I was born in Tuskegee Alabama in the year 1913. On December 1st 1955 when coming home from my job as a seamstress in a department store I refused to give up my seat to a white man while on a Montgomery, Alabama bus. I was arrested, and thrown in a jail. This started a 381 day bus boycott led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and helped to inspire civil-rights activities around America.

Who Am I?

The answer is in the comments section.

After escaping slavery in 1849, I became one of the most successful conductors of the Underground Railroad of all time. I led more than 300 hundred slaves to freedom.

During the American Civil War I was a friend of leading abolitionists, and worked as a laundress, nurse, and spy for the Union forces.

According to the 1994 book The Black 100 by Columbus Salley I am the most important black woman in US history.

Who Am I?

For the answer, please click here.

The BBC has reported that Vilma Espin, wife of Cuba's acting president Raul Castro, has died in Havana, she was aged 77. Here is a snippet:

She was a key figure in the Cuban revolution and the long-standing head of the Cuban Women's Federation, which works to advance women's rights.

Born into a wealthy family, she fought as a guerrilla alongside Fidel Castro and his younger brother Raul in the Sierra Maestra mountains.

She married Raul in early 1959 and was often described as Cuba's "first lady".

Espin reportedly died after a long battle with illness.

The Cuban authorities have announced an official mourning period, which will last until 2200 on Tuesday (0300 GMT Wednesday), with national flags on all public buildings and military bases being lowered to half mast.

Full BBC Article Here

Vilma Espin was an industrial chemistry engineer who was married to Raul Castro, head of the Cuban Armed Forces and brother to Cuban President Fidel Castro. She had been President of the Federation of Cuban Women since its foundation in 1960. The organization is an ECOSOC-recognized NGO with membership of more than three and a half million women.

A member of the Council of State of the Republic of Cuba, Vilma Espin headed the Cuban Delegation to the First Latin American Congress on Women and Children in Chile in September 1959. The mother of four and grandmother of seven was a member of the Central Committee and the Political Bureau of the communist Party of Cuba. She headed the Cuban delegation to the Conferences on Women held in Mexico, Copenhagen, Nairobi and Beijing.

In my opinion whether you agree with her politics or not Vilma should be recognized for standing up for her beliefs, and championing the rights of ALL women to be considered equal throughout the world.

Further Reading:

Vilma Espín Guillois

Spouses of Heads Of State

Born as the illegitimate daughter of Galeazzo Maria Sforza in 1462, Caterina Sforza became a unique woman for her time. Caterina left her home for Rome after her father's death. She began her life fulfilling her duties as wife and mother of eight, but then she began to fulfil roles usually reserved to men.

With her husband, Caterina seized control of Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome during the turmoils of 1484. In Forli it was Caterina who issued justice, especially after the revolt in 1487 in which her husband failed to do anything.

Caterina was also involved in a plot and tried to poison Pope Alexander VI. Caterina was then captured and imprisoned in Castle de St Angelo for one year.

During a siege of the Castle de St Angelo she strode around the battlements wearing armour over her satin dress. When the besiegers threatened to murder her children, she lifted up her skirts, and bluntly replied, "Look, I've got the mould to make more."

Catarina died in 1509 at the age of 46. Renaissance men referred to Caterina as "the Virago," or woman warrior, for all her accomplishments."

Caterina Sforza in popular culture

An episode from the third season of the Nickelodeon game show Legends of the Hidden Temple was entitled "The Jeweled Scabbard of Sforza." However, in the episode, she was portrayed as the queen of Forlì and extremely skilled with a sword, and the legend only focused on her battle with the Venetians.

A fictionalised version of Caterina Sforza appears in the 2006 film Los Borgia, played by Paz Vega.

A character by the name of Caterina Sforza appears in the manga and anime series Trinity Blood. She is most likely based on her real life historical namesake, as she holds the title of Duchess of Milan.

Sources: Let Them Eat Cake, (1994) Geoffrey Regan

Women's History Resource Site

Wiki Entry

Jane Eyre is a classic romance novel by Charlotte Brontë which was published in 1847 by Smith, Elder & Company, London, and is one of the most famous British novels.

