Bella Abzug

Introduction

Bella Abzug was a famous politician and lawyer who battled for the rights of women, working people, and overall civil rights concerns throughout her life. She had a career first as a labor and civil rights activist and peace activist, before being elected in New York 1970 to the U.S. House of Representatives. She was the first Jewish woman elected to Congress, and when she was elected became one of only 12 female members of Congress. By the time of her election, she became known for her fiery support of the underdog and her activist and feminist politics. In addition, she became a symbol of the outspoken feminist, well-known for her raspy voice and her trademark hats. In Congress, she became a strong opponent of the Vietnam War and was an important advocate for civil rights and feminist concerns. In her initial campaign, she used a slogan that became famous: “This woman's place is in the House—the House of Representatives.” She served three terms in Congress and left to run in the New York U.S. Senate race in 1976, a campaign in which she lost the Democratic nomination to Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who went on to win the seat. Although she later tried to return to electoral politics, she was unsuccessful in campaigns to become the New York City mayor and two efforts to return to Congress.

She was born as Bella Savitsky in New York City in 1920 to Russian immigrant parents who owned a butcher shop, and she grew up in the Bronx. She graduated from Hunter College and afterward from Columbia Law School in 1947, at a time when only 2 percent of lawyers were women. Her early law career focused on battling for the rights of the underdog. She worked at institutions such as the Civil Rights Congress and the American Civil Liberties Union. She defended victims of Senator Joseph McCarthy in his witch hunt against suspected Communists in the 1950s. She was also the chief consul in the unsuccessful appeal of Willie McGee, a black man from Mississippi who was accused of raping a white woman. She combined a successful professional and personnel life, marrying Martin Abzug in 1944 and having two daughters. She died in 1998.

The major contributions for which Abzug is remembered are to feminism and the women's movement and her antiwar activism and stand against Richard Nixon. She tried but failed at a bill for troop withdrawal, was a leader in trying to force President Nixon to surrender the Pentagon Papers, and was the first congressional member to call for the impeachment of Nixon. Within the women's movement, while many leaders began their political activism in that movement, Abzug came to the movement from many years of involvement in progressive politics. She was seen as able to speak to the needs and concerns of blue-collar women, not just women with high levels of education and professional achievements.

Discussion

The National Women's Political Caucus (NWPC) is a multi-issue, multipartisan, multicultural, and inter-generational grassroots organization ...