Christine Emmert of the Friends of Hopewell Furnace entertained with a one-woman play, "Fragile Freedom," at the May 9 meeting of the Albany Township Historical Society.

Introduced by President Lucy Muth, Emmert had been there previously with a play called "Out of the Fiery Furnace," which told the story of the way stoves made at Hopewell improved women's lives."It is part of the outreach at Hopewell Furnace. The iron-working industry was important in Pennsylvania. Forgers made weapons for both the Revolutionary and Civil wars. Hopewell is part of the National Park System," said Emmert."Why do a play about women and the right to vote? Hopewell was ahead of its time in the 1800s. Women could not vote, could not hold many jobs, and when they did, they got paid less than men. At Hopewell they could hold any job, as could African-Americans. There were interracial marriages. Hopewell was on the cusp of the future, though in the beginning there were no female park rangers," Emmert said.She was asked to write something to get younger women to vote in West Chester and a play seemed the best way.The 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting voting rights to women, became law in 1920.Emmert said there were some wonderful men who helped get it passed.Women's rights activist Belva Lockwood ran for the office of president twice and was the first women to argue a case before the Supreme Court. She ran on an Equal Rights party ticket.A question used on the game show Jeopardy was "Where is sex mentioned in the Constitution." The 19th says: "The right of citizens of the United States shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex."The question was so controversial that it was known as a fragile freedom.Maya Angelou's best poem, in some people's opinion, is "Phenomenal Woman." It was recited by Emmert.Sojourner Truth, a former slave, fought for abolition and women's rights.Truth said, "Women should just take the rights instead of talking about them. Every time we liberate a woman we liberate a man."In this country the women who fought for the right to vote were called suffragists. In England they were suffragettes."Can we forget how much suffering was behind this amendment," said Emmert.Lucy Burns became an activist after meeting Emmaline Pankhurst in England. After her arrest, one of many, she met Alice Paul and the two, upon returning to the states, joined the National Women's Party. They held the entire party that was in power responsible for lack of women's rights."Maybe you've heard of the Night of Terror, to ask for what every man was given," Burns said.Nov. 15, 1917, they picketed the White House, were arrested and taken to an abandoned workhouse. When they held a hunger strike they were force-fed.In 1869 the first bill for voting rights was approved in Wyoming and continued when it became a state. The Isle of Man was next in 1881 followed by New Zealand in 1893 and Australia in 1902.It did not happen in France until 1943 and Liechtenstein in 1984.Lucretia Mott helped Elizabeth Cady Stanton call the Seneca Falls Convention. She published the book "Discourse on Women" in 1850. Mott was a Quaker who did not see how there could be a truly great nation without protesting inequality.Susan B. Anthony thought because she owned property and paid taxes she could vote, but she was arrested. She helped Stanton and others write the 5,700-page history of suffrage. Her abolitionist father supported her work."Failure is impossible for it will come," said Anthony.Mark Twain said, "Referring to women's rights, women are always right."Marian Anderson said, "No matter how big a nation is, it is no stronger that its weakest people, and as long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold him down."Hillary Clinton said women's rights are human rights at a World Conference for Women.Gloria Steinem said women and men do not progress in a straight line but a circle. We are all winners. As a woman I have no country but the whole world.Barbara Bush at Wellesley University said, "These are exciting times. Wellesley is not just a place but an idea an experiment in excellence in which diversity is not just tolerated but is embraced."Some Indian tribes gave women the right to vote before European settlement. New Jersey gave it in 1797 and rescinded it in 1807.Muth said it is nice to be reminded of what went into women's rights.She made two announcements: The Kutztown Folk Festival is June 27 to July 5. Help is needed. Also, there will be a bus tour in April 2016 to three mansions along the Delaware.For information on both events, email

info@albanyths.org.