Head's Newsletter 1 April 2022

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONT H

Over the past month, Tiffin History Society has created short biographies of significant and vilified women over the course of history, whilst Tiffin students nominated their History Heroes. So, why is it necessary to explore women ’ s history specifically? To understand the importance of women's history, we must first look to the false historical narratives about women and the role history can play in either consolidating or quashing these myths. An overwhelming majority of notable women from history have been

subject to vilification as a result of their gender, receiving criticism for the same attributes for which men have been praised. These false portrayals of women are not confined to their times, but are in fact prevalent centuries or even millennia later. For example, Cleopatra VII was villainised by contemporaneous writers, such as Cicero who ‘ detest[ed] the Queen ’ and demonised her with a focus on her sexual allure. This decidedly negative portrayal was later corroborated by Plutarch and then Shakespeare, who portrayed Cleopatra as an evil seductress. In reality, however, she was a brilliantly intelligent leader who commanded the vast Ptolemaic kingdom and influenced the formidable Roman Empire. Importantly, Cleopatra displayed praise - worthy skills as seen in other leaders of the time, the crucial differentiating factor being her gender. This narrative has pervaded history, with women noted for their intelligence or outspokenness, vilified: framed as witches during the Middle Ages or characterised as subversive troublemakers, as the Suffragettes were during the early 20th century. On a historiographical level, many academics overlook the role of women in history, reducing women to the supporters of the “ more important ” men in society or failing to mention women at all. Once again, if we look a little deeper, we see that this was far from the case, with women having played an active role in shaping history. For this reason it is imperative that we aim to find out the truth about women from history by identifying and understanding the biases in the sources and histories that dictate accepted historical narratives. Over the past month, Tiffin History Society has produced short, weekly biographies on important women from history, explaining and debunking their negative portrayals. We looked at figures such as Charlotte Corday, whose actions were deemed distinctively vile in their breaching of the conventional societal role of women, but who was viewed as a heroine by others for the disregard and political activism she demonstrated through her assassination of Jean - Paul Marat in 1793. Other notable women we analysed included Elizabeth I and Anne Boleyn. During Women ’ s History Month, Tiffin students were asked to nominate their History Heroes and justify their choices. We received many responses – Rosa Parks, for example, was chosen by Paras Zalke (Year 8) for her vital role as “ the mother of the freedom movement ”. Another History Hero was Sybil Ludington, who rode nearly 40 miles during the night to warn Patriot soldiers of the imminent threat of British troops in 1777. Paul Revere ’ s similar but less remarkable actions during the American Revolutionary War were immortalised in a poem, whilst “ Ludington ’ s tributes have been on a somewhat smaller scale, ” as she “ was honoured with a postal stamp in 1975,” explains Lucas Sood (Year 8). Without scrutiny and study directed exclusively towards women ’ s history, it is difficult to overcome the overwhelming negative narratives that have come to define the perception of important women. Women ’ s History Month offers the opportunity to do this. However, we must not confine our historical inquisitiveness and curiosity to one month, but instead continue to question the sources and writing we encounter in search of the truth. James Maloney 12 MB