enactment successful the day's activities. Elizabeth had been told by the antheral successful complaint that the programme was already full, truthful the women decided that they would person to tempest the signifier to beryllium heard.

Outside Independence Hall, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia — whose gramps had projected independency from England a period earlier — work from the archetypal Declaration of Independence, which promised adjacent rights. When helium finished, Susan and 4 different women roseate from the assemblage and marched their mode to the beforehand of the platform, which was adorned successful red, achromatic and bluish for the holiday.

The assemblage was caught disconnected guard. Susan encountered nary resistance, lone the stunned, airy look of the presiding officer, Senator Thomas W. Ferry. She handed him their pamphlet, entitled the "Declaration of Rights of the Women of the United States," which helium begrudgingly accepted, frankincense making it an authoritative portion of the day's proceedings. It was a groundbreaking, four-page database of grievances that equated women's oppression with the attraction the colonies received by King George III.

The radical of women caused capable of a disturbance that men successful the assemblage stood connected their seats to spot what was happening. As they rapidly exited the stage, they handed other copies of their manifesto to men who eagerly reached for the documents.

The women had created their ain fireworks — excessively overmuch for General Joseph R. Hawley who shouted, "Order! Order!" As caput of the U.S. Centennial Commission, Hawley was the antheral who had denied Elizabeth's petition for the women to participate. "We are crowded for time," helium had written successful a letter. Those words had travel backmost to haunt him.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, president of the National Women's Suffrage Association (NWSA), and her colleagues had hoped to usage the juncture to item the hypocrisy of celebrating independency portion fractional the colonisation were inactive denied their close to vote. "We thought it would beryllium fitting for america to work our Declaration of Rights instantly aft that of the Fathers was read, arsenic an impeachment of them and their antheral descendants for their injustice and oppression," Elizabeth aboriginal recounted.

The six NWSA members who had stormed the signifier past moved to the beforehand of Independence Hall for the adjacent melodramatic infinitesimal of the day. In her memoirs, Elizabeth, described the scene:

"Here, nether the shadiness of Washington's statue, [behind] them the aged doorbell that proclaimed, 'liberty to each the onshore and each the inhabitants thereof,' they took their places, and to a listening, applauding crowd, Miss Anthony work the Women's Declaration."

Susan B. Anthony's remarks began, "While the federation is buoyant with patriotism, and each hearts are attuned to praise, it is with sorrow we travel to onslaught the 1 discordant note, connected this one-hundredth day of our country's birth."

Standing successful the sweltering noon heat, wearing a dense Victorian petticoat, Susan reminded the assemblage that women had nary close to vote, nary matrimony rights, nary existent ineligible protections, and were taxable to taxation without representation.

"We inquire justice, we inquire equality, we inquire that each the civilian and governmental rights that beryllium to citizens of the United States, beryllium guaranteed to america and our daughters forever."

Our daughters forever.

This courageous telephone for cosmopolitan suffrage, delivered connected the centennial solemnisation of the Fourth of July, helped animate the conflict that would culminate successful the transition of the 19th Amendment much than 4 decades later. It was a profound American infinitesimal that helped guarantee we all present person the close to vote.

***

I didn't larn astir this bonzer time successful schoolhouse oregon from the galore past books I've read. Why is this infinitesimal a specified footnote to our country's communicative alternatively than a centerpiece of our lessons? Most of the past I learned successful schoolhouse was, well, beauteous boring — oregon should I accidental much politely, hard to subordinate to! But I tin subordinate to these bold and superb women who had not been fixed a spot astatine the array oregon an adjacent accidental and had to unit their mode to the stage.

As I learned much astir these salient suffragists, I began to wonderment what other was missing from my knowing of our nation's founding papers and the centuries-long conflict for civilian rights and women's rights. I was funny astir different women who helped alteration the people of past successful America that we cognize small about; the hidden heroines who against each likelihood fought for the freedoms outlined successful the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. How did their actions pb to my freedoms today? Most importantly, I tin vote. I tin besides ain my ain spot and person my ain slope account. I tin enactment arsenic a writer and inquire pugnacious questions to radical successful positions of power.

Those rights were not afforded to women astatine our country's founding. They had to beryllium hard-won implicit the past 250 years.

"We clasp these truths to beryllium self-evident, that each men are created equal." Those precise words created this state and are the spark that lit each gyration successful American history. Yet for the women astatine America's centennial, much than fractional of the colonisation were inactive denied the inalienable rights of "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." Susan, Elizabeth, and their chap suffragists were not equal. In their declaration, they affirmed a content successful quality rights for all, which they called the "corner stones of a republic."

As you'll larn successful this book, women person ne'er fixed up the combat to recognize a much cleanable union. The heroes successful this publication powerfully exemplify the 250-year conflict they person fought to execute that amended mentation of America. Their persistent defence of this country's ideals astatine location and overseas has forced our federation to unrecorded up to its promises.

Women person bled for their state during each warfare successful our nation's history. Some women took a slug for America erstwhile they didn't adjacent person the close to vote. Women besides built this state — from bridges to banks to hospitals; and they birthed movements, not conscionable suffrage but besides the Civil Rights movement. As Harriet Beecher Stowe famously enactment it, "Women are the existent architects of society." Many of these large aboriginal pistillate reformers were abolitionist leaders. Again and again, women person demanded their place, their rights and rights for others.

"We the People," is the operation that begins the U.S. Constitution, and it is meant to punctual america each that the authorization of our authorities comes straight from each of its citizens; that our authorities is by and for the people. This publication is titled, "We the Women," arsenic a reminder of the shared struggle, the corporate fight, by women and for women, to marque definite that our authorities recognizes each of its citizens.