Charlotte Brontë first published the book as Jane Eyre: An Autobiography under the pseudonym Currer Bell, and it was an instant success, earning the praise of many reviewers, including William Makepeace Thackeray, to whom Charlotte Brontë dedicated her second edition.

Introduction: Jane Eyre Vs. Victorian Women

After reading the classic novel, Jane Eyre, I found myself interested in the lives of Victorian women. They lived during a time when women were thought to be inferior to men. They usually did not attend school, almost always married, and rarely worked. The novel of course follows the life of Jane Eyre, who is a living contrast of what Victorian society thought a woman should be. Jane is of lower class, is well educated, and working as a governess. Not to mention she is passionate, outspoken, and opinionated. These qualities deem her unfeminine, and a social outcast. The novel description perfectly calls it “…a passionate search for a wider, and richer life than that traditionally accorded to her sex in Victorian society”

Victorian Women and Education

In the novel Jane is sent to an all girls’ school for orphaned children. Typically in the Victorian era, most females did not attend school. This is because women were only expected to marry, have children, and maintain their household. They were taught of domestic duties only to ensure that they would make appealing wives in the future. (Elizabeth Horany, Women in Education) Usually only the lower class women attended school because they were more likely going to have to earn their own livings by working in the future. This is why the heroine in the novel, Jane Eyre, is sent to school to learn (aside from the fact that her Aunt no longer wanted to be burdened with her of course). After being orphaned at a young age and left in the care of her evil Aunt Reed, Jane had nobody to take care of her in the world, which was hard considering most Victorian women relied heavily on their families, and or husbands for support. She put all her time, and effort into her school work because ultimately she had nothing else. While most of her fellow Victorian females were being readied for suitors, Jane studied subjects such as French, English, and Art. The fact that Jane can read, and write separates her from most of the other ladies of her time.

Victorian Women and Marriage

Almost all women in Victorian society married at some point in their lives. This is because from the time they were born, they were raised to become wives. Parents would force their daughters into marrying wealthy men who were titled when possible in order to bring their family higher status. If they refused to marry, they would usually be shunned from their family, and forced to live on the streets. (Melissa Moore, Why Victorian Women Married) As I stated before, most females did not attend school, and therefore could not work. They needed husbands for financial support and protection. When Jane Eyre is confronted with the idea of marriage she is hesitant. This is because Victorian husbands had absolute power over their wives. By law husbands controlled all of their money, owned all of their possessions, and had complete custody over their children. Jane did not want to marry until she knew that she would be an equal with her husband. “Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! I have as much soul as you, - and full as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty, and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you. I am not talking to you now through the medium of custom, conventionalities, nor even of mortal flesh: - it is my spirit that addresses your spirit; just as if both had passed through the grave, and we stood at gods feet, equal- as we are!”(Jane Eyre, PG 284) Here Jane exclaims to Mr. Rochester that they are equals. Unlike most Victorian women, equality was an issue that weighed heavy on Jane’s heart. Ultimately by the end of the novel, she marries because she no longer fears inequality between herself and Mr. Rochester.

Women’s Roles in Society

A Victorian Woman’s role in society was very clear - they married and took care of their families. They were responsible for looking after their household, which included instructing her servants and throwing dinner parties that would bring her family status and reputation. (Oscar Trejo, Domesticity). They were responsible for seeing to their children’s welfare. Her sons would need to be well educated, and her daughters brought up to the social standards of the era. She would need to make sure that her husband was always pleased with her by satisfying all of his many needs. Women were not recognized in politics or world affairs. Their lives were dedicated to their families, and that alone. This is why Victorian women were often described as bored and unsatisfied. Jane Eyre was different though. She did not have a family to look after or a household to maintain. She lived as an independent, and saw to her own needs only. She lived her life differently than most women and was looked down upon for it.

