Hilary Clinton: An Empowering Woman of the 21st Century

By in Political Leaders

Empowering Women will move our country forward:

 “Too many women in too many countries speak the same language, of silence”

– Hillary Clinton

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Hillary Clinton is one of the most well-known women of our 21st century.  Her prominence began in 1993 when she became First Lady of the United States – driving her husband, Bill Clinton through two terms as President.  However, Hillary was determined to be known for more than just a First Lady – she had dream.  She gained significant influence and power to run for the Democratic nomination in 2008 in hope to be America’s first woman President.   Apart from her prominence in the political spectrum, she is also known worldwide for encouraging women to achieve their goals.  She is a huge advocate of feminism and a role model for women at their finest.  Hillary has achieved accomplishments where no other woman has tread on.  She is continuing to push boundaries by re-running for president in the 2016 election.  Hillary is a true model of a woman living her American Dream. 

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“There cannot be true democracy unless women’s voices are heard. There cannot be true democracy unless women are given the opportunity to take responsibility for their own lives. There cannot be true democracy unless all citizens are able to participate fully in the lives of their country.”

– Hillary Clinton (1997), Vital Voices Conference in Vienna, Australia

 Background:

Hillary Diane Clinton was born on October 26, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois.  At the age of eighteen, she attended Wellesley College where her involvement in politics first began.  As her interest in the political sciences grew in undergrad school, she became insistent on pursuing a law degree.  In 1973, she attended Yale Law School, where four years later she was graduating with honors.  Immediately after college, she became a staff member of the Presidential Impeachment Inquiry where she advised the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives during the Watergate Scandal.  While in law school, Hillary had fallen in love with her future husband, Bill Clinton.  The two of them moved to Arkansas together where both went on to teach at the University of Arkansas.  Bill and Hillary married in 1975.  Continuing her passion, Hillary became the first woman to be made a full partner at Rose Law Firm.  As a part of the law firm Hillary was appointed to the board for the New World Foundation – a liberal foundation in support of education, civil rights, and other “New Left” causes – between 1982 and 1988.  In 1993, Hillary’s husband was elected the President of the United States so for the next eight years Hillary served as first lady of the United States.  She initiated Health Care Reforms and other policies.  After her husband’s service she followed her own political path and went on the become the U.S. Senator of New York where she served two terms from 2001 to 2009.  In 2007 she announced her intentions of running for president for the 2008 presidential election.   After losing the Democratic nomination to President Barack Obama, she was appointed Secretary of State where she served the position from 2009 to the beginning of 2013.  Clinton formally resigned from her post at the beginning of the 2013 year in order to pursue the Democratic nomination  for the next presidential election.

Hillary Clinton Biography Video

Accomplishments:

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Hillary visiting kids who are under her new health insurance program

Early Accomplishments – 

One of Hillary Clinton’s most noticeable early accomplishments was the creation of Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women in 1994.  She was a major part in creating this Office.  The Office on Violence Against Women’s main goals are to reduce violence towards women and to help victims of stalking, domestic violence, sexual assault, and dating violence. This is one of Hillary Clinton’s first major feminist acts.

Hrcraad Another of Hillary Clinton’s most important accomplishments as First Lady was the Children’s Health Insurance Program of 1997 or CHIP.   CHIP is a federal program which gives support to nearly 8 million children whose family’s income is too high to qualify for medicaid  but too low to be able to afford private coverage.  The funding for CHIP comes from both  the federal government as well as the state governments.  The program was sponsored by Senator Orrin Hatch and Senator Ted Kennedy but was supported whole-heartedly by Hillary Clinton. Kennedy even publicly thanked Hillary, “Mrs. Clinton was of invaluable  help, both in the fashioning and the shaping of the program and also as a clear  advocate”.  Even though CHIP is a  federal program, it would not be possible without Hillary Clinton because of how she promoted and  supported the program.

