2026年2月20日 / 美国东部时间下午5:42 / 哥伦比亚广播公司新闻
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在《我们，女性：塑造美国的隐形女英雄》（将于2月24日由Ballantine Books出版）一书中，哥伦比亚广播公司新闻的诺拉·奥唐奈与凯特·安德森·布劳尔合著，揭示了那些常常被忽视的”隐形女英雄”的故事。她们为美国生活各个领域的自由与平等而战，从法庭到战场，从男性主导的权力走廊到抗议运动。
阅读下面的节选，不要错过2月22日在《哥伦比亚广播公司周日早间新闻》中莫·罗卡对诺拉·奥唐奈的采访！
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《我们，女性》诺拉·奥唐奈著
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引言
1876年7月4日，全国各地都在计划庆祝美国百年诞辰，其中最盛大的活动在费城举行。数千人在灼热的阳光下聆听《独立宣言》的宣读，但一小群女性聚集在美国的诞生地，却有自己的爱国宣言要传递。
伊丽莎白·凯迪·斯坦顿、苏珊·B·安东尼以及来自美国各地的其他女权主义者被拒绝参与当天的活动。伊丽莎白被负责人告知活动名额已满，于是这些女性决定必须冲破舞台才能被听到。
在独立大厅外，弗吉尼亚州的理查德·亨利·李——其祖父曾提出脱离英国独立——宣读了原始《独立宣言》，其中承诺平等权利。宣读结束后，苏珊和另外四名女性从观众席起身，走向装饰着红、白、蓝三色的讲台。
人群措手不及。苏珊没有遇到阻力，只有主持人托马斯·W·费里参议员震惊而苍白的脸。她递给费里一份名为《美国妇女权利宣言》的小册子，他勉强接受，这使得它成为当天活动的正式组成部分。这是一份开创性的四页文件，将女性受压迫的状况与殖民地人民受到乔治三世国王对待的情况相提并论。
这群女性引起了足够大的骚动，以至于观众席上的男性纷纷站在座位上观看。她们迅速离开舞台时，将额外的宣言副本递给热切伸手的男性。
这些女性创造了自己的”烟花”——这超出了约瑟夫·R·霍利将军的承受范围，他大喊：”安静！安静！”作为美国百年纪念委员会主席，霍利曾拒绝伊丽莎白让女性参与的请求。”我们时间紧迫，”他在一封信中写道。这些话后来困扰着他。
全国妇女选举权协会（NWSA）主席伊丽莎白·凯迪·斯坦顿和她的同事们希望利用这个场合突出独立庆祝的虚伪性——因为一半人口仍被剥夺选举权。伊丽莎白后来回忆道：”我们认为在父亲们的宣言宣读之后立即宣读我们的权利宣言是合适的，以此谴责他们及其男性后代的不公与压迫。”
那六位闯入舞台的NWSA成员随后移至独立大厅前，迎来当天的下一个戏剧性时刻。伊丽莎白在回忆录中描述了当时的场景：
“在华盛顿雕像的阴影下，[在]他们身后是那口宣告’向所有土地和所有居民宣告自由’的古老大钟，她们就位，在聆听并鼓掌的人群面前，安东尼小姐宣读了《妇女宣言》。”
苏珊·B·安东尼的讲话以”当国家洋溢着爱国主义，所有人的心都在赞颂时，我们怀着悲痛，在这个国家诞生一百周年之际，敲响这不和谐的音符”开始。
站在闷热的正午烈日下，穿着厚重的维多利亚式衬裙，苏珊提醒人群，女性没有选举权、婚姻权、真正的法律保护，并且在没有代表权的情况下被征税。
“我们要求正义，我们要求平等，我们要求美国公民享有的所有公民和政治权利，永远保证给我们和我们的女儿。”
我们的女儿们，永远。
这一对普选权的勇敢呼吁，在独立日百年庆典上发表，帮助激发了四十年后通过第19修正案的斗争。这是一个深刻的美国时刻，确保了我们所有人现在都有选举权。
我在学校或我读过的许多历史书中都没有学到这个非凡的日子。为什么这个时刻在我们国家的历史中只是一个脚注，而不是我们课程的核心内容？我在学校学到的大部分历史都很枯燥——或者更礼貌地说，难以引起共鸣！但我能理解这些勇敢而杰出的女性，她们没有被赋予席位或平等机会，却不得不奋力登上舞台。
当我更多地了解这些杰出的女权主义者时，我开始好奇我的国家建国文件和长达数百年的民权与妇女权利斗争中还有什么被遗漏了。我对那些帮助改变美国历史进程却鲜为人知的其他女性感到好奇；那些不顾一切为《独立宣言》和宪法中概述的自由而战的隐形女英雄。她们的行动如何导致了我今天的自由？最重要的是，我可以投票。我也可以拥有自己的财产和银行账户。我可以作为一名记者工作，并向有权势的人提出尖锐问题。
这些权利在我们国家成立之初并不属于女性。它们是在过去250年中艰难赢得的。
“我们认为这些真理是不言而喻的：人人生而平等。”正是这些话创造了这个国家，也点燃了美国历史上每一场革命的火花。然而，对于美国百年诞辰时的女性来说，超过一半的人口仍被剥夺了”生命、自由和追求幸福”的不可剥夺权利。苏珊、伊丽莎白和她们的女权主义同伴们并不平等。在她们的宣言中，她们肯定了所有人的人权，称之为”共和国的基石”。
正如你将在本书中了解到的，女性从未放弃实现更完美联邦的斗争。本书中的英雄们有力地说明了她们为实现更好的美国而进行的250年斗争。她们在国内外对这个国家理想的坚持捍卫，迫使我们的国家兑现承诺。
在我国历史上的每一场战争中，女性都为国家流血。有些女性甚至在没有选举权时就为美国中弹。女性也建设了这个国家——从桥梁到银行到医院；她们发起了运动，不仅仅是选举权运动，还有民权运动。正如哈丽雅特·比彻·斯托著名所说：”女性是社会真正的建筑师。”许多早期伟大的女性改革者都是废奴主义领袖。女性一次又一次地要求自己的地位、自己的权利以及他人的权利。
