Monday, July 13, 2009
We visited the historic town of Seneca Falls this morning. It was once a bustling manufacturing center but the town now relies on tourism and farming, since the factories have long since moved or closed down. The abundant water power that once drove the economy here became obsolete with the advent of the steam engine and later the internal combustion engine. The town has survived due mainly to Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who met here in 1851. Seneca Falls is now known as the home of the women's suffrage movement and by extension the women's rights movement in general. It seems incredible now, but women were not given the right to vote in federal elections until 1919. The right to vote is essential to any democracy. Universal suffrage lies at the heart of the Constitution and is woven into this living document for all to see. It just took a little longer for the politicians in Washington to accept the literal truth of this premise. America should honor these courageous women with a better token than a failed silver dollar, and Seneca Falls could do a better job of marketing their great contributions to a larger audience. There is a life-sized statue here of the auspicious introduction of these historic women.
Jeremy's Cafe, directly across the street from the Women's Suffrage museum was the ideal place to have lunch. Traveling with a dog always presents problems when one gets hungry, so the best places for us are ones with outdoor seating. After a terrific breakfast and lingering over coffee, we walked over to the historic Trinity Church. I'm not sure which denomination presently controls the pulpit but looking up at the beautiful Tiffany stained glass windows (yes, authentic Tiffany glass), one would have to assume that the current crop of parishioners are in no way as affluent as were those in the past. Still a beautiful edifice, someday it will make a great museum.
We visited the historic town of Seneca Falls this morning. It was once a bustling manufacturing center but the town now relies on tourism and farming, since the factories have long since moved or closed down. The abundant water power that once drove the economy here became obsolete with the advent of the steam engine and later the internal combustion engine. The town has survived due mainly to Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who met here in 1851. Seneca Falls is now known as the home of the women's suffrage movement and by extension the women's rights movement in general. It seems incredible now, but women were not given the right to vote in federal elections until 1919. The right to vote is essential to any democracy. Universal suffrage lies at the heart of the Constitution and is woven into this living document for all to see. It just took a little longer for the politicians in Washington to accept the literal truth of this premise. America should honor these courageous women with a better token than a failed silver dollar, and Seneca Falls could do a better job of marketing their great contributions to a larger audience. There is a life-sized statue here of the auspicious introduction of these historic women.
Jeremy's Cafe, directly across the street from the Women's Suffrage museum was the ideal place to have lunch. Traveling with a dog always presents problems when one gets hungry, so the best places for us are ones with outdoor seating. After a terrific breakfast and lingering over coffee, we walked over to the historic Trinity Church. I'm not sure which denomination presently controls the pulpit but looking up at the beautiful Tiffany stained glass windows (yes, authentic Tiffany glass), one would have to assume that the current crop of parishioners are in no way as affluent as were those in the past. Still a beautiful edifice, someday it will make a great museum.
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