Martha Ballard

Martha Ballard

Beginning in 1785, Martha Ballard kept a daily journal that documented EVERYTHING in the daily life of her community as well as weather conditions, children she helped to deliver (she was a midwife in Hallowell) and her own personal financial accounts.  More on her journals and her life can be seen on this site: http://dohistory.org/diary/.

Margaret Chase Smith

Margaret Chase Smith

On June 1, 1950, Margaret Chase Smith spoke out against "McCarthyism" in her speech "Declaration of Conscience."  In this speech, she railed against the stifling air of fear over one's thoughts that had descended upon the nation.  She spoke of the loss of:

            The right to criticize;

            The right to hold unpopular beliefs;

            The right to protest;

            The right of independent thought.

She finished her speech by saying: 

As an American, I want to see our nation recapture the 

strength and unity it once had when we fought the enemy instead of ourselves.

The whole speech can be seen here: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/margaretchasesmithconscience.html