“我们人民”是美国宪法的开头语，它提醒我们所有人，政府的权力直接来自其所有公民；我们的政府是为人民服务的。本书名为”我们，女性”，是为了提醒大家，这场共同的斗争、集体的战斗——由女性发起并为女性而战——确保我们的政府认识到所有公民。
这是一个常常被历史书遗漏的故事。美国国家妇女历史博物馆发现，美国学校教授的内容中只有15%突出了女性的成就和历史。我们希望改变这一点。这个美国叙事的重述将女性放在历史书页上应有的位置。
就我个人而言，我想知道，如果我小时候更多地了解这些女性，我的自我意识、力量和勇气会如何塑造。
当美国庆祝其250岁生日时，更完美的联邦仍在建设中。尽管如此，美利坚合众国的民主理想仍是世界的向往。美国梦的承诺在20世纪30年代将我的祖母带到了美国。
玛丽·特蕾莎·莫纳汉·奥凯恩是9个孩子中最大的一个，是生活在新教控制的北爱尔兰的天主教徒。我的祖母12岁就开始在贝尔法斯特的亚麻工厂工作，每天穿过铁丝网和路障去工作，而不是上学，以养家糊口。她从未完成八年级学业，但她足够聪明，知道必须离开北爱尔兰。
于是，她像20世纪初许多年轻爱尔兰女性一样：鼓起勇气，独自一人登上一艘船，启航前往美国，心中怀揣着新生活的梦想。为期一周的跨大西洋蒸汽船航行臭名昭著。著名爱尔兰作家詹姆斯·乔伊斯曾将大西洋描述为”一碗苦涩的泪水”，以捕捉移民离开祖国的悲伤。
我的祖母1930年抵达埃利斯岛。当她进入纽约港时，自由女神像迎接了她。想想看！一位女性——自由女神！——手持火炬，欢迎像我祖母这样的人来到美国海岸。这个有150年历史的国家给这位年轻女性提供了什么？当然，我的祖母相信这里会有爱尔兰没有的女性机会。
如果我能回到过去，我会握住我害怕的祖母的手说：”会好起来的。看看自由女神像底座上的青铜牌匾。”上面部分写着：“把你疲惫的、贫穷的、蜷缩的大众，那些渴望自由呼吸的人给我。” 我会说：”奶奶，这是一位年轻女诗人写的。她叫艾玛·拉撒路。美国是机会之地。”
你可能会认为我爱尔兰祖母的故事只被铭记为我的家族史，但她被记录在美国的叙事中。我在华盛顿特区国家档案馆的一本书中找到了她的签名，她到达美国时将职业列为手帕刺绣工。她当时只有20美元。
将祖母带到大西洋彼岸的勇敢精神，活在我们书中介绍的女性身上。每个女性都代表着她所处时代的历史意义。有些是开拓者，有些在战争中战斗；另一些在法庭上战斗，或为体育和商业中的平等而战。所有这些都是变革者。
近三十年来，我作为一名记者，致力于放大女性的故事。这本书是这项工作的扩展。我们的研究让我们发现了一些非常惊人的故事。在250年的美国历史中，女性的贡献不仅非凡，而且常常被忽视，要从中选出要介绍的人物是一个艰难的过程。
玛丽·凯瑟琳·戈达德是唯一一位名字出现在《独立宣言》上的女性；贝尔瓦·洛克伍德是第一位在美国最高法院辩论的女性，也是第一位竞选总统的女性；苏塞特·拉弗莱斯毕生倡导原住民权利；玛丽·麦克劳德·白求恩在罗斯福总统任内领导了”黑人内阁”；弗朗西丝·珀金斯是新政的设计师，也是美国第一位女性内阁成员。
许多人在各自领域都是先驱，打破壁垒，如菲利斯·惠特利——第一位出版诗集的非洲裔美国女性；伊丽莎白·布莱克韦尔博士是第一位进入医学院的女性；阿格尼丝·迈耶·德里斯科尔是海军密码学的第一夫人。其中一人不仅是第一位，至今仍是唯一一位：玛丽·爱德华兹·沃克博士是唯一获得国会荣誉勋章（美国最高军事勋章）的女性。
在这个过程中，我与这些女性建立了个人联系，钦佩她们所承受的苦难以及在逆境、歧视和仇恨面前继续前进的勇气。我希望她们能像激励我一样激励你。
我们的目标不是为我们展示的女性撰写完整传记，而是描绘她们的坚韧和决心，以确保在法律和社会层面都得到平等对待。我们希望突出那些推动美国实现其建国承诺的女性：自由、平等和追求幸福。
我们依靠那些毕生致力于重新发现这些女性的历史学家。但我们不是历史学家。因此，如果有遗漏的内容或人物，我希望你也能帮忙分享她们的故事。我们没有包括你听说过的每一位著名女性；虽然阿比盖尔·亚当斯是一位极具影响力的开国元勋，但书中没有关于她的章节。但有一章是关于阿比盖尔的朋友默西·奥蒂斯·沃伦，她撰写了第一部革命史。历史上有许多女性体现了美国价值观，我们不可能全部写出来。我们尽可能让每个简介都像我们发现的宝石——新的、有价值的、有重要历史意义的值得发现的东西。
我们每个人都在历史的进程中扮演着角色。我喜欢这句话。小马丁·路德·金博士说过，历史的长河很长，但它会向正义弯曲。这些女性是使历史之弧向正义弯曲的核心。在这个过程中，当我因自己生活中的挑战而感到沮丧时，这些女性让我充满坚韧和韧性。我希望你也能被她们的生活所鼓舞。
摘自《我们，女性：塑造美国的隐形女英雄》，作者诺拉·奥唐奈与凯特·安德森·布劳尔，由Ballantine Books出版，Penguin Random House LLC旗下品牌。版权所有。未经出版商书面许可，不得复制或重印本节选的任何部分。
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Book excerpt: “We the Women” by Norah O’Donnell
February 20, 2026 / 5:42 PM EST / CBS News
