In a scene in the movie "Lincoln," the U.S. House of Representatives is debating the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery. The representatives opposed abolition are scared that passing this amendment will contribute to the "coloreds" getting the vote. And then someone says that the women might the vote and the whole room erupts in horror of the thought. The movie was set in 1864, only 147 years ago.
Our grandmother was born in 1894, only 30 years after the end of the Civil War. We're only four generations away from 1864, and it is amazing how far we have come in getting rid of numerous hierarchies. No matter how discouraged we may become about our present, it's encouraging when we focus on the trends of the last 150 years.
