There are many women throughout our history as a nation who have blazed trails, have made profound contributions to the United States of America and have inspired young women.
Although no one ever agrees with everything another person believes, we have come up with a list of accomplished women and some suggested reading to get to know the women who mostly shared our values.
Susan B. Anthony
Susan B. Anthony opposed slavery and fought for giving women the right to vote.
The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution was introduced in Congress as the Susan B. Anthony Amendment. She was staunchly pro-life and viewed abortion as an exploitation of women.
Book recommendation: “Life Is Winning: Inside the Fight for Unborn Children and Their Mothers” by Marjorie Dannenfelser.
Phyllis Schlafly
Phyllis Schlafly raised six children, ran for Congress in downstate Illinois in 1952, authored and co-authored 25 books, earned bachelor, masters and law degrees and ran a national women’s political organization out of her home.
She was the Margaret Thatcher of America and a political force with 80,000 women who were active members of her Eagle Forum.
Book recommendation: “The Sweetheart of the Silent Majority: The Biography of Phyllis Schlafly” by Carol Felsenthal.
Sandra Day O’Connor
Sandra Day O’Connor was the first woman to be nominated and appointed to the United States Supreme Court.
Appointed by President Ronald Reagan, O’Connor served 25 years on the Supreme Court. Justice O’Connor was considered a “swing vote” and while we might disagree with some of her positions on the court, she distinguished herself in many ways.
Book recommendation: “Lazy B: Growing Up On a Cattle Ranch in the American Southwest” by Sandra Day O’Connor and H. Alan Day.
Jeane Kirkpatrick
Jeane Kirkpatrick was a longtime Democrat who joined the Republican Party in 1984 when she gave a speech to the Republican National Convention in 1984 during Ronald Reagan’s presidency.
Ronald Reagan appointed her to be the first woman Ambassador to the United Nations representing the United States in that capacity. In addition, ambassador Kirkpatrick earned a PhD from Columbia University and taught at Georgetown University. She authored 15 books.
Book recommendation: “Political Women: The Big Little Life of Jeane Kirkpatrick” by Peter Collier.
Abigail Adams
Abigail Adams was the wife of President John Adams and the mother of President John Quincy Adams.
Abigail Adams was the mother of six children and close confidant to her husband before, during and after his presidency. She was a prolific writer and her collection of letters are a great historical background as we celebrate 250 years of Independence this 4th of July.
Book recommendation: “Abigail Adams: Letters of Abigail Adams, Wife of John Adams” by Charles Francis Adams and John Adams.
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher was the first woman to become Prime Minister of England and the longest serving in that office.
Thatcher was considered “the most powerful woman in the world” and dubbed the “Iron Lady” by her communist foes in the Soviet Union. Her strong relationship with the United States and her partnership with Ronald Reagan was pivotal to the fall of communism in Europe.
Book recommendation: “Margaret Thatcher: From Grantham to the Falklands: The Authorized Biography” by Charles Moore.
The contribution of women to our nation and our American values have been ongoing since the founding of our great nation.
These women loved our country and provided stable and principled examples to generations of women for centuries and future generations.
Women have diverse views on issues, and no group or political party speaks for all women.
Jan Klaas serves on the executive committee of the Winnebago County Republican Party and is a member of Northern Illinois Republican Women. This column was written with fellow NIRW members Penny Fox, Lynette Hofmann and Patti Abate.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Northern Illinois Republican Women members recommend books | Opinion
Reporting by Jan Klaas, Special to the Rockford Register Star / Rockford Register Star
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By Jan Klaas, Special to the Rockford Register Star | USA TODAY Network
