The Hope Chest

I finished this book, by Karen Schwabach, recently. It is written primarily for children or young teens, but I often read children’s books, particularly historical fiction, because they bring things down to my level.

I found this book interesting for several reasons. It was set in Nashville in August of 1920. The main character was a 12-year-old girl who came to Nashville to find her older sister who was there campaigning for women’s right to vote.

I had no recollection of learning this in history, but following the work of Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and others in the second half of the 19th Century, Congress proposed the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on June 4, 1919, which would give women the right to vote. It had to be ratified by thirty-six of the then forty-eight states in order to become law. By the time this book was set, thirty-five states had approved it, and suffragists considered Tennessee to be their best shot for a thirty-sixth. A rally took place in Nashville where both suffragists and "antis" tried to persuade the state House and Senate to vote their way. The suffragists had an easy victory in the Senate, so it was up to the House. Everyone knew the vote would be close, and history tells us that it came down to a young House member named Harry Burn who was persuaded to vote in favor of suffrage by his widowed mother.

A few days later, the Amendment became a part of the U.S. Constitution.

The historical aspect of all of this was interesting to me because I had no idea it all took place in my own hometown. The book helped me see "feminists" in a slightly different light. I would certainly not consider myself to be one, but those women who worked so hard to get this right that I take for granted were considered feminists in their own time. I was also surprised by how poorly black people were treated during this era.

The more I study history, the more I realize how many things we take for granted that our predecessors had to fight for. It makes me wonder what the history books will say about our generation. The changes that are taking place in our country seem negative to me right now, but I can only hope and pray that we are just going through "growing pains," and that those who come after us will somehow be positively impacted by it all.