Olympia Brown facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Olympia Brown
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| Born | January 5, 1835 Prairie Ronde Township, Michigan
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| Died | October 23, 1926 (aged 91) |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse(s) | John Henry Willis |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Asa Briggs Brown Lephia Olympia Brown |
Olympia Brown (born January 5, 1835 – died October 23, 1926) was an important American leader. She was a minister and a suffragist. A suffragist is someone who worked for women's right to vote. Olympia was the first woman to become a minister with her church's official permission. She was also a strong speaker for women's rights. She was one of the few early suffragists who lived long enough to vote after the 19th Amendment was passed.
Contents
Growing Up and School
Olympia Brown was born on January 5, 1835, in Prairie Ronde Township, Michigan. She was the oldest of four children. Her parents, Lephia and Asa Brown, were farmers in what was then new, undeveloped land. Her mother, Lephia, taught her children that religion and education were very important. They even built a schoolhouse on their own land!
Olympia's Early Education
Because her mother believed in education so much, Olympia finished high school. She then wanted to go to college. Olympia and her younger sister Oella decided to attend Mount Holyoke Female Seminary. Olympia was excited about college, but she soon found many rules for women at Mount Holyoke.
For example, there was a list of forty rules to follow. Also, a reading club started by the Brown sisters was shut down. A chemistry professor even told the women, "You are not expected to remember all of this, but only enough to make you intelligent in conversation." Olympia knew she could handle more challenging studies, so she looked for another college.
College Life at Antioch
Olympia left Mount Holyoke and enrolled at Antioch College. At Antioch, she realized she needed to work hard to meet the higher standards. Even at this progressive college, she still faced some unfair treatment. For instance, in her English class, women did not have to memorize their speeches.
But Olympia bravely decided to memorize her speeches anyway, just like the men did. A big moment for Olympia at Antioch was when she convinced her hero, Antoinette Brown Blackwell, to speak at the college.
Becoming a Minister
After finishing at Antioch, Olympia felt called to become a minister. Many schools turned her down. Finally, she was accepted into the Theological School of St. Lawrence University. However, the school's president, Ebenezer Fisher, made it clear he did not think women should be ministers.
Olympia started at the school in 1861 and graduated in 1863. She became the first woman to graduate from an official theological school. She faced challenges from other students and even the wives of the teachers. Olympia saw these challenges as a way to prove herself. After her first year, she gained respect and successfully finished her studies.
Her Important Work
Becoming a Minister and Leading Churches
Even after graduating and having a year of preaching experience, Olympia still faced opposition to becoming a minister. The St. Lawrence faculty would not officially ordain her. Ordination is the process of making someone a minister. Olympia decided to ask the Universalist Council for help.
She traveled to Malone, New York, to present her case. Olympia simply asked for equal treatment. One council member had heard her preach and supported her. To everyone's surprise, the council voted to ordain her! So, on June 25, 1863, Olympia Brown became the first woman officially ordained as a minister in the Universalist Church. This was a very important step for women in religious leadership.
After her ordination, Olympia preached in different churches in Vermont. She also spent time with her family in Michigan. Then, she began her first official job as a minister in Weymouth Landing, Massachusetts. She started in July 1864 and served the church for several years.
Later, she led a church in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The people there hired her even though some were unsure about having a woman minister. In 1878, she moved to a church in Racine, Wisconsin, where she worked until 1887. In all her church roles, people respected her as a preacher. A reporter even called her "the female Beecher of the rostrum," comparing her to Henry Ward Beecher, who was considered the best preacher in the U.S. at that time.
Fighting for Women's Right to Vote
From her childhood, Olympia had always been aware of the fight for equal rights. She saw this in the movement to end slavery and in her own experiences with unfair treatment. Because Olympia was a strong speaker, Susan B. Anthony, a famous women's rights leader, often asked her to get involved.
With encouragement from Lucy Stone and her husband, Henry Browne Blackwell, Olympia decided to travel to Kansas. There, she gave speeches about women's rights. That summer, she gave over 300 speeches, even though it was very difficult. After this, she returned to her ministry work. But in 1887, she changed her mind and dedicated her life to the women's suffrage movement.
Now fully committed, Olympia did everything she could for the movement. She helped form the New England Woman Suffrage Association, led the Wisconsin Suffrage Association, and was president of the Federal Suffrage Association from 1903 to 1920.
Despite all her hard work, Olympia saw few changes happening. She felt that the younger generation of suffragists were not leading well and were focusing too much on state laws instead of a national change. This changed in 1913 when Alice Paul and Lucy Burns invited her to join the new Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage. This group later became the National Woman's Party. They wanted to pass a national amendment and planned to use bolder methods.
These new tactics led to the women's right to vote amendment being presented to Congress. Women also held marches in front of the White House. President Wilson was not happy about these marches. As a result, some of these women were put in jail. However, the unfair treatment of these women, along with a lot of news coverage, brought more support for the movement.
Eventually, Congress passed the bill. But it still needed to be approved by the states. Olympia and others campaigned one last time. Olympia Brown's final march was at the 1920 Republican National Convention. The 19th Amendment was finally approved on August 25, 1920. This was the first time Olympia Brown and countless other women were able to vote!
Her Family Life
Olympia married John Henry Willis in 1873. She decided to keep her own last name, Brown. They had two children, Henry and Gwendolyn. Both of their children became teachers.
Olympia spent her last years with her family in Racine, Wisconsin. She continued to support women's rights and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, which worked for peace around the world.
Later Years and What She Left Behind
Olympia Brown passed away in Baltimore on October 23, 1926.
In 1963, to celebrate 100 years since Olympia became a minister, the Theological School of St. Lawrence University placed a special plaque at the church she led in Racine, Wisconsin. The plaque says, "The flame of her spirit still burns today." In 1989, that church was renamed the Olympia Brown Unitarian Universalist Church.
An elementary school in Racine was named after her in 1975. In 1999, she was honored by being added to the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.
Olympia Brown's own writings and documents are kept in important libraries and historical societies. These include the Schlesinger Library in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Wisconsin Historical Society, and the papers of the National Woman's Party at the Library of Congress.
There is even a series of mystery books named after her, called the Olympia Brown mystery series.
Her Writings
- Woman's Suffrage (1907)
- Acquaintances, Old and New, Among Reformers (1911)
- Democratic Ideals: A Memorial Sketch of Clara B. Colby (1917)
- Suffrage and Religious Principle: Speeches and Writings of Olympia Brown (1988, published after her death)
Images for kids
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Olympia Brown, a minister and suffragist
See also
In Spanish: Olympia Brown para niños