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In[“We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America”] (to be published Feb. 24 by Ballantine Books), CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell, writing with Kate Andersen Brower, reveal the often-overlooked stories of the “hidden heroines” who fought for freedom and equality in all areas of American life, from the courtroom to the battlefield, from male-dominated corridors of power, to protest movements.
Read an excerpt below, and don’t miss Mo Rocca’s interview with Norah O’Donnell on [“CBS Sunday Morning”] February 22!
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[“We the Women” by Norah O’Donnell]
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Introduction
On July 4, 1876, celebrations of America’s centennial were planned all across the country, with the grandest event taking place in Philadelphia. Thousands stood in the blistering sun to hear the reading of the Declaration of Independence, but a small group of women gathered in America’s birthplace had their own patriotic message to deliver.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and other suffragists from across America had been denied the right to participate in the day’s activities. Elizabeth had been told by the man in charge that the program was already full, so the women decided that they would have to storm the stage to be heard.
Outside Independence Hall, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia — whose grandfather had proposed independence from England a century earlier — read from the original Declaration of Independence, which promised equal rights. When he finished, Susan and four other women rose from the audience and marched their way to the front of the platform, which was adorned in red, white and blue for the holiday.
The crowd was caught off guard. Susan encountered no resistance, only the stunned, pale face of the presiding officer, Senator Thomas W. Ferry. She handed him their pamphlet, entitled the “Declaration of Rights of the Women of the United States,” which he begrudgingly accepted, thus making it an official part of the day’s proceedings. It was a groundbreaking, four-page list of grievances that equated women’s oppression with the treatment the colonies received by King George III.
