Winning the earthquake : how Jeannette Rankin defied all odds to become the first woman in Congress / Lorissa Rinehart.
Born on a Montana ranch in 1880, Jeannette Rankin knew how to ride a horse, make a fire, and read the sky for weather. But, most of all, she knew how to talk to people and unite them around a shared vision for America. It was this rare skill that led her to become the first woman ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. As her first act, Rankin put forth the legislation that would become the Nineteenth Amendment. During her two terms, beginning in 1917 and in 1941, she introduced and lobbied for legislation strengthening women's rights, protecting workers, supporting democratic electoral reform, and promoting peace through disarmament. As Congress's fiercest pacifist, she used her vote to oppose the declaration of war against the German Empire in 1917 and the Japanese Empire in 1941, holding fast to her belief that "you can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake." A suffragist, peace activist, workers' rights advocate, and champion of democratic reform who ran as a Republican, Rankin remained ever faithful to her beliefs, no matter the price she had to pay personally. Despite overcoming the entrenched boys' club of oligarchic capitalists and career politicians to make enormous strides for women in politics, Rankin has been largely overlooked. In Winning the Earthquake, Lorissa Rinehart recovers the compelling history behind this singular American hero, bringing her story back to life.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781250353047
- ISBN: 1250353041
- Physical Description: viii, 339 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 25 cm
- Edition: First Edition.
- Publisher: New York : St. Martin's Press, 2025
- Copyright: ©2025
Content descriptions
- Bibliography, etc. Note:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages [295]-328) and index.
- Formatted Contents Note:
- Birth -- Yearling -- Breakdown -- From a hill in San Francisco -- Like a diamond -- Homecoming -- From sea to shining sea -- Showdown in Big Sky Country -- Getting there -- The vote -- Running up that hill -- We the people -- Democracy in America -- The hour of our deliverance -- War -- Solidarity forever -- Summer of crisis -- When the fall is all that's left -- After the gates of hell have closed, the ground still smolders -- When the waters roll back -- After the war, before the war -- Not dark yet -- The rhyme of history -- The world is a house on fire -- Zero -- After the end of the world -- America, America -- Epilogue.
Search for related items by subject
- Subject:
- Rankin, Jeannette, 1880-1973 > Biography.
United States. Congress. House > Biography.
Legislators > United States > Biography.
Women legislators > United States > Biography. - Genre:
- Biographies.
Available copies
- 15 of 16 copies available at NC Cardinal. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at Onslow County Public Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 16 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Main Library | BIO RANKIN (Text) | 36015000765434 | Adult Biography | Available | - |
