Jeannette Rankin

Jeannette Rankin was an American politician and pacifist, the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress. She served in the House of Representatives from 1917 to 1919 and 1941 to 1943.

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Nineteenth Amendment: The 1920 amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibited denying the vote on account of sex. Rankin entered Congress before nationwide constitutional protection for women’s suffrage.
United States declaration of war on Germany (1917): The congressional resolution that authorized U.S. entry into World War I against Germany. Rankin voted against this declaration on her first day in Congress.
Lucy Burns: An American suffragist who organized protests and civil disobedience for women’s voting rights. Burns and Rankin worked in the national suffrage movement before Rankin entered Congress.
Isolationism: A foreign-policy outlook that seeks to limit a nation’s involvement in international affairs. Rankin’s opposition to war arose from pacifism, not simply a general demand for disengagement.
Women in the United States House of Representatives: The history and political participation of women serving in the U.S. House of Representatives. Rankin’s election began women’s representation in the House.
Attack on Pearl Harbor: A Japanese military attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. The attack preceded Rankin’s lone vote against declaring war on Japan.
Carrie Chapman Catt: An American suffrage leader who organized campaigns for women’s voting rights. Catt’s organizing shaped the movement in which Rankin became a prominent advocate.
Pacifism: The belief that violence and war are morally unacceptable or politically unjustifiable. Rankin’s antiwar votes expressed a principled commitment to nonviolence.
Women’s suffrage in the United States: The movement to secure voting rights for women in the United States. Suffrage organizing created the political opening Rankin used to win office.
United States declaration of war on Japan: The congressional resolution declaring war on Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Rankin’s 1941 opposition made her the only dissenting vote.