Equality.
Human beings are made up of
all kinds of people who have all kinds of interests and desires. Sometimes the
law dictates that only one gender—usually male—or one race is permitted to
engage in a given activity or cause. These biases can and will be overcome when
someone finally has enough!
Take for example, Deborah Sampson. She wanted to be a soldier and fight during the American Revolutionary War. In 1778 women were not allowed to enlist in the military. Not surprising, considering the lengths she went through to fight, that she was against British rule. She joined the Continental Army. What is surprising is that she was not the only woman who fought. Sampson was among a small number of women who fought in that war.
She fought under the name of
Robert Shurtliff (her deceased brother’s first and middle name) and served
for seventeen months. Because she was 5’7 and considered a tall woman, it was
quite easy for her to convince people she was a man. She was teased by other
soldiers for not having to shave but clearly, she was able to fool the masses.
She was chosen for the Light Infantry Company of the 4th
Massachusetts Regiment under the command of Captain George Webb and the unit
was made up of fifty to sixty men.
During her first battle on July 3, 1782 outside of Tarrytown, New
York, she was wounded, receiving two musket balls in her thighs and a huge cut
on her forehead. For fear of being found out, she begged her fellow soldiers to
leave her to die. Despite her pleading, they refused to abandon her and took
her to the hospital. She was treated for her head wound but before doctors
attended to the musket balls, she left the hospital and removed one of the
balls from her thigh by herself with a penknife and sewing needle. Her leg
never fully healed because the second musket ball was lodged too deep into her
thigh for her to remove.
By April 1783, she was promoted and served as a waiter to General
John Paterson. Because of the promotion, she was afforded a better quality of
life. She ate better food, had shelter and encountered less danger.
Everyone assumed the war was over when the peace treaty
was signed, but on June 24, General Washington was ordered by the President of
Congress to send a fleet of soldiers to Philadelphia to “aid in squelching a
rebellion of several American officers.”
Just as this was happening, Sampson fell ill with a malignant fever. The
doctor who treated her removed her clothes and her secret was out. Fortunately,
he did not reveal the fact she was a woman posing as a man, in fact, he took
her to his home and treated her with the help of his wife and daughters.
When Sampson recovered, she returned to the army for a
brief time. In September of 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed and peace was
assured. When the doctor who treated her asked her to deliver a note to General
John Paterson, she thought the cat was out of the bag—fortunately for her it
was not. Sampson was granted an honorable discharge by Henry Knox after a year
and a half of service, with a note with some words of advice and only enough money to pay for her trip home.
In January 1792, eight years later, her story became known only when she
petitioned for back pay. She petitioned
the Massachusetts State Legislature for the earnings withheld as a result of
her being a woman. With the help of her friend Paul Revere, her petition was approved and signed by Governor John
Hancock. The General Court of Massachusetts verified her service and wrote that
she "exhibited an extraordinary instance of female heroism by discharging
the duties of a faithful gallant soldier, and at the same time preserving the
virtue and chastity of her gender, unsuspected and unblemished.” She was
awarded 34 pounds—which was considered quite inadequate and ultimately resulted in Sampson giving
lectures for profit, discussing her wartime experiences.
Because of her extraordinary achievements and bravery, her
successful struggle for the American Revolutionary War pension bridged the
gender gap in asserting that all veterans who fought for their country were entitled
to compensation.
In Sharon, Massachusetts, a statue was erected in front of the
library honoring Sampson. Sharon also has Deborah Sampson Street, Deborah
Sampson Field and the Deborah Sampson House.
Excerpt from Women in the U.S. Army, coutersy of www.army.mil:
"...in February 1946, Army Chief of Staff Gen.
Dwight D. Eisenhower directed the preparation of legislation to make the
Women’s Army Corps a permanent part of the Army. Lt. Col. Mary Louise Milligan
(later Rasmuson) became a consultant/planner for the project. Col. Hallaren,
third director of the WAC, became the recognized leader in the fight for
passage of the legislation. In September 1947, the bill was combined with the
WAVES/Women Marines bill and a section to include women in the Air Force was
added. The bill was renamed the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act.
President Truman signed the bill into law on June 12, 1948.
In July 1948, the first enlisted women entered the
Regular Army and in December, the first WAC officers received Regular Army
appointments. Women could enlist from ages 18 to 35. Enlistment under age 21
required parental or guardian consent. Women were no longer sent to a TO unit
of 150 women, but received individual assignments. Enlistments in the Women’s
Army Corps, Regular Army, opened to civilians in September 1948, and on Oct. 4,
the Women’s Army Corps Training Center opened at Camp Lee, Va.”
I decided to share this story as an example. As women, we
have to fight harder for rights and freedoms. It is worth it. And it is
important to never forget what the women before us did so that we have choices,
rights and freedoms today.
More details HERE
No comments:
Post a Comment