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seeking education or a profession, when they were silenced in public and even in houses of worship, when they were chastised for putting pen to paper or offering their opinion, and when they were powerless to change their des- tiny because they had no political clout, no power of the vote. One of my students introduced me to YouTube, the Internet phenomenon that allows anyone to post short video clips. In researching his presentation on women’s rights, he stumbled across footage of another young man on a college campus that was encouraging coeds to sign a petition that would abolish suffrage. Most complied, stating they did not feel that women should be allowed to suffer. I realize there is little time in an overburdened K-12 curriculum under con- stant scrutiny to improve test scores but if students, in becoming globally competitive in math and science, lose all grasp of history, what is to become of us. I do my part, as should we all, to serve as a constant reminder of the persons who fought and were persecuted in order for us to enjoy freedom. I teach so that others may learn and, perhaps, not forget. I send my students forth with hope. This research has been a grueling, sometimes painful, undertaking. Not because of the subject matter but because of the matter of the subject. It is a simple task to be drawn into the lives of others and to empathize with their undertakings. I came to admire these women for their intelligence, for their persistence, and for their refusal to accept no as an answer. Their strength of will and of character should serve as inspiration to us all. True or not, there is a story that Sigmund Freud, on his death bed, asked, ‘‘What do women want?’’ The answer is simple women want to be treated with the dignity and respect due all humankind. xvi Author’s Note