Although there are many events and women that changed history and created change in the world, I find that Annie Smith Peck took a large part in this in 1895. Smith stood up for women’s rights and fought and stood against what the norm was back in the 1890’s. She was an unmarried woman who took pride and had a passion for climbing, not just little hills but mountains.
In 1895 at the age of 45, Annie Smith Peck became the first woman to climb the Matterhorn Mountain in Switzerland. She held the record for the second highest peak climbed, but that’s not why she received the fame that she did. Smith received her fame in both the U.S and South America because she wore long pants instead of the traditional long skirt. After the climb, she fought for women’s suffrage rights and spent her time lecturing and writing books about her travels. She stood up for what she believed in and didn’t care what other had to say. She received a college degree from University of Michigan and never let any gender stereotype stand in her way.
I believe that Annie Smith Peck helped change the way people thought of woman and our capabilities. By her achieving something many men couldn’t achieve, she helped show that woman can be just as physically, mentally and emotionally strong as a man is. This helped push the progression of women’s sports in the direction it eventually went, allowing women to participate in sports that they would have not originally been able to participate in. But that’s not all she set in motion for women. With her persistent advocacy for women’s suffrage, her fame helped bring more awareness to the issue and brought in more support. She shared her knowledge with so many people through traveling, lecturing, and writing both books and articles. She helped show women that they can be strong and do whatever they put their mind to.
Being a strong girl and woman is something that I believe our country and history struggled with and took woman like Annie Smith Peck to show them that they are strong, which in turn has afforded us the chances we have today. Before Peck, woman didn’t have a prominent leader who faced everything that men said she couldn’t and shouldn’t, and said watch me. She broke through the social norm and received a degree and higher education. When men said women should only wear long pants, she said that that claim was ridiculous and she was going to wear pants to climb in, so she did. Then she continued to publish multiple articles and four books.
Annie Smith Peck was a strong woman that inspired change in a time when our country and history needed it the most. She inspired change and helped kick start our country. She passed away in 1935 and her legacy died with her, but she changed so much in that time period that she should be remembered for being a strong woman and for helping kick start the change we needed.
Sources:
http://anniesmithpeck.org/pecks-bio-4/