The group of women caused enough of a stir that men in the audience stood on their seats to see what was happening. As they quickly exited the stage, they handed extra copies of their manifesto to men who eagerly reached for the documents.
The women had created their own fireworks — too much for General Joseph R. Hawley who shouted, “Order! Order!” As head of the U.S. Centennial Commission, Hawley was the man who had denied Elizabeth’s request for the women to participate. “We are crowded for time,” he had written in a letter. Those words had come back to haunt him.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, president of the National Women’s Suffrage Association (NWSA), and her colleagues had hoped to use the occasion to highlight the hypocrisy of celebrating independence while half the population were still denied their right to vote. “We thought it would be fitting for us to read our Declaration of Rights immediately after that of the Fathers was read, as an impeachment of them and their male descendants for their injustice and oppression,” Elizabeth later recounted.
The six NWSA members who had stormed the stage then moved to the front of Independence Hall for the next dramatic moment of the day. In her memoirs, Elizabeth, described the scene:
“Here, under the shadow of Washington’s statue, [behind] them the old bell that proclaimed, ‘liberty to all the land and all the inhabitants thereof,’ they took their places, and to a listening, applauding crowd, Miss Anthony read the Women’s Declaration.”
Susan B. Anthony’s remarks began, “While the nation is buoyant with patriotism, and all hearts are attuned to praise, it is with sorrow we come to strike the one discordant note, on this one-hundredth anniversary of our country’s birth.”
Standing in the sweltering noon heat, wearing a heavy Victorian petticoat, Susan reminded the crowd that women had no right to vote, no marriage rights, no real legal protections, and were subject to taxation without representation.
“We ask justice, we ask equality, we ask that all the civil and political rights that belong to citizens of the United States, be guaranteed to us and our daughters forever.”
Our daughters forever.
This courageous call for universal suffrage, delivered on the centennial celebration of the Fourth of July, helped inspire the struggle that would culminate in the passage of the 19th Amendment more than four decades later. It was a profound American moment that helped ensure we all now have the right to vote.
I didn’t learn about this extraordinary day in school or from the many history books I’ve read. Why is this moment a mere footnote to our country’s story rather than a centerpiece of our lessons? Most of the history I learned in school was, well, pretty boring — or should I say more politely, difficult to relate to! But I can relate to these bold and brilliant women who had not been given a seat at the table or an equal opportunity and had to force their way to the stage.
As I learned more about these prominent suffragists, I began to wonder what else was missing from my understanding of our nation’s founding document and the centuries-long struggle for civil rights and women’s rights. I was curious about other women who helped change the course of history in America that we know little about; the hidden heroines who against all odds fought for the freedoms outlined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. How did their actions lead to my freedoms today? Most importantly, I can vote. I can also own my own property and have my own bank account. I can work as a journalist and ask tough questions to people in positions of power.
Those rights were not afforded to women at our country’s founding. They had to be hard-won over the past 250 years.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” Those very words created this country and are the spark that lit every revolution in American history. Yet for the women at America’s centennial, more than half of the population were still denied the inalienable rights of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Susan, Elizabeth, and their fellow suffragists were not equal. In their declaration, they affirmed a belief in human rights for all, which they called the “corner stones of a republic.”
As you’ll learn in this book, women have never given up the fight to realize a more perfect union. The heroes in this book powerfully illustrate the 250-year struggle they have fought to achieve that better version of America. Their persistent defense of this country’s ideals at home and abroad has forced our nation to live up to its promises.
Women have bled for their country during every war in our nation’s history. Some women took a bullet for America when they didn’t even have the right to vote. Women also built this country — from bridges to banks to hospitals; and they birthed movements, not just suffrage but also the Civil Rights movement. As Harriet Beecher Stowe famously put it, “Women are the real architects of society.” Many of these great early female reformers were abolitionist leaders. Again and again, women have demanded their place, their rights and rights for others.
“We the People,” is the phrase that begins the U.S. Constitution, and it is meant to remind us all that the authority of our government comes directly from all of its citizens; that our government is by and for the people. This book is titled, “We the Women,” as a reminder of the shared struggle, the collective fight, by women and for women, to make sure that our government recognizes all of its citizens.
It’s a story often missing from our history books. The National Women’s History Museum found only 15% of what is taught in America’s schools highlights the achievements and history of women. We want to change that. This retelling of the American narrative puts women in their rightful place on the pages of history.
On a more personal note, I wonder how my own sense of self, power, and courage might have been shaped if I had learned more about these women as a young girl.
