Seneca Falls
Why it Matters to Me
Tomorrow, Americans will have the opportunity to vote for a woman for president. This is a monumental moment for me. I’m stepping out of the politics and politicians of it all to give myself a moment to take in just how wonderful this moment is and how long it took for women to get to where we are now. When I was in elementary school, girls had three answers to the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The answers were 1) teacher 2) nurse 3) mother. That was it. Becoming the president of the United States was a fairytale.
We raised our two daughters to know that they could become whatever they wanted to become. They understood what we meant and they ran with it. Now one is in law school and the other in college in NYC. They are both poised to make their individual marks in whatever community they settle as adults.
Our Road to Seneca Falls
We took a road trip this summer on our way to drop off Erica at college. It was a last-minute decision, and most of the time those are the best decisions. It takes an entire day to leave the state of Florida, so road trips have never been a part of our lives. We already had plane tickets to fly into Philadelphia and we planned on spending a few days in NJ before driving Erica up to NYC. However, we decided to change our plans, and we are so glad we did.
We happened upon Seneca Falls by accident, although I truly believe that there really aren’t any accidents in life. Our trip began in Philadelphia on the first day and ended in Syracuse.
The second day, on our way from Syracuse to Palmyra, we saw a sign that said “Harriet Tubman House.” Erica is an American History major, and since we weren’t on any time schedule, we decided to take a detour. I Googled “Harriet Tubman House” for directions to see how far off the path a detour would take us. I handed Erica my phone because, let’s face it, whenever we have problems with our phones, the first thing we do is ask someone younger than us for help.
While she was looking at the map, she yelled out, “Wait! We’re near Seneca Falls!” And just like that, we were on our way to the birthplace of the Women’s Rights Movement. It turned out to be one of the highlights of our vacation, and with election day tomorrow, I thought today would be the perfect day to share some of my thoughts about the place and a few pictures.
Seneca Falls National Historical Park
First, did you know that the town of Bedford Falls in the movie It’s a Wonderful Life
is based on Seneca Falls? Neither did I! I also had no idea that there is a Seneca Falls National Historical Park at the site of the Seneca Falls convention, which was the first Women’s Rights Convention in 1848. It doesn’t take long to visit and it is very informative. Erica was in heaven! So was I!
The Seneca Falls Convention was held in the Wesleyan Methodist Church July 19-20, 1848.
I’m a toy fanatic! It was interesting to look at toys for boys and girls over the years:
Two of my favorite women in history:
The Womans’ Suffrage Movement began at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848. SEVENTY TWO YEARS LATER, in 1920, women gained the right to vote.
Please vote tomorrow. Don’t take your right to vote for granted. Don’t let the politics and politicians of this election stop you from taking a few minutes to look back at history and truly reflect on the fact that it took 72 years for us to earn the right to vote, and 240 years to get on the ballot. Amazing.
is based on Seneca Falls? Neither did I! I also had no idea that there is a