It's a communicative often missing from our past books. The National Women's History Museum recovered lone 15% of what is taught successful America's schools highlights the achievements and past of women. We privation to alteration that. This retelling of the American communicative puts women successful their rightful spot connected the pages of history.

On a much idiosyncratic note, I wonderment however my ain consciousness of self, power, and courageousness mightiness person been shaped if I had learned much astir these women arsenic a young girl.

***

As America celebrates its 250th Birthday, a much cleanable national is inactive a enactment successful progress. Even still, the United States of America's antiauthoritarian ideals are the envy of the world. The committedness of the American imagination is what brought my grandma to the U.S. successful the 1930s.

Mary Teresa Monaghan O'Kane was the oldest of 9 children, a Catholic surviving successful Protestant-controlled Northern Ireland. My grandma started moving astatine the property of 12 years aged successful a linen mill successful Belfast, traveling done barbed ligament and barricades each day, not to schoolhouse but to a occupation to enactment her family. She ne'er made it past the 8th grade, but she was astute capable to cognize she had to permission Northern Ireland.

So, she did what truthful galore young Irish women did successful the aboriginal 20th century: she garnered her courage, boarded a boat, each alone, and acceptable sail for America inspired by a imagination for a caller life. The week-long, transatlantic voyage connected a steam vessel was notorious. James Joyce, the renowned Irish author, erstwhile described the Atlantic Ocean arsenic a "bowl of bitter tears," to seizure the sorrow of immigrants leaving their homeland.

My grandma arrived astatine Ellis Island successful 1930. When she entered New York Harbor, she was greeted by the Statue of Liberty. Think astir that! A pistillate — Lady Liberty! — holding a torch, welcoming radical similar my grandma to America's shore. What did this 150-year-old state connection a young woman? Certainly, my grandma believed determination would beryllium opportunities for women not provided for them successful Ireland.

If I could question backmost successful time, I'd clasp my frightened grandmother's manus and say, "It's going to beryllium okay. Look astatine this bronze plaque connected the pedestal of Lady Liberty." It reads successful part, "Give maine your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to respire free." I'd say, "Grandma, that was written by young pistillate poet. Her sanction is Emma Lazarus. America is the onshore of opportunity."

You mightiness deliberation my Irish grandmother's communicative is lone remembered arsenic portion of my household past and yet she is recorded successful America's narrative. I recovered her signature successful a publication astatine the National Archives successful Washington, D.C., wherever upon accomplishment successful America she listed her assemblage arsenic a handkerchief stitcher. She had conscionable $20 to her name.

The bold tone and bravery that brought my grandma crossed the Atlantic lives wrong the women that we diagnostic successful the book. Each pistillate represents the humanities value of the play successful which she lived. Some of them are trailblazers, immoderate fought successful war; others fought successful a courtroom, oregon for equality successful sports and business. All of them were changemakers.

For astir 3 decades, I've spent my vocation arsenic a writer amplifying the stories of women. This publication is an enlargement of that work. Our probe led america to uncover immoderate beauteous astounding stories. It was a hard process to constrictive down who to diagnostic crossed 250 years of American past wherever women's contributions person been not lone extraordinary, but often overlooked.

Mary Katherine Goddard is the lone pistillate whose sanction is connected the Declaration of Independence; Belva Lockwood was the archetypal pistillate to reason earlier the U.S. Supreme Court and the archetypal to tally for president; Susette La Flesche spent her beingness advocating for Indigenous people's rights; Mary McLeod Bethune's led the Black Cabinet during FDR's presidency; and Frances Perkins was the designer of the New Deal and the nation's archetypal pistillate Cabinet member.

Many held the favoritism of being the archetypal successful their field, breaking barriers similar Phillis Wheatley, the archetypal African American pistillate to people a publication of poems; Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell was the archetypal pistillate admitted to a aesculapian school; and Agnes Meyer Driscoll is the First Lady of Naval Cryptology. One of them was not conscionable the first, but to this time is the only: Dr. Mary Edwards Walker is the lone pistillate to person the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest subject decoration.

Through this journey, I developed a idiosyncratic transportation to each of these women, a consciousness of admiration for what they endured and for the courageousness it took for them to support going successful the look of adversity, discrimination, and hatred. I anticipation they animate you, the mode they inspired me.

Our extremity is not to present a afloat biography of the women we are showcasing, but to overgarment a representation of their grit and determination to beryllium treated arsenic — not conscionable nether the instrumentality but successful society. We wanted to item women who pushed America to unrecorded up to its founding promises: liberty, equality, and the pursuit of happiness.

We relied connected historians who person made it their life's enactment to rediscover these women. But we are not historians. So, if there's something oregon someone missing, my anticipation is that you excessively volition assistance stock their stories. We didn't see each celebrated pistillate you heard of; there's nary section connected Abigail Adams, though she is simply a wide influential founding mother. But determination is simply a section connected Abigail's person Mercy Otis Warren, who wrote the archetypal past of the revolution. There are galore women passim past who exemplify America's values, and we couldn't perchance constitute astir each of them. We wanted, arsenic overmuch arsenic possible, for each illustration to consciousness similar a gem we were uncovering — thing new, and valuable, with a important past worthy of discovery.

Each of america plays a relation successful the arc of history. I emotion that phrase. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said the arc of past is long, but it bends toward justice. These women person been cardinal to bending that arc toward justice. Throughout this process, erstwhile I felt discouraged by challenges successful my ain life, these women filled maine with consciousness of grit and resilience. My anticipation is that you, too, are inspired by their lives.

From "We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America" by Norah O'Donnell with Kate Andersen Brower, published by Ballantine Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No portion of this excerpt whitethorn beryllium reproduced oregon reprinted without support successful penning from the publisher.

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"We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America" by Norah O'Donnell with Kate Andersen Brower (Ballantine Books), successful Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, disposable February 24

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