Republicans, Women and Progress

By Sharon Bauer

Montgomery County, like most of America, is lucky to have a vast network of Republican Women’s organizations.  Many have said that the women’s groups have been the backbone of the party here for many years.  And next year is the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment recognizing the right to vote for all, regardless of gender.

The march to end slavery, to establish the Republican Party as a way to do that, and to extend suffrage to all citizens would not have happened without a long struggle. What’s more, these significant goals attracted many of the same groups and individuals, who joined, advocated, struggled and were even jailed in order to make those dreams come true. 

And they did.  Folks have seen the Susan B. Anthony dollar coins, issued as a way to honor one of the fighters. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Harriet Tubman and so many others fought for freedom and equality it’s easy to forget their lasting impact.

These women’s efforts didn’t stop with their acquisition of voting rights. Many of those leaders put their efforts into founding the League of Women Voters, serving for years as a voice for greater rights and greater democracy.  The beginning support for all these efforts was overwhelmingly Republican.   

Montgomery County is lucky today to have a great, vibrant and strong base of active women, in both parties, striving to make our government on all levels work for themselves, their neighbors and families.  We salute the past, honor today and look forward to everyone’s accomplishments for the future.

The writer is the president of the Montgomery County Federation of Republican Women.