Social Conventions in Victorian Society

During the Victorian Era, social conventions curved the lives of many women. These conventions perceived the way women should look, sound, and act. Society believed that women were the property of their husbands. Women were supposed to give their husbands their love, bodies, and obedience. In return husbands offered their wives protection. Women were to dress conservatively, always appear clean, and have an air of innocence about them. “ In Victorian times, it was considered unfeminine and often “outrageous” for a woman to speak in public.” (Dr. Ilya Sandra Perlingieri, Women in Society) Women were not supposed to be over opinionated or well educated. Jane Eyre did not live in a way that was socially acceptable. She was educated, worked as a governess, and was not interested in living under the restraints of a husband. She was a young opinionated female who was often out spoken and realistic. “ I am glad you are no relation of mine: I will never call you aunt again as long as I live. I will never come to visit you when I am grown up; and if any one asks me how I liked you, and how you treated me, I will say the very thought of you makes me sick, and that you treated me with miserable cruelty . . .”(Jane Eyre, PG 45) In this quotation Jane is passionately telling her aunt exactly how she feels. Passion like this was looked down upon by Victorian society.

Working Victorian Women

In the Victorian era only lower class women worked. This is because higher-class women were not educated and could not perform any jobs other than household related ones. Besides their husbands would never want the reputation of having a working wife, it deemed them incapable of providing for their family and of lower status. There weren’t many jobs available for females either, which made it harder for poor women to succeed in the working world. Jane Eyre found a job teaching as a governess in Mr. Rochester’s house. Many looked down upon her, but it was still a respectful way to earn a living. In Jane Eyre, Mr. Rochester’s female houseguests discuss governesses and label them “detestable” and “ridiculous”. (Jane Eyre PG 199-200) One of the characters, Lady Ingram shares her opinion on governesses by saying “My dearest, don’t mention governesses; the word makes me nervous. I have suffered martyrdom from their incompetence and caprice; I thank Heaven I have now done with them!” (Jane Eyre PG 200) As you can imagine there were many other men and women who felt this way about governesses. Mostly because governesses were of lower class, and had to spend their lives teaching instead of fulfilling what every woman considered appropriate, having a family.

Conclusion: Jane Vs. Victorian Women

When reading Jane Eyre, I had the chance to see through the eyes of young a Victorian woman. I learned about her hardships and the ways in which she survived a life so heavily judged by society. Jane is not a typical Victorian female. She lives her life independently and as a governess under the restraints of no one, but herself. She is educated and very opinionated, which is why Mr. Rochester falls deeply in love with her. In many ways Jane’s rebellious nature could be considered an act of feminism. Here I have found a quotation to give you an idea of how Queen Victoria herself felt about feminism " I am most anxious to enlist everyone who can speak or write to join in checking this mad, wicked folly of 'Women's Rights', with all its attendant horrors, on which her poor feeble sex is bent, forgetting every sense of womanly feelings and propriety. Feminists ought to get a good whipping. Were woman to 'unsex' themselves by claiming equality with men, they would become the most hateful, heathen, and disgusting of beings, and would surely perish without male protection." (Elizabeth Horany, Women in Education) Women who lived like Jane Eyre did not even have the support of their queen. This is why Victorian women, and their battle to supply women with the rights we have today have fascinated me. During my research I read through a book called Eminent Victorian Women, by Elizabeth Longford. If you are interested in the lives of Victorian women, I recommend this book.

Works Cited

Elizabeth Horany.Woman in Education. May 18th, 2002.April 6th, 2007.http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~ulrich/femhist/education.shtml

Melissa Moore. Why Victorian Women Married. May 3rd, 2002. April 6th, 2007. http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~ulrich/femhist/marriage.shtml

Oscar Trejo. Domesticity. May 18th, 2002. April 6th, 2007. http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~ulrich/femhist/domesticity.shtml

Dr. Ilya Sandra Perlingieri. Women in Society. March 2006. April 6th, 2007. http://www.antiquesjournal.com/Pages04/Monthly_pages/march07/paintresses.html

Arthur Munby. Work and Victorian Women. April 6th, 2007. http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~ulrich/RHE309/work/

Elizabeth Longford. Eminent Victorian Women. 91 Clapham High Street London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1981.

