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11 Freedom Firsts

Our country has come a long way since 1776—and we are not talking about those silly white wigs. This 4^th of July, let’s make sure to celebrate all of the freedom firsts that got us to this point of equality and independence.

The Declaration of Independence started it all by granting us freedom as a country from the Brits.
Move over Harvard, Oberlin College is the place to be. In 1841, the Ohio college was the first school to grant women degrees.
Congress passed and ratified the 13th amendment in 1865, abolishing slavery in the U.S. and giving African Americans freedom for the first time. (Woot, woot!)
Susan B. Anthony is amaze-balls. She was the first U.S. woman to vote in a presidential election. Although she was arrested, this created a platform for her to spread her message.
Wyoming is all about girl power. It became the first state to grant women the right to vote.
The concrete jungle really is where dreams are made of. Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 as the first black baseball player.
Ruby Bridges was the first African American to attend an all-white elementary school in 1960.
In 1976, 119 women lined up at the gates of the U.S. military academy at West point. Sixty-two women became U.S. Army officers.
Same-sex couples achieved their first temporary, yet monumental success when the Hawaii Supreme Court decided that the restriction of same-sex couples was unconstitutional (duh) in 1993.
Massachusetts is boss. It was the first state to allow same sex marriage on May 17, 2004.
On November 4^th, 2008, Barack Obama epically paved the way for future African American presidents by being the first African American elected into office.