On July 27, 1864, Abraham Lincoln called on Edwin Stanton to increase the pay of women working in the cause of the Civil War. He wrote:
“I know not how much is within the legal power of the government in this case; but it is certainly true in equity, that the laboring women in our employment, should be paid at the least as much as they were at the beginning of the war. Will the Secretary of War please have the case fully examined, and so much relief given as can be consistently with the law and the public service.”
This endorsement was on the back of a letter he had received from Pennsylvania Governor Andrew Curtin, a strong supporter of Lincoln and the Union war effort. He was the principal force behind establishment of a National Cemetery at Gettysburg following the 1863 battle won by Pennsylvanian General George Meade. Curtin had forwarded to Lincoln a petition highlighting the plight of “twenty thousand working women of Philadelphia,” which noted:
“At the breaking out of the rebellion that is now deluging our land with blood, and which for a time threatened the destruction of the Nation, the prices paid at the United States Arsenal in this city were barely sufficient to enable the women engaged upon Government work to earn a scanty respectable subsistence. Since the period referred to, board, provisions, and all other articles of female consumption, have advanced to such an extent as to make an average of at least seventy-five per cent.,—while woman’s labor has been reduced thirty per cent. What need of argument? To an intelligent mind, the result must be apparent; and it is perhaps superfluous to say, that it has produced great suffering, privation, and, in many instances, actual hunger. Such, however, is the truth.”
The petition asked that “To alleviate this misery, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and house the houseless, we appeal to those in authority for a just and reasonable compensation for our labor.” They wanted a raise.
Curtin thought the request was “just and reasonable.”
Lincoln agreed. He had recently attended the burial of 21 women killed in the Washington Arsenal explosion that occurred on June 17, 1864, so Lincoln knew well the dangerous conditions women worked under to support the war effort.
The petition went further than a simple pay raise. It pointed out how the procurement system depressed prices paid to the arsenal while enriching the men with cozy connections to the halls of power.
“We also desire to call your attention to the fact, that there are a large number of men in this city who are making immense fortunes off the Government by their contracts; and who, instead of entering into an honorable competition as to who is willing to work for the smallest profit, seem to go upon the principle, who can pay the lowest prices. We ask you to so modify the contract system as to make it obligatory upon every person taking a contract to pay the Arsenal prices for making the articles for which they put in their bids. This would remedy the evil effectually.”
The petition, and Lincoln’s endorsement of higher pay, highlighted the tremendous contributions of women during the war, much as they contributed during each war in our nation’s history. They demonstrated through action that women were perfectly capable of participating in the work force. Today, of course, it has become a virtual necessity for women to work, as two-income families are the norm. Women still get less pay for the same work as men, so despite addressing the point more than 150 years ago, the struggle remains for equal pay under the law.
[Photo: Washington Arsenal Memorial, Congressional Cemetery, Washington DC, by David J. Kent, 2018]
David J. Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America. His newest Lincoln book is scheduled for release in February 2022. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two specialty e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.
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