Wives and Mothers Should Be the Stars of Women’s History Month

 “Women’s History Month,” which dates to “Women’s History Week,” first established in 1978, is widely considered the first systematic, nationwide acknowledgment of the countless contributions females have made to shape and change the world.

Modern-day sensibilities make it difficult to understand how history could have so easily overlooked or underappreciated some women and their accomplishments for so long. It’s popular and even convenient to blame the gaps in appreciation on misogyny or an otherwise male-dominated culture. Both of those issues may bear some blame and offer part of the explanation, but it’s a lot more layered and involved than those two issues.

Strong women have been part of the fabric of America since the nation’s founding – and even prior to the American Revolution. They’ve been operating in plain sight, and their many successes are no secret.

The story is told about the founding of Jamestown in 1607. Men arrived first and went about taming the wilderness. Only without their wives or love interests on the scene, they weren’t overly motivated to get things done too quickly. Why rush? The work could wait. The sun would come up tomorrow.

It was only when the women arrived that the new civilization began to really take shape. Men were incentivized and inspired to work faster and longer and harder. Writing in his landmark book, “Men and Marriage,” George Gilder observed:

Last week, President Trump recognized the celebration of March’s “Women’s History Month” by issuing a letter. He wrote:

Every president since Jimmy Carter has acknowledged March’s special designation. Lots of other groups have likewise amplified the celebration. It seems there is no debate any longer about women’s contributions – but who highlights whom quite obviously reflects a person’s values, principles and priorities.

One of the main reasons that popular history seemed to ignore the contributions of women for so long was because of a narrow appreciation of what makes for a great woman – especially its exclusion of considering just how much wives and mothers contribute to society.

It’s true that women have been deeply involved in historic movements – from abolition to suffrage to civil rights – but they’ve accomplished far more than that.

Few people may recognize the name William Ross Wallace, a 19th-century lawyer and teacher who eventually became a poet. Just as the Civil War was winding down and a divided America was pulling itself together, he had a burden to write something that would emphasize the importance of mothers. He wanted to stress the oversized role the family would play in Reconstruction. After all, as goes the character of a country’s citizens, so goes the country.

So Wallace penned these famous words, which were part of a longer poem:

It’s that last line everyone knows – and everyone intuitively knows is true, but it so often goes unacknowledged.

Any proper and thorough celebration of “Women’s History Month” must first and foremost recognize the unprecedented contributions of wives and mothers. History doesn’t often record the tiring days and long nights of mothers, or the tears shed over prodigals who run away from home and break a parent’s heart. We don’t hear the prayers, but the Lord does. History doesn’t always see the reunion or the resolution of the problems.

But when it comes to problems, the mother is almost always in the middle of helping find the solution.

Women’s History Month often seems to highlight the grand accomplishment – but the greatness of women is often found in their humility. The headlines feature inventions and cultural advancements forged by females – but what about the hardworking homeschooling mother whose toil is just enough to help a child with special needs advance to the next grade?

Without wonderful mothers, Women’s History Month would be a shell of what it is.

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