Charlotte Bronte. Jane Eyre. London England: Penguin, 1847.

Mary Shadd, the eldest of thirteen children was born in October of 1823 in Willmington, Delaware... the daughter of Abraham and Harriett Shadd who were free blacks. Her parents were also "stationmasters" of the Underground Railroad... the path that led escaped slaves to freedom in the North.

Abraham and Harriett were also strong believers in education, and with this in mind, moved to West Chester, Pennsylvania, so their children could be education at a Quaker-run school there.

When she finished her education in Pennsylvania, Mary moved back to Willmington to open her own school for black children.

Her work there was interrupted, however, with the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 which allowed slave hunters to pursue escaped slaves into the North to "bring them back" to their old masters. Of course, it wasn't long before freed blacks were being kidnapped and sent South under the false pretense that they were "escapees".

Mary and her brother, Isaac, moved to Canada West (present day Ontario) where slavery had been completely abolished for many years and settled in Windsor where Mary set up a school... not strictly for black children, but as an advocate of integration rather than segregation, for all children regardless of race. Sadly, many of the black activists in Canada at the time did believe that settling in their own communities and being kept segregated was a better way to live life... Mary did not subscribe to this believing that all people were equal and capable of doing whatever they could based on their worth, not on their race.

This put her at loggerheads with the powerful American Missionary Association run by Henry Bibb, an established leader in the black community in Canada. Initially, Bibb's group funded Shadd's school... but when she publicly defied him and his segregated views (refusing to teach in a "black only" school), she lost her funding and was forced to do what she could to make ends meet and keep her school alive.

For this, she opened a newspaper... "The Provincial Freeman" to counter Bibb's paper, "The Voice of the Fugitive" (with which he was now attacking Shadd's ideas and character) and hopefully earn the money she needed to keep her school alive.

"The Provincial Freeman" promoted temperance, moral reform, civil rights, and black self-help while attacking the racial discrimination blacks faced within North America. It was one of the longest published black newspapers until the Civil War.

Oddly enough, Shadd became the first female newspaper editor in North America... although initially she didn't take credit.

At the time, a "woman's place" was not in charge of a paper, so she used the name of Presbyterian minister in Toronto, Samuel Ward, as it's editor... Needless to say, Ward was not really involved... it was Shadd... but since she was already fighting the fight against segregationism and the usual issues of race in European settled lands, she decided that, initially, using a man's name was more prudent and would assist the paper in launching properly.

Shadd became a popular speaker... touring Canada and the Northern U.S. to put out the word against slavery, for black integration into society, and to raise money for her paper... all the time decrying people like Bibb's who still asked for handouts to help "refugees"... Shadd felt this was turning popular opinion her people into beggers that could not support themselves... she disagreed with this on many levels... one of which was the Bibb's seemed to be getting richer and richer for his efforts with little of these "donations" getting back into the community.

Evetually, Mary moved the paper to Toronto where the black population was much larger. She also changed the masthead to show it was edited by M.A. Shadd... which, when it was discovered this was a woman, caused a stir... and she found herself on the defensive over her gender.

With reluctance, she appointed Rev. William Newman as editor (again, really a "token" editor) so she could continue her efforts with her speaking tours.

Although this moved "calmed the waters", everybody still realised that this was Mary's paper.

In 1855, Mary moved her paper to Chatham (Ontario) which had an even larger black population than Toronto... hoping to increase ad revenues and readership. In Chatham, Shadd rescued a young escaped slave running from slave catchers working illegally in Canada...

"Come with me, I'll save you!" Mary whispered to the frightened child. The boy looked up at her and nodded. Mary grabbed his hand and together they raced along the dusty street. Behind them, the two slave catchers bellowed in surprise and then took up the chase.

Out of breath, Mary slowed down in front of a large building. "We'll get help in the court house," Mary gasped as they staggered up it's steps. Once inside the building, Mary violently rang it's huge bell. As the bell rang out it's alarm, the townspeople of Chatham quickly gathered at the court house.