As America celebrates its 250th Birthday, a more perfect union is still a work in progress. Even still, the United States of America’s democratic ideals are the envy of the world. The promise of the American dream is what brought my grandmother to the U.S. in the 1930s.
Mary Teresa Monaghan O’Kane was the oldest of 9 children, a Catholic living in Protestant-controlled Northern Ireland. My grandmother started working at the age of 12 years old in a linen factory in Belfast, traveling through barbed wire and barricades every day, not to school but to a job to support her family. She never made it past the 8th grade, but she was smart enough to know she had to leave Northern Ireland.
So, she did what so many young Irish women did in the early 20th century: she garnered her courage, boarded a boat, all alone, and set sail for America inspired by a dream for a new life. The week-long, transatlantic voyage on a steam ship was notorious. James Joyce, the renowned Irish author, once described the Atlantic Ocean as a “bowl of bitter tears,” to capture the sorrow of immigrants leaving their homeland.
My grandmother arrived at Ellis Island in 1930. When she entered New York Harbor, she was greeted by the Statue of Liberty. Think about that! A woman — Lady Liberty! — holding a torch, welcoming people like my grandmother to America’s shore. What did this 150-year-old country offer a young woman? Certainly, my grandmother believed there would be opportunities for women not provided for them in Ireland.
If I could travel back in time, I’d hold my scared grandmother’s hand and say, “It’s going to be okay. Look at this bronze plaque on the pedestal of Lady Liberty.” It reads in part, “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” I’d say, “Grandma, that was written by young female poet. Her name is Emma Lazarus. America is the land of opportunity.”
You might think my Irish grandmother’s story is only remembered as part of my family history and yet she is recorded in America’s narrative. I found her signature in a book at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., where upon arrival in America she listed her profession as a handkerchief stitcher. She had just $20 to her name.
The bold spirit and bravery that brought my grandmother across the Atlantic lives inside the women that we feature in the book. Each woman represents the historical significance of the period in which she lived. Some of them are trailblazers, some fought in war; others fought in a courtroom, or for equality in sports and business. All of them were changemakers.
For nearly three decades, I’ve spent my career as a journalist amplifying the stories of women. This book is an expansion of that work. Our research led us to uncover some pretty astounding stories. It was a difficult process to narrow down who to feature across 250 years of American history where women’s contributions have been not only extraordinary, but often overlooked.
Mary Katherine Goddard is the only woman whose name is on the Declaration of Independence; Belva Lockwood was the first woman to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court and the first to run for president; Susette La Flesche spent her life advocating for Indigenous people’s rights; Mary McLeod Bethune’s led the Black Cabinet during FDR’s presidency; and Frances Perkins was the architect of the New Deal and the nation’s first female Cabinet member.
Many held the distinction of being the first in their field, breaking barriers like Phillis Wheatley, the first African American woman to publish a book of poems; Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman admitted to a medical school; and Agnes Meyer Driscoll is the First Lady of Naval Cryptology. One of them was not just the first, but to this day is the only: Dr. Mary Edwards Walker is the only woman to receive the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military decoration.
Through this journey, I developed a personal connection to each of these women, a sense of admiration for what they endured and for the courage it took for them to keep going in the face of adversity, discrimination, and hatred. I hope they inspire you, the way they inspired me.
Our goal is not to deliver a full biography of the women we are showcasing, but to paint a picture of their grit and determination to be treated equally — not just under the law but in society. We wanted to highlight women who pushed America to live up to its founding promises: liberty, equality, and the pursuit of happiness.
We relied on historians who have made it their life’s work to rediscover these women. But we are not historians. So, if there’s something or someone missing, my hope is that you too will help share their stories. We didn’t include every famous woman you heard of; there’s no chapter on Abigail Adams, though she is a widely influential founding mother. But there is a chapter on Abigail’s friend Mercy Otis Warren, who wrote the first history of the revolution. There are many women throughout history who exemplify America’s values, and we couldn’t possibly write about all of them. We wanted, as much as possible, for each profile to feel like a gem we were uncovering — something new, and valuable, with a significant history worthy of discovery.
Each of us plays a role in the arc of history. I love that phrase. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said the arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice. These women have been central to bending that arc toward justice. Throughout this process, when I felt discouraged by challenges in my own life, these women filled me with sense of grit and resilience. My hope is that you, too, are inspired by their lives.
From “We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America” by Norah O’Donnell with Kate Andersen Brower, published by Ballantine Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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- [“We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America”] by Norah O’Donnell with Kate Andersen Brower (Ballantine Books), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available February 24
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