Beyond Michelle Obama’s
American Pride--A Look at Women's History Month
By Jane Hampton Cook
March 2008
On
Presidents Day 2008, Michelle Obama, a wanna-be history-making
first lady, stated “for the first time in my adult lifetime,
I’m really proud of my country.” It’s hard to believe Mrs.
Obama’s American pride has been completely null and void since
she became an adult 25 years ago, but it seems so. Another wanna-be
first lady, Cindy McCain, was unequivocal: “… I am very
proud of my country.”
Mrs.
Obama was possibly so focused on her husband’s rise that she
missed her statement’s broader implications. As a historian,
I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt. It’s easy to get
caught up in campaign chaos and create a conundrum. However,
March is Women’s History Month. This is a great time to look
with pride on American history, particularly the presidents and
first ladies who have contributed to women’s history, both
during and before Mrs. Obama’s adulthood.
I
am proud President George W. Bush appointed Dr. Condoleezza Rice
as U.S. Secretary of State. Rice, whose childhood roots stretch
to
Alabama
during the 1960s Civil Rights movement, is the first
African-American woman to serve in that post. Her government
experience combined with her oral eloquence made her an
unmatched choice for both Secretary of State and, previously,
National Security Advisor.
I
am proud of Ronald Reagan for appointing the first woman to
serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Sandra Day O’Connor made
history when she took her place on that supreme bench of nine in
1981. And I am proud of Nancy Reagan, who endured criticism for
her “adoring gazes” at the man who had the guts to say,
“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”
As
for pre-Obama adulthood, I am proud of Pat Nixon. One of the
little-known facts about Pat was her bravery. She traveled
alone—sans presidential husband—to
Peru
in 1970 to deliver
U.S.
aid and supplies after a magnitude 7.9 earthquake devastated
that country and killed more than 70,000. Her trip was
courageous because 12 years earlier leftists had thrown rocks at
her motorcade when she and then-Vice President Richard Nixon
officially visited
Peru
. The leftist were in power when Mrs. Nixon returned. Although
she was snubbed by
Peru
’s president at a memorial service for the victims, Mrs. Nixon
later stepped over the rubble to shake hand after hand and give
hug after hug to the Peruvians who were hungry for compassion
and desperate for hope.
Leaping
farther back, I am proud of Dolley Madison. For weeks she had
heard rumors that a British admiral wanted to burn the White
House and kidnap her. Dolley told her husband, President James
Madison, she had the courage and determination to wait at the
President’s House for his return. She stayed by her post on
August 24, 1814, while the rag-tag Americans fought the British
army less than seven miles away. Dolley chose to leave only
after she learned the Americans had lost and the British were
marching on DC. With barely enough room in the carriage to hold
the president’s papers, Dolley sacrificed most of her personal
belongings and left the city. She also made sure a now-famous
painting of George Washington was relocated from the
President’s House to a safe location. Today, this portrait
hangs in the White House’s East Room. When the adjoining doors
are open, the Red Room portrait of Dolley still keeps an eye on
Washington
.
I
am also very proud of Abigail Adams, who kept her family and
farm together during the Revolutionary War. When her husband
gave up his law practice—half the family’s income—to join
the Continental Congress, Abigail agreed to manage their farms,
their only other income source. She wrote her husband that
“she hoped to be as good a farmeress as he was a statesman.”
She was. And he was.
America
won their independence because men and women like the Adamses—who
also vehemently opposed slavery—lived loudly for liberty.
Whatever
view of history Mrs. Obama chooses to take—the short or the
long look—Americans have millions of reasons to be proud of
the their nation and the timeline of freedom. American pride is
why President George W. Bush wears a flag pin on his lapel.
It’s why Americans celebrate Presidents Day, African-American
History Month, and Women’s History Month. It’s why members
of the
U.S.
military are living loudly for liberty today. The future of
American pride is why this election is so important, and why
Mrs. Obama’s statement or misstatement is so unfortunate.
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