Mary pointed at the two men that chased her. "They are slave catchers," she shouted with contempt, "and they are trying to drag a child back to the United States to be a slave!"

The angry murmur from the crowd rose to a roar, Someone screamed "Grab them!" and the crowd rushed forward.

The slave catchers turned and ran for their lives.

While lecturing in Philadelphia, she so dazzled her audience with her speaking a debating skills that they a benefit in the city to honour her years of work and achievement for the rights and building of the culture of blacks in North America.

In 1856, Mary Shadd married Thomas Cary, a hard working member of the black community in Toronto and within five days of her marriage, was back speaking and touring to raise funds for the paper.

Hard times in 1857 (a general economic depression) stopped the paper publishing... and in 1861, Thomas passed away leaving Mary and two children.

With the ending of the American Civil War in 1865, Mary saw the huge task ahead with freed blacks in the States. She returned to America where she taught school for many years and at the age of sixty, was called to the bar and became a lawyer... only the second black woman to do so in her time.

Although the vote was given to black men in 1865, women were still not given the vote and Mary put her considerable talents and skills into the American Women's Rights Movement.

Mary joined the National Woman's Suffrage Association working with people such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton towards women's suffrage, even testifying before the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives and becoming the first black woman to cast a vote in a national election.

Mary Shadd Cary passed away at age seventy... feted as one of the great women of her time and a hard worker towards universal suffrage and integration of society.

Frederick Douglass said once of Mary, "With voice and pen she is equally eloquent."

Sources:
"Her Story - Women from Canada's Past" by Susan E. Merritt
Afro-American Almanac Biographies
Living Vignettes of Women from the Past
Library and Archives Canada

Image above from The Molly Brant Foundation

In a patriarchal, white-European society, women were not often venerated, thought terribly highly of, or acknowledged publicly for their contributions... the concept of a Native or First Nations woman even less so... tack on the "rumours" that she was the white man's (whom she lived with) mistress and boy howdy, things should get rotten...

You'd assume then that this aboriginal woman living with a white man (not married in a European church) in the mid-to-late 1700's would be... well... pretty much neglected, forgotten, and unacknowledged...

With Molly Brant, you'd be dead wrong.

Mary "Molly" Brant came into this world in (roughly) 1736 in the Mohawk Valley of (then the Province of) New York... the older sister of warrior Joseph Brant and daughter to a Mohawk father and an Iroquois mother.

Molly's rise happened when she became "housekeeper" to Sir William Johnson at age 23, he was a trader and also Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the British Indian Department's Northern District.

Now, let's not split hairs... It's very clear that Johnson was quite taken with Molly... so much so that there are rumours and some thoughts that they were married through a traditional Mohawk ceremony (not, although, acknowledged by the European community)... and Johnson was a good husband and eventual father of his and Molly's nine children. It was reported by one of her biographers that Molly... "was as highly respected by the Indians as was her husband, and she was as versatile. He could dance, painted and naked except for a breach clout, around a fire with his native friends, and she could entertain the cream of white society graciously and properly in the grand rooms of Johnson Hall, with their Chippendale furniture and fine china."

It should also be pointed out that Iroquois Clan Mothers were no slouches and considered very highly by the tribe...

Therefore, Molly wielded almost automatic influence... and it seemed, this transcended through the racial and territorial divides. This would play greatly into her future.

In 1774, rumblings in America were starting. Some of the colonists wished to cede from Britain to form a new nation... what isn't well reported is that many did not... in honesty, modern historians feel that 1/3 wanted to break the bounds of the British crown, 1/3 didn't really care and were too busy scraping out a new life in the colonies, and 1/3 remained loyal to King George.

Sir William and Molly both went to work... they did everything in their power to keep the Iroquois and Mohawk nations loyal to the crown... and with some justification. Their efforts were not in vein as most of the aboriginal nations sided with Britain in realising that the "new" nation's colonists were hungry for land... their land... and it wouldn't be pretty.

