Ladies for Liberty: Women Who Made a Difference in American History

It should come as no surprise that throughout the United States’ history, women have played an intrinsic (albeit, underappreciated) role in the movement for liberty. Women are caregivers; it is to be expected that they would be sensitive both to the needs of others as well as the effects of government policies on the most vulnerable. Yet all too frequently, the expansion of government services has been justified because such programs are for the “benefit of women.”

As such, Ladies for Liberty serves an important role in combating the myth that women want, and benefit from, big government. Although their actions may have varied, the underlying motivation of these many women was the same – that self-determination is a virtue, and that individuals should be allowed to pursue their own ends, free from the coercion of others. How different the nation would be today if these women did not stand up for what they believed in!

The grassroots activism of 2009 and 2010 demonstrate that individual liberty and personal responsibility are still values that resonate with American women. From Sarah Palin’s “mama grizzlies” to Tea Party organizers like Jenny Beth Martin, it has become abundantly clear that millions of American women have come to recognize that there are serious costs to a too big, intrusive, wasteful government.

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