Janet Rankin Research Paper

Meet Jeannette Rankin By: Luna Gao Janet Rankin First woman to serve in Congress. Jeannette Rankin was born June 11, 1880, and grew up near Missoula, Montana, the eldest of seven children. She graduated from the University of Montana in 1902 and later became a social worker in Washington State. Rankin was involved in the women's suffrage movement and helped win the right to vote for Montana women in 1914. Two years later, she successfully ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the first woman to serve in Congress. Rankin supported women's rights legislation, including the resolution that would become the Nineteenth Amendment. A staunch pacifist, she was one of the few who voted against U.S. entry into World War I in 1917. …show more content…
Given the unpopularity of her views, many colleagues encouraged her to abandon the process. When it was Janet's turn to vote, she made another statement: "As a woman, I cannot go to war and I refuse to send anyone." The room was filled with boos and jeers. Janet's vote was so controversial that she had to hide until guards escorted her safely back to her office. She was the only member of Congress to vote against entering World War II. In 1940, with the United States on the brink of another world war, Janet ran again for the House of Representatives. She ran on an anti-war platform and won. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Janet found herself in a familiar situation. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt called on Congress to support a declaration of war. With the United States under open attack, most Americans supported entering the war. Janet, however, remained a staunch pacifist. She ran for Congress on an anti-war platform and won a seat in the House of Representatives in 1940. After Pearl Harbor, Rankin was the only person to vote against the United States' declaration of war on Japan. Jeannette Rankin died on May 18, 1973, at the age of

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