There are several important figures in the history of the United States whose contribution to social and human rights development can not be forgotten. Among these people, such female national heroes as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sarah Moore Grimke, and Angela Grimke take a vital part. Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a symbol of modern feminism, a judge of the U.S. Supreme Court, and just a woman who, without exaggeration, is an icon of modern America. On January 8, it became known that 86-year-old Ruth had beaten cancer for the fourth time. We tell you why this is not only her personal victory but the whole country.
After graduating from Cornell University, she enrolled at Harvard and later transferred to Columbia Law School, from which she graduated with the highest grades in her stream. With excellent education and excellent recommendations from professors, it would seem that she is waiting for a brilliant start to her legal career. Ginzburg faced gender inequality: despite the strong recommendation of the professors, Supreme Court Judge Felix Frankfurter rejected her candidacy for a clerk position only because of her gender. When she got the professorship in 1963, she was paid less than her male colleagues. She continued to work and, in 1972, began her human rights work.
Ginsburg participated in six cases on gender inequality filed with the Supreme Court and won five, fighting discrimination against women and men. For example, one of the laws stated that widowers, unlike widows, cannot receive benefits for the care of minors. She challenged the law because it contradicted the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and won the case. In 1980, she was appointed to the position of judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, and in 1993 she was confirmed as a judge of the Supreme Court (Feigen, 2021). In her new position, she gained great power — by a majority decision, the Supreme Court can overturn any law or decision of the president of the country, recognizing it unconstitutional.
The next national hero who also contributed to human rights in the United States is Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the founder of American suffragism. She persuaded Senator Sargent to submit to Congress a document that later became the famous 19th Amendment, which gave women voting rights. Elizabeth is also the author of the Declaration of Feelings, one of the first programmatic feminist statements. In 1830, Elizabeth persuaded her father to allow her to study at the first higher educational institution for women — the seminary in Troy, New York. There Elizabeth studied theology, literature, and rhetoric, and practiced oratory, but most of all, she was attracted to law. She devoted all her free time to studying law.
The more Elizabeth became familiar with U.S. law, the more convinced she became that law discriminating against women needed to be changed. Another problem that Cady thought about a lot was slavery in the southern states. She became interested in the ideas of abolitionism and communicated a lot with like-minded people. At the same time, Elizabeth was struck by the narrow mindset of some activists.
Elizabeth, like some other abolitionists, believed that not only blacks but also all female representatives were in a slave position in America. One day in July 1948, Elizabeth and other activists over tea again began to discuss the disenfranchised status of women. They thought it would be good to meet with other like-minded women and make the discussion public. It was decided to organize a conference on women’s rights. The convention was held on July 19 in Seneca Falls. Elizabeth presented her Declaration of Feelings at the event, modeled on Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence.
In 1851, Elizabeth spoke at a rally against slavery, after which she met a woman, Susan Anthony, Elizabeth’s future ally. He and Susan became recognized national leaders of the women’s movement and, for the next 50 years, fought for the rights that are now taken for granted. In 1863, Cady Stanton and Anthony founded the Loyal National League of Women to campaign for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolishing slavery. In 1866, they petitioned Congress to ensure suffrage, and Elizabeth became the first female candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives.
Angelina and Sarah Grimke were American abolitionists, suffragists, writers, and educators who opposed slavery and women’s rights. Angelina Grimke wrote An Appeal to the Christian Women of the South, in which she condemned slavery as a social phenomenon. Sarah Grimke published Letters on Gender Equality and the Status of Women, where the issue of equality of African-American women is closely linked to the issue of equality of women in general.
Sarah and Angelina Grimke were born in South Carolina to a plantation owner who was also a prosecutor and judge in South Carolina. Even in early childhood, they realized the limitations of their position, unlike their brothers, who received a classical education. Despite the recognition of their abilities and intelligence by others, they were deprived of the opportunity to receive a full-fledged education. The sisters were also dissatisfied with the situation of the slaves and their complete illiteracy. They began to actively spread the ideas of abolitionism and the abolition of the death penalty among Quakers. The anti-slavery rhetoric initially led them to some difficulties within the Quaker community. In addition, they believed that the struggle for women’s equal rights was as important as the struggle for the liberation of slaves. The sisters were frequently attacked, even by some abolitionists who considered their views unnecessarily radical.
In 1836, Sarah Grimke published a message to the clergy of the southern states. In 1837, the sisters toured the state of Massachusetts, giving lectures on abolitionism. In the same year, the Massachusetts newspaper The Spectator published a series of “Letters on Gender Equality and the Status of Women” addressed to the president of the Boston Women’s Anti-Slavery Society, Mary S. Parker. Soon they were reprinted in the newspaper “The Liberator,” published by the radical abolitionist, supporter of women’s equality, and opponent of the death penalty William Lloyd Garrison. The letters were published in 1838 in book form. In her letters, Sarah Grimke draws attention to the subordinate position of women in all strata of society. In several letters, she notes the differences and uniqueness of the position of women in secular society, women workers, and women slaves.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sarah Moore Grimke, and Angela Grimke have many commonalities. First, they were highly intelligent and possessed strong moral clear-headedness. Despite the fact that all the ladies had limited support when it came to education, they showed a strong desire to become professionals and promote their ideas and views. These people had high moral values because they were concerned with different forms of discrimination from a young age. Their grit and determination were very strong because the women did not stop even when they were rejected from work due to their gender or when they were attacked by the conservatism. They showed no fear in front of people with opposite ideas and beliefs and continued to fight against sexism and slavery. All of the mentioned women are cultural heroes because they protected the rights of thousands of people in the U.S. who suffered because of discrimination.
Reference
Feigen, B. (2021). Goodbye, Old Friend: Tribute to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Colum. L. Rev., 121, 519.