Executive Session

Floor Speech

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Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I just have to say a couple of words about the economy. Since my colleague from Ohio was speaking of the economy, I will say this: Showing respect for workers and for work means that you show respect by realizing that the best way to stimulate the economy is with a job. That is something we have seen this administration and, I will say, a Republican-led Senate, and, previously, a Republican-led House do--generate tax reform, which is giving us economic growth that we have not seen in years. Economic growth of 3.2 percent is what our GDP numbers were last Friday--3.2 percent. We haven't had that in a decade.

How do you respect people? You create opportunity. How do you show respect for workers? You open doors. That is what you realize. It is not the government that creates jobs. It is the men and women who build businesses, who grow businesses--the men and women who say: I have an American dream, and I want the opportunity to make that dream come true.

That is an element of respect, and this President and Republican leadership have delivered on that with every single opportunity we have had.

I disagree with the philosophical approach that my colleague from Ohio has expressed, and I would encourage all Senators to look at what is happening in their communities and look at the jobs growth. Tennesseans are so excited that there is a growing economy and that they have more money in their paychecks at the end of the month.

Tribute to Melissa Miller

Mr. President, Senator Sullivan was mentioning his Teacher of the Year from Alaska. As I begin my remarks about some wonderful things that have happened with women and for women and by women in this country, I want to mention that I just left a visit with our Tennessee Teacher of the Year--Melissa Miller from Columbia--who teaches in nearby Franklin at the elementary school. We are thrilled for her and are honored to have her here in DC. I join in praising her for the great work that she does for children by encouraging them to learn how they best learn so that they can live their versions of the American dream.

Suffrage Coin

Mr. President, I rise in support of S. 1235, the Women's Suffrage Centennial Commemorative Coin Act. It was introduced by Senator Gillibrand and me.

It was 150 years ago this month that the National Woman Suffrage Association was founded by Susan B. Anthony and a group of very brave suffrage activists who fought for all American women to have the right to vote. This bipartisan measure honors the centennial and the legacy of the suffrage activists with a commemorative coin to be minted by the U.S. Treasury.

As we approach the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment next year--also called the ``Susan B. Anthony Amendment''-- Americans are rediscovering the history of women's suffrage and the movement and the stories of the women who led it to victory. These stories are a vast part of our Nation's history, but they are not often discussed, which is something that we are seeking to change. It would be a tragedy if the stories of these trailblazers were forgotten by future generations. It is our hope that by passing this important measure--and it is bipartisan--we will help to keep their memories alive.

We often take women's right to vote for granted, as if it were something that was an inevitable outcome in our history. In truth, winning the vote for women was anything but inevitable. It required 72 years--think about that, 72 years--of ceaseless agitation by generations of dedicated, fearless suffragists who fought against centuries of law and millennia of tradition.

I quote Susan B. Anthony: ``I declare to you that woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself, and there I take my stand.''

The women's suffrage movement began in July of 1848 with the first women's rights convention that was held in Seneca Falls, NY, which is Senator Gillibrand's home State. That fight concluded in August of 1920 in Nashville, TN, which is my home State.

Tennessee was the 36th and final State needed to ratify the 19th Amendment. So we did. In true Tennessee style on that hot August day in downtown Nashville, a 24-year-old freshman State representative named Harry Burn, from McMinn County, TN, changed his vote from no to yes, ensuring the amendment's adoption. Why did he change that vote, you may ask. Because his mother--Miss Febb, as she was known--wrote him a letter that reminded him to be a good boy and to vote for the amendment.

As we get ready to celebrate Mother's Day this month, the story of Harry Burn and Miss Febb is a great reminder of how important it is for each and every one of us to heed our mothers' advice. Mothers are always right.

Consider how remarkable it is that the 19th Amendment was not ratified until 132 years after the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1788--132 years. The 19th Amendment marked the single largest extension of voting rights in American history. Many of the women who led the movement did not live to see their mission accomplished, and many of the women who cast their first votes were not born when that movement began. As the first female Senator from Tennessee, I feel it is my duty to honor the life and the legacy of those brave suffragists.

I am so pleased to have worked with Senator Gillibrand on this truly bipartisan celebration of a milestone in our Nation's history. It is cause for further celebration that we are able to introduce this legislation in a Chamber where, for the first time in U.S. history, one-fourth of its Members are female. I am also delighted to report that our legislation has the support of all 25 female Senators.

As we approach the centennial, it is our hope that this commemoration will increase public awareness and appreciation for the history of the women's suffrage movement. Honoring women who exemplify patriotism is an excellent example of what Washington can achieve when both sides come together and remember the maxim that there is more that unites us than divides us.

S. 206

Mr. President, I also recently joined Senator Tester in introducing the ``Hello Girls'' Congressional Gold Medal Act to honor the women soldiers of the Army Signal Corps during World War I.

Another example of trailblazers in history, these women enabled American and French Armed Forces to communicate clearly with one another in order to enter battle with their being armed with the intelligence they needed to win those fights. They changed the course of the war at the height of the conflict and left Europe in a safer state thanks to their efforts.

America's values are reflected in the history that we choose to honor. ``We must remember the past, hold fast to the present and build for the future,'' the great Tennessee suffragist, Susan Shelton White, once wrote. ``If you stand in your accepted place today, it is because some woman had to fight yesterday. We should be ashamed to stand on ground won by women in the past without making an effort to honor them by winning a higher and wider field for the future. It is a debt we owe.''

The medal of which I have spoken and this coin are small ways in which to honor these women for the debt that we owe them. It is a debt that can only be repaid by encouraging all women to exercise these hard-fought rights and accept more leadership roles when they are presented--whether they are at home, at church, in the workplace, in civic life, or, maybe, in public service.

I take inspiration from the women who blazed trails before me, and I hope the women of this Chamber will provide that same type of inspiration to generations of women who will come behind us.

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