Read Part One HERE
In this post I will continue to focus on a woman named Rhoda DeGarmo. She lived from 1798 - 1873. Rhoda was one of America's earliest women's rights activists. Her overt work on behalf of women's suffrage and women's rights began in 1848, when she was chosen as one of the members of the Arrangements Committee of the Adjourned Convention held in Rochester, New York on 2 August, 1848, about two weeks after the Women's Rights Convention in Seneca Falls. With the rest of the Committee, Rhoda met in Protection Hall in Rochester on 1 August, 1848, to formulate an agenda and select a slate of officers for the Convention. The Committee decided to nominate a woman - Abigail Bush . to preside over the convention, a move opposed by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. Abigail performed her duties with aplomb, putting to rest the doubts of Elizabeth and Lucreatia, and proving the wisdom of Rhoda and the rest of the Arrangements Committee.
Rhoda also had a prominent role in the Monroe County Women's Rights Convention held in Januray 1853 and at a statewide convention held in Rochester in November 1853.
Rhoda's activities on behalf of women's rights culminated with her vote in the 1872 presidential election. She was one of the fifteen women, including her friend Susan, who succeeded in both registering and casting their votes. When an official election watcher challenged the votes of the women, Rhoda refused to either swear or affirm an oath, insisting that the fact that she would simply "tell the truth" should be enough. Rhoda died in 1873.
Read Part Sixty-Eight HERE
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