New Hampshire was home to the Republican Party; the party was founded in 1853 in the town of Exeter, New Hampshire. New Hampshire voted mainly Republican up until the 1970’s. It wasn’t until the 1990’s when the state became a swing state. I believe that being a swing state is a benefit, it brings the ideologies of so many different people together and not just one majority way of thinking. It can change election to election, I’m hopeful in our history that it continues to be a swing state. I believe each party has good ideologies that need to have the switching on and off to keep things in the right direction and a group doesn't take charge that doesn't represent everyone.
New Hampshire has had a number of milestones when it comes to a number of things; politics is no different. The 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, it is what gave women the right to vote in every single state. In the election right after women’s suffrage ended, two women were voted into legislation by the people. That was 1921, that women were already becoming involved in something that was a man’s job.
Women have had a major victory in New Hampshire politics in the recent history. It was 2008 that women held a majority in the Senate. Women in New Hampshire had another big victory in 2012 when for the first time it held a all-female congressional delegation. It was the first all-female congressional delegation in the nation. Having women have a big role in what is basically a volunteer position is extremely important because it shows women can be good wives and mothers but also be smart, career women. It gives off a positive role that hasn't always been portrayed throughout the United States history. (Women Wielding Power-New Hampshire)
Hillary Clinton ran for President in 2008 with the state of New Hampshire being the first state to back a woman running for one of the two parties. Though she lost the primary, it was at the time the closest a woman had gotten to breaking the ultimate glass ceiling. Hillary ran for office again for the 2016 Presidency where this time during the primary she wasn't favored in New Hampshire, yet she went on to secure the nomination for the Democratic party. In the election, Clinton secured New Hampshire by only about 2,000 more votes than her Republican opponent. The diverse group of New Hampshire people had a hand in what could have been a historic night for women and America in general; again the ultimate glass ceiling was not broken with the election of a women president, instead Hillary’s opponent was elected to office. No matter who says her being a women didn't matter, it did. There are people who say women can't do a "man's job", women in politics are here to show that it isn't a man's job.
This was the first Presidential election that I would personally vote in and would I be lying if I said the idea of voting for a woman to become President didn't make me giddy with delight? Probably. For me, the ultimate decision wouldn't be made to cast my ballot because she was a woman, she happened to be the candidate for the party my ideologies align with more but still the idea of giving girls someone to look up a positive role was empowering. Children are told they can do anything and growing up I never thought I could be President because I was a girl (a little timid too) and I don't remember my teacher in saying girls could become President. I hope women continue to run for office and try to move into the White House as more than the First Lady. I’m proud my beautiful state and their history has made it easier for women to become involved in politics and everyone should be excited for the amount of history New Hampshire has left to make.
Women Wielding Power-New Hampshire. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2017, from
Rogers, J. (2012, November 10). What An All-Female Delegation Says About N.H.
Retrieved February 21, 2017, from
http://www.npr.org/2012/11/10/164842066/what-an-all-female-delegation-says-about-n-h
2 comments:
I didn’t know we were home to the Republicans! I love that you highlighted the idea that women can fill both traditional and leadership roles simultaneously. Many women aspire to be both mothers and leaders, but some aspects of our culture seem to encourage us to select just one. I think that being both can be a leadership advantage, and research shows that women are better leaders than men. While this is clearly not true across the board and there are many amazing male leaders, I do think it is important to acknowledge that some of the traditional female characteristics may serve as leadership advantages rather than detriments. I think that pressure comes from all angles— encouragement to stay in the home and coaching to choose leadership over more traditional roles. A key point to the debate is that femininity is a spectrum and not an inflexible definition. Some may be fine with choosing one of these societally constructed roles over the other, and some may not be. It seems that women do have a leadership advantage compared to men (at least in some areas), and that should be explored and celebrated free of cultural or societal pressure from any source to either be more or less traditional based on life aspirations.
Link to study about women in leadership (Harvard Business Review): https://hbr.org/2012/03/a-study-in-leadership-women-do
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