 

Later Accomplishments – 

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Hillary being sworn in to office as Secretary of State

Hillary Clinton has come a long way since her first experience in the White House as First Lady.  On December 1, 2008, President-elect Obama confirmed that Hillary would be returning to the White House but this time holding the office of Secretary of State.  Obama had characterized Hillary as being “extraordinarily intelligent with a strong work ethic” – hence, a perfect fit for joining his cabinet.  At first Hillary was reluctant to take on the offer, but later stated that it would present itself to be a “difficult and exciting new adventure.”  By January 21, 2009 she was confirmed in full by the Senate with a 94-2 vote.  By this time Clinton’s public approval rating had reached 65 percent – the highest rating since being First Lady.  Soon after, she was sworn into office becoming the first former First Lady to serve on the U.S. Cabinet.

Today, Hillary Clinton is classified as being on the list of all time greatest Secretaries of State.  During her four years serving on the presidential cabinet, Hillary recorded great popularity among the public and well-documented commitment to the job.  Her first critical foreign crisis came during the 2011 Egyptian protests, Hillary became the prime representative of situation since she had previous relations with President Mubarak.  She was able to influence President Mubarak to step down after violent actions and protests broke out.  Egypt proved to be a challenge for Hillary but she was able to leave a lingering impression of democracy in their country.  They were able to hold their first democratic election where they elected Mohammed Morsi as President.  Throughout her tenure she has recorded breaking numbers by visiting 112 countries and traveled over 957,000 miles within 401 days of tenure.  She brought a sense of leadership, engagement, and diplomacy back to American foreign affairs.  Through Clinton’s accomplishments and dedication as Secretary of State she is now known as America’s Top Diplomat – an honorable title fit for her hard work in office.

 

 Leadership Qualities:

Hillary Clinton int. womenVISION –  As a young woman at Wellesley College and later at Yale, Hillary Clinton was always running for positions in leadership or getting involved in political clubs.  Ironically, she started college as an active Republican and campaigned for Barry Goldwater in 1964.  Her switch in party affiliation came in 1968 when her class was taken to attend a sermon by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. a resonating and revolutionary Democrat.  She was introduced to King after the sermon, later reflecting that her encounter with him became a defining moment of party conversion for her.  After his assassination of 1968 took a toll on her she made the full switch to a Democrat.  By this time she was a senior at Wellesley College with a “new” political vision.   She was elected class president and was able to communicate her liberal platform of women’s issues and racial equality to her peers.  Hillary’s new vision remained a Democratic vision.

Her Democratic status resonated during her serve as First Lady.  She shared her vision for the concern of social issues by supporting the Children’s Health Insurance Program as well as women’s rights through the means of The Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women.  She gave a women’s rights speech March 4th, 1999 which displayed her true stance on women liberal issues.  Hillary talks about the issues women faced in the United States as well as other countries and about how she as first lady had seen so many upsetting situations.  In this speech, she voices her desire to change these situations and the vision she has of a world where women are equally respected among men.  Through her self reflection and an unexpected Democratic influence, Hillary formed a powerful and unwavering vision which has been carrying through her political journey ever since.

 

POLITICAL SKILL – Within the 21st century, Hillary Clinton has been on a rise on the political spectrum.  She has come a long way from being a college student with a mere vision.  Now she holds experience, power, and a purpose for what she stands for and has demonstrated an upward mobility in political skill.  In recent years she has had to overcome obstacles within her political career which in turn has enhanced and strengthened her skills in politics.  Being a respected woman in politics has not been an easy feat but Hillary has learned the tricks and turns around her gender prejudices.   Within the last five years Hillary has had to learn to overcome political obstacles, such as media scrutiny, to redefine her skill set.  During the 2008 presidential campaign she lead a competitive campaign all the way to the end.  She learned how to react to harsh media and political criticism from the public for being a woman running for president.  Although she took a campaign approach that displayed too strong of an image and ended up failing to claim the Democratic nomination, she accepted and evolved her skills as a result.  By the end of her race in 2008, Hillary delivered a moving and heartfelt speech in Portsmouth, demonstrating the growth she achieved from beginning to end of her campaign.   This speech became a defining moment for her as she showed a  “change in voice” – a more charismatic leader.  Her campaign showed great adaption in the way that she changed her image in order to appeal to the public, even though it proved to be too late.  This presidential running was an example of how Hillary showed mastery of political skill.

– Hillary Clinton’s 2008 Concession Speech – This speech is a culmination of how Hillary evolved by the end of her 2008 campaign.

