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Tai-Lyn Parboosingh

10/3/16
Historic Monument Commentary

First U.S National Monument to Honor Womens Equality

Figure 1: Belmont Paul Womens Equality National Monument (National Womens Party)

On Washington D.C.s Equal Pay Day on April 4th, 2016, President Obama declared that
Sewall Belmont House and Museum will now be classified as the Belmont- Paul Womens
Equality National Monument. There is great significance in assembling this announcement on
Equal Pay Day as it emphasizes the still ongoing fight for womens equality. Equal Pay Day
symbolizes how much more women must work in comparison to their male counterpart each
year in order to earn the equivalent of what men earn. The monument serves as a motivator and
invigorator as it encourages activism to continue the fight to end gender inequality and eliminate
issues such as the wage gap. Moreover, the monument allows for reflection on the history of
what American women have endured as they fought endlessly for womens rights and therefore
serves as a constant reminder that American women today should imprint this on their hearts and
continue to end the fight that strong and fierce women before them initiated (Eilperin 2016).
Alice Paul, feminist, womens rights activist, and Womens National Party leader,
alongside other women strategically utilized the Belmont house which became the fifth and final
headquarters for the NWP for more than sixty years, to lobby on behalf of womens social,

Tai-Lyn Parboosingh
10/3/16
Historic Monument Commentary

economic, and political equality. This is worth noting as the house sits near the Supreme Court
and is on Capitol Hill. As a result, the National Womans Party was able to consistently keep
their eye on Congress as they fought for the nineteenth amendment in the 1920s and introduced
the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in 1923.It is important to note that although the ERA has
not been passed, women today still fight veraciously for the implementation of this amendment. I
recall over the summer in D.C. actually attending an event that discussed the importance of this
monument and showcased the documentary Equal Means Equal, in order to highlight the
current issues women face. In terms of the significance in todays regard, the location still holds
great meaning and is a hot spot for tourists to visit simply because it resides in a heavily tourist
concentrated area. The house is also the oldest house in the Capitol Hill neighborhood and stands
out as a historic site therefore drawing many individuals to the location. Although, the outside
appeal is worth noting, the inner sitings of the house also exhibit that vintage and historic look.
Personally, I believe that keeping the house intact and not modernizing it, allow visitors to feel as
though they are present in the era of the womens rights movement (Belmont Paul Womens
Equality National Monument).
The house went through many owners first starting with nine year old Daniel Carroll and
ending with the National Womens Party. Many initially wondered why the house was named the
Sewell House but that name was given as a result of a man named Robert Sewall owning the
land for many years before and after the War of 1812. On May 8th, 1921, Alva Belmont, the
National Womens Party wealthy benefactor and cofounder paid for the house out of fear of the
many Capitol Hill and federal building construction plans. They feared they would lose their
headquarters and therefore fought vigorously with Congress to keep their land. This minute

Tai-Lyn Parboosingh
10/3/16
Historic Monument Commentary

detail of history explains the rapid name changes of the house from the Sewall House (18001929), Alva Belmont House (1929-1972), and the Sewall Belmont House and Museum to
Belmont Paul Womens Equality National Monument. I believe the new name adds credibility
and substance to the monument as it emphasizes the two main women (Alva Belmont and Alice
Paul) who contributed greatly to our Womens rights efforts. The prior names did not shed light
on what the house represents and I saw no valid reasoning as to why the Sewell name was kept
for many years because he did not contribute to the cause. Nonetheless, the new name highlights
not only the women but also sheds light on the topic of Womens equality and as a result the
name will bring forth great discussion (Little 2016).
This monument has now become the first U.S national monument to honor and address
the issues of womens equality and rights. As mentioned, the historic site resides on Capitol Hill
near the Supreme Court and hosts an estimated 10,000 visitors a year. As a visitor of the site I
was filled with feelings of awe and admiration. I see the site not only as a reminder of Americas
past, but as a benefactor in changing the present and future American society for women. The
house tells a story, a story of activism, strength, and perseverance that as a visitor you feel
touched and moved. The site also evokes feelings of wonder as I personally imagined what a
world without the suffrage movement and the National Womens Party would have looked like
and thus see the vitality and essence of such historic movements in Americas history.
I want young girls and boys to come here, 10, 20, 100 years from now, to know that
women fought for equality, it was not just given to them. I want them to be astonished
that there was ever a time when women earned less than men for doing the same work. I
want them to be astonished that there was ever a time when women were vastly

