March is Women’s History Month. It behooves us to recognize how women have played an important role in our nation’s 250-year history.
Women have worked hard for 152 of those years in the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. Founded on November 18, 1874 in Cleveland, Ohio, it’s objectives are the following:
To protect the home
To instill Christian virtues in our children
To promote good citizenship
To inform society about the values of total abstinence by providing scientific facts concerning the effects of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs
To build public sentiment for total abstinence
Beginning with women on their knees against the scourge of alcohol on their homes, the WCTU work expanded greatly under the leadership of Frances E. Willard, who became National WCTU Second President in 1879. She served as NWCTU President (and of the World WCTU from 1891) until her death in 1898.
The WCTU women proposed, supported and helped to establish: stiffer penalties for sexual crimes against girls and women, laws
that raised the age of consent from as low as seven years, higher education for women, uniform marriage and divorce laws, dress reform, travelers’ aid (originally protection for women and children traveling alone), matrons in jails, the Pure Food and Drug Act, legal aid, labor’s right to organize, equal pay for equal work and an 8-hour work day, legislation in every state mandating scientific instruction in public schools as to the dangers of smoking, drinking of alcoholic beverages, and use of other drugs.
World peace was
proposed and supported.
WWCTU was a charter member of the United Nations.
Susan B. Anthony in the 1890’s introduced Willard to a United States Senate Committee as a “general with an army of 250,000.” At the time of her death she was , next to Queen Victoria, the best known woman in the world. On February 17, 1905 her statue
(sculpted by a woman) was placed in Statuary Hall of the US Capitol in Washington D.C.
She was the first woman so honored.
If you get the opportunity to visit Statuary Hall, you might enjoy seeing the statue of Frances B. Willard, as I did a few years ago.
Submitted by Loreta Jent, NWCTU Education Director