Now, Hillary has a new goal in sight.  She is aiming for the Democratic nomination of the 2016 presidential election.  With critical reflection and the growth that has carried over from her last run she is bringing a new skill set and strategies for this next campaign.  She demonstrates a leader who understands political skill and how to evolve and implement its full potential

 

♦ An empowering woman with a purpose and political means.  A leader who displays clear vision and understanding of politics. ♦

 

“Whether I am meant to or not, I challenge assumptions about women. I do make some people uncomfortable, which I’m well aware of, but that’s just part of coming to grips with what I believe is still one of the most important pieces of unfinished business in human history — empowering women to be able to stand up for themselves.”
– Hillary Clinton

 Criticism:

Early Criticism – During Hillary’s post college years she was criticized for not being faithful to the Democratic party.  Ironically, she was raised in a politically conservative household.  She came from a long line of Republicans and evidently followed suit.  Her first year at Wellesley College she was the president of the Young Republicans Club.   However, her party affiliation began to change during her last two years in undergrad College when her views on the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. Martin Luther King became more open and liberal.  By the end of the 60’s Hillary had made her full party conversion to a Democrat.  Due to her switch in party sides she has been accused of party confusion and muddled policy identity.  It took quite a few years before Hillary was seen as a “true” member of the Democratic party.  She directly immersed herself in social activism, liberal foundations, Democratic conventions, and associated herself with Democratic party members in order to establish her new political faith.

In later years, after she had already served as first lady for seven years, she was criticized for being weak when she stayed with her husband, Bill, after the Monica Lewinsky scandal.   1998, Bill Clinton was accused of having an affair with an intern by the name of Monica Lewinsky.   During the accusation, Hillary was Bill’s strongest supporters.  Although Bill later admitted to the affair, Hillary stayed with him and committed herself to her own political career as well as Bill’s.  Many people criticized Hillary for not leaving Bill after the affair, but Hillary was committed to making it work.

Later Criticism – Hillary’s 2008 presidential election gave one of the first politically viable campaign studies for a woman in the running for president. Before her campaign even began Hillary had already held criticism for being known as a controversial political figure.  Due to her gender and political background she became a strong recipient of constant scrutiny from the media.  Before her “turning point” speech in Portsmouth, Hillary was scrutinized for relaying “too strong” of a message which scared away votes from both men and women.  Men found that she appeared too emasculating while women felt a lack of connection and proper representation.  The image the Hillary portrayed was too “cold,” “intimidating,” and “overly ambitious” which led to her failure of gaining the nomination.

 


Class Reflection and About the Authors:

Hillary Clinton embodies leadership as a Democrat and as a woman in the 21st century.  She is a significant political figure with many respectable accomplishments.  From taking charge as First Lady in the White House, becoming a U.S. Senator, running for president, holding office as Secretary of State, becoming America’s top diplomat, and now re-running for president of 2016 – Hillary has made huge strides in the political spectrum.  She is currently at a high point in her career and is fulfilling her American Dream.  Due to her success and determination in politics she has she has opened doors and opportunities for all women to achieve power of their own American Dreams.

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Alyssa Robidoux ’17 is a Freshman at Wagner College in Staten Island, New York.  She is an Arts Administration major with a focus in music and theater and hopes to pursue a career in the music industry.  She is originally from Southern California but is super excited to be able to live so close to the city and hopes to be able to experience the wonder of New York City.  Alyssa says, “Hillary Clinton has always been one of my idols and being able to learn about her has increased my admiration for what she has accomplished for women.”

Mandi Sutherland ’17 is also a Freshman at Wagner College.  She is a political science major with a possible minor in business or philosophy with hopes to pursue a field involving public relations and the government.  She is a native born Texan who has come to Wagner to play Division 1 Water Polo and receive and interactive liberal arts education.  Hillary Clinton has been an idol of Mandi’s as she sees her as a powerful woman in politics – something that Mandi aspires to be one day.  Mandi says that, “Hillary displays feminism and empowerment for women in the 21st century and many young women should look to her accomplishments and leadership qualities as an example to pursue empowerment in their own careers. ”

 

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