Tai-Lyn Parboosingh
10/3/16
Historic Monument Commentary

outnumbered in the boardroom or in Congress, that there was ever a time when a woman
had never sat in the Oval Office," stated President Obama (Eilperin 2016).
As a women who is very passionate towards womens empowerment and rights and who
understands the vitality of its existence, this monument signifies a great stance towards bringing
women together to educate them on our history and showcase to them that these women from our
past should not be forgotten and neither should the ideals they fought for. Overall, American
women should preserve this legacy and add quality and substance to it. I believe that these words
indicate and showcase the purpose of making this historic site a monument. To further expand
upon the purpose, the house not only serves as a form of feminist education, but also initiates
social change. Many women such as myself, upon visiting this site are encouraged to go to their
local communities and fight for womens rights and encourage other women and community
members to do the same.
Although, this monument primarily appeals to women, it is important as President Obama
mentioned that our children view such a site because it would be the hopes of many that this
home showcases that women fought hard for their role and place in America today. For example,
people who go to museums about slavery which has been abolished for years, look at the exhibits
and believe it to be surreal, in other words, they are in shock and astonishment that something
like slavery and the civil rights movement existed in extremes. In comparison, after going to the
monument, I had these same similar surreal feelings. I think that the founders of Belmont House
and individuals who support the monument hope for the same thing, in other words they hope
that our society makes the necessary changes so that womens rights and gender inequality
becomes abolished as did slavery so that people who visit museums, monuments, and memorials

Tai-Lyn Parboosingh
10/3/16
Historic Monument Commentary

that showcase womens equality and the movement are able to have these surreal feelings and
feelings of honor and admiration. Let us not forget our men however. Although, in todays
society they still earn more money than women, the monument encourages men to stand
alongside other women for this cause and encourages them not to be a bystander in these efforts.
Men need not be oblivious nor ignorant to the fact gender inequality is still strongly prevalent.
Personally, I believe that more men should be the primary audience of viewing this monument as
it will have more of an impact if we have both men and women fighting together to change
societal norms and discrepancies.
Many of the artifacts and collections which include books, periodicals, scrapbooks,
political cartoons, sculptures, textiles, photographs, recordings, and much more were all
produced primarily by women and all discussed the topic of women therefore making this site a
great resource for studying the history of American women and the movements they started. The
collection also includes the nations first feminist library. Today, we hear quite a bit about
feminism but many do not know when or where the term originated nor know what the definition
entails. With that being said, I think the monument provides a great framework for all who have
questions about the origins of feminism and therefore they use this library to highlight their site
and showcase vital items such as their NWP publications, congressional voting cards, and
budgetary reports. Therefore, not only is the house itself historical and monumental, but the
findings within the house exhibit great meaning. By combining the essence and significance of
the physical house and the collections within the house, the nations first womens equality
monument is able to tell a full story and provide evidence and tangibility.

Tai-Lyn Parboosingh
10/3/16
Historic Monument Commentary

Figure 2: Suffrage Origins Gallery (National Womens Party)

The National Monument was made into a monument due to the need for more protection,
visibility, and funding. Page Harrington, Executive Director, was faced with issues such as mold
which resulted in a cost of $90,000 in funds to address the issue. As a result, she had to reduce
the number of people who worked full time to part time. As any small museum moves forward,
it gets harder and harder to take care of all of the needs of the property and the needs of the
collection, stated Harrington. The propertys designation as a national monument means that
the house will be secured in perpetuity by its new owner, the Parks Service (Little 2016). Due
to these issues with sustaining the property, the house would host weddings and meetings, but
now with the proper funds, they have eliminated the usage of the space for weddings as it could
have taken away from the story of the house and resulted in commercialization. Many would
probably argue that the site is still commercialized as the site hosts conferences, programs,
internships, and much more. I truly believe that these various programs, conferences, and
internships due enhance the overall learning to individuals and also add to the educational
element of the monument. For example, the Beyond the Vote: Post Suffrage Strategies to Gain
Access to Power, event/ workshop consisted of a panel that discussed the ways that women have
worked with and within as well as outside the government to improve womens lives. In sum, the

Tai-Lyn Parboosingh
10/3/16
Historic Monument Commentary

conferences, events and workshops allow women to continue the unfinished business of
womens progress toward equality. I think this brings life to the monument and allows people to
take action as a result of what they have seen and gained from the monument. Many of the
events are educational and beneficial to the community such as lectures, professional
development workshops, womens history month programs, and the Alice Award ceremony. By
providing the internships, it allows young girls and our youth to get civically involved. Having
these various tangible elements to the monument may initiate individuals to question the
effectiveness of having monuments such as these in comparison to monuments that are just
statutes. Overall, I think there is greater meaning in monuments such as the house as it tells a full
story and allows visitors to be a part of that story and most importantly continue the story.

Work Cited
Eilperin, J. (2016, April 12). Obama calls new womens rights memorial a centerpiece
for the struggle for equality. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/postpolitics/wp/2016/04/11/obama-to-designate-a-national-monument-in-d-c-to-honor-womensequality-tuesday/
Little, B. (2016, April 11). New U.S. National Monument Is First To Honor Womens
Equality. Retrieved from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/04/160411-national-womansparty-house-museum-park-service-monument/
National Woman's Party | Celebrating the history of women's progress toward equality.
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://nationalwomansparty.org/

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