Mother's Day Proclamation
The "Appeal to womanhood throughout the world" by Julia Ward Howe was an appeal for women to unite for peace in the world. Written in 1870, Howe's "Appeal to womanhood" was a pacifist reaction to the carnage of the American Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War. The appeal was tied to Howe's feminist conviction that women had a responsibility to shape their societies at the political level.
In 1872 Howe asked for the celebration of a "Mother's Day for Peace" on 2 June of every year, but she was unsuccessful. The modern Mother's Day, was established by Anna Jarvis 36 years later. While the day she established was different in significance from what Howe had proposed, Anna Jarvis was reportedly inspired by her mother's work with Howe.
Today, the appeal is included in the Unitarian Universalist hymnal Singing the Living Tradition.Appeal to womanhood throughout the world
