Belva Lockwood: Equal Rights Pioneer( Series - Trailblazer Biographies )

As a child, Belva tried to walk on water. Although the attempt failed, Belva never stopped trying to do the impossible throughout her remarkable life. Belva's husband died a few years after their marriage, and she found that as a young widow she was allowed more freedom than she was as a daughter or a wife. Belva took this opportunity to pursue a college education. With her degree, Belva moved to Washington, D.C., where she pressured congressmen to enact a law ensuring that women working for the government were paid the same amount as men. Belva then applied to law school - but was turned down because at the time, women were thought to be too delicate for the rough field of law. However, Belva never gave up. She applied again and was accepted, but after enduring separate classes and extra final exams, she wasn't allowed to graduate. Determined, Belva wrote to President Ulysses S. Grant (the honorary president of the law school) and demanded that she be allowed to graduate. Grant never responded, but the school relented, and Belva was able to practice law in Washington, D.C. Belva went on to become the first woman to practice law before the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1884 and 1888, Belva ran for president of the United States with the Equal Rights Party, even though women still weren't allowed to vote. In her final years, she worked on behalf of American Indians and the International Peace Movement. Belva Lockwood's grit and determination inspired many to push the limits of their world.