Exchanging Letters Via Time Travel With Grandma
Nov 7 – describe an interaction between two ancestors from different centuries
I have no evidence that my ancestor Anna Smith had any of these opinions, but knowing that she was a farmer’s wife, with 7 daughters and 2 sons, I think it is reasonable to think that politics would be the last thing on her mind. Likewise, I do not know that my great grandmother Myrtle Hall was involved in the suffragist movement or politics in general, though I do know that she was a member of Daughters of America, a civic group promoting patriotism. My exchange between the two of them is pure fiction.
Dear Myrtle,
I don’t understand all the fuss about women voting. Up here in Northeast Pennsylvania, politics doesn’t concern us. If we are going to have a successful harvest, we need to put all our energies into taking care of the crops. Though my girls are useful enough, the good Lord gave us only two sons to work the fields. My oldest of course has gone out on his own, as is his right, but it is quite the burden on Grandpa John and we have no guarantee that the yield will be large enough to warrant hiring additional hands. I barely have time to keep up with chores as it is, nevermind get involved in other people’s business.
Dear Grandma Smith,
I understand that the day-to-day operation of a farm is important and time-consuming, but so much has happened since you and Grandpa married. The country is almost twice as large as it was then; now we have 46 states! We experienced a civil war, which though it was between the North and the South, affected those of us up here as well. Many of our local boys, including some of my father’s brothers, went to fight, sometimes against family and friends. We also had to defend our nation from Spain and recently won the Great War with our allies in Europe. We need to be a united group of states for our own protection and prosperity. Being involved citizens is the best way to do this.
My dear Myrtle,
I appreciate your point that we are better off working as a community than as individuals, but I still don’t understand why you would go to all the trouble to vote. Why not just let the menfolk take care of things. All those laws and such are complicated. I’d rather stick to my chickens and mending.
Darling Grandma,
Things are different today. Most women can read and write and are even going to college and becoming doctors and lawyers! News travels faster than ever before. Now we have telephones so we can talk to people even when they aren’t in the house with us. Living in the city, everything we need is conveniently nearby. Though few around here have the resources to buy them, we also have automobiles which allow us to travel many miles in a short time. In fact, we can get all the way to New Jersey in one day!
Sweet Myrtle,
It makes no sense to me. Why does a married couple now get two votes? It seems like a lot of hassle for the vote counters. Of course you will vote for whomever your husband tells you to.
Dearest Grandma,
I can think for myself just fine, thank you! I have been following the campaign closely this year. Herbert Hoover is not particularly well liked right now and the man running against him, Franklin D. Roosevelt has some new ideas to make life better for us. To be honest, I don’t talk much about this with anyone but my closest friends, as political conversations can be distasteful and many men are not comfortable with the role women now have. Some say that it is giving us too much power and that we may get crazy ideas about trying to run our homes or maybe even the government. Personally, I am not so sure that men have made the best decisions for our country up to this point. Women make up half the population, so we should get half the say in how things are done. If I can run a household, why not a country?
My precious Myrtle,
It sounds like you are living in very complicated times. You are right. Women have been running homes since the beginning of time. But I think things will never change that much, your meen have little to worry about. Imagine that: a woman becoming president!