Sadly, also in 1774, Sir William passed away... but in his will, provided for Molly and his children. Molly set up a store in Canajoharie and managed to eek out a decent living for herself and her kids.

Within a year, the rumblings turned to violence as The American Revolution came to a full boil.

Here's the next part some of my readers to the South of the Great Lakes won't like... Mel Gibson was WRONG. The movie The Patriot was fictional... Most historians, in America and other places familiar with the time of the American Revolution know that in fact, it was the Loyalists that were treated worse than most. Patriots literally burned them out, tarred and feathered folks loyal to Britain, and worse...

Molly provided safe haven for fleeing loyalists (running from those zealous patriots) saving literally hundreds and ensuring their safe passage into Canada and she helped supply arms to those fighting to maintain the Crown in North America. She even gathered intelligence to aid the Loyalist armies in their efforts.

Joseph, Molly's brother, also became famed for ambushing and killing 800 rebels with only 400 warriors and a handful of white militia at the Battle of Oriskany which also pushed the Mohawks into a more warlike stance... this pushed almost all the tribes, save the Oneidas and some Tuscaroras to the British cause.

The Patriots craved revenge and George Washington himself dispatched eleven regiments to "chastise" the Iroquois. The Mohawks, with Molly, fled this army North into Canada where Molly still worked to keep the tribes loyal to the Crown.

Molly, firmly believing in Sir William's ideas, continued her work. Although she could not initially sway the Iroquois to the British side, they did stay neutral. The Mohawks, on the other hand, did side with The British thanks to Molly's efforts.

The war ended in 1783... and Molly and the tribes were to face a more ignoble fate. In the peace agreement between America and Britain, the natives were completely left out. The Iroquois lands ceded to America as they were South of the Great Lakes.

Still, for her many efforts and bravery, Molly was given a pension and a house in Cataraqui (present day Kingston, Ontario) from the British where she and her children lived. This was for her "uniform fidelity, attachment and zealous services rendered to His Majesty's Government".

Her brother Joseph and the Mohawks settled in the area at Grand River, Ontario, where the Mohawks (Six Nations) still reside.

To give you an idea of how well thought of she was, in the 1790's, the "old enemy" (America) came to ask for her help. The U.S. government came North to ask that she help tensions that were growing in the Ohio Valley. Molly was not interested in helping the Americans (as she realised that the real reason they wanted her to slow these rumblings was to achieve a land grab from the natives in that area) and she contemptuously refused.

None-the-less, she and Joseph did work to avoid bloodshed and tried to convince their Western brethren to negotiate with the Americans... but it was all for not.

In 1794, the natives fought and were slaughtered by the Americans under General "Mad" Anthony Wayne at The Battle of Fallen Timbers... this action would lead to the rise of Tecumseh (and his brother, The Prophet) and the Natives falling in with the British a few years later during The War of 1812 (The American War).

Saddened and relegated to the fate of her people, but continuing to be a well respected "diplomat", she finished her years in Kingston dying in 1796.

A late-eighteenth century writing from a visiting European gives us an idea of her noble bearing during her later years...

In the Church at Kingston we saw an Indian woman, who sat in an honourable place among the English. She appeared very devout during Divine Service and very attentive to the Sermon. She was the relict of the late Sir William Johnson, Superintendent of Indian Affairs in the province of New York, and mother of several children by him, who are married to Englishmen and supported by the Crown.... When Indian embassies arrived she was sent for, dined at Governor Simcoe's, and was treated with respect by himself and his lady. During the life of Sir William she was attended with splendour and respect, and since the war receives a pension and compensation for losses for herself and her children.

A woman of uncommon bearing... someone who stood and was counted and did more than many men... respected by all parties... friends and enemies... men and women...

She left a legacy of loyalty that stayed with the Iroquois Confederacy for generations.

Sources:
"Her Story - Women from Canada's Past" by Susan E. Merritt
Gala Film's War of 1812 Site
Cataraqui Archaeological Research Foundation
Wiki - Mary "Molly" Brant