Women currently make up 17% of Congress. While this number is
certainly much lower than it should be, less than a century ago,
there was only one woman in Congress: Jeanette Rankin. Rankin,
the first woman elected to Congress, opened the door for women
to enter politics in the United States and worldwide. Jeanette
Rankin (sometimes spelled Jeannette) was born on a Montanan
ranch on June 11, 1880. She helped her parents run the ranch and
raise her five younger siblings, which gave her the confidence
that she could take charge and lead, a mindset she continued to
go by in her later years. While enrolled in Washington
University, trying to find her calling in life, she learned
about the suffrage movement and got involved in First-Wave
Feminism. She joined the National American Woman Suffrage
Association (NAWSA) and helped the campaign for Washington women
to get the vote. After the successful campaign ended in 1910,
she went back to Montana and rallied Montanan women to fight for
their rights. They won enfranchi