Path of Progress: One Man's Fight for Women's Rights

by Flora Beach Burlingame

It’s the late 1800s, and John Ogilvie Stevenson, pastor of the Congregational Church in Waterloo, Iowa, believes women are equal to men intellectually, and superior to men morally and spiritually. During a sermon on temperance, wherein he advocates laws to shut down the saloons, he is struck with the irony that his audiences are composed mostly of women—that segment of the citizenry who cannot vote. Thus begins his campaign for women’s suffrage. A large portion of the public believes a woman’s place is in the home, that she has no business in politics, and probably isn’t smart enough to vote.
Every two years the state legislature considers putting an amendment on the ballot for a public vote on the issue and time after time it doesn’t get that far. The Reverend John Stevenson never gives up. Through the triumphs and tragedies of his own personal life, he is determined to forge the path to progress.

Kindle Edition

Published February 15, 2019

About the author

Flora Beach Burlingame has had three careers: Motherhood (on-going), Paralegal (retired), and Journalist/writer (on-going). She has lived in various California locations and currently resides in beautiful, western Washington State.
During career #3 she won awards for her short stories, published free-lance magazine articles, and served as contributing editor for the Mariposa Museum and History Center’s quarterly newsletter. For a number of years, she wrote a column and features for The Fresno Bee, a major California newspaper, and during that time was commissioned by The Bee to write a hundred years of history on three California counties for a Centennial edition.
Flora’s interest in history came from her father, a high school history teacher, who she says, “always knew the history of anywhere we traveled.” Stories of the past dominate Flora’s writing. In 2011, after countless hours of research in addition to the writing, her historical novel, Charcoal and Chalk, John Ogilvie and the Beginnings of Black Education in Texas was published. That story, based on an actual teacher of the freedmen during Civil War Reconstruction, also led to Flora’s current book, Path of Progress, the unique perspective of a man’s fight for women’s rights during the late eighteen hundreds and early twentieth century.

Reviews

[Ramcy Diek · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that is written so well, the story so intriguing, the characters so honest, real, and endearing, that it will stay with you for a long, long time.
The story of Reverend Stevenson and his family is set in Iowa around the turn of the 19th Century. Dr. Stevenson is working tireless for women’s suffrage, giving women the right to vote, despite suffering from asthma, that he calls allergies. His health problems are so severe that he even loses his voice. But he makes up for it with his pen.
When Mrs. Ella Stevenson has to work, to help support the family, the reverend gets faced with a dilemma and comes to understand you have to practice what you preach.
Throughout the book, the four Stevenson children grow up and move out of the house. You will come to love them all.
The author must have done a tremendous amount of research. I LOVED it. From the first chapter to the last. I highly recommend this exceptional book.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

After enjoying “Charcoal and Chalk”, this author’s first book, I was so happy to see the continuing story of Reverend John O. Stevenson. And what a timely novel “Path of Progress” is. As we approach the centennial celebration of woman’s suffrage in America, it is amazing to hear the story of this one man and how he steadfastly supported women’s right to vote and participate in our government.

This story of Reverend Stevenson is an absorbing family saga set at the beginning of the 20th century. An engaging narrative of his family and their lives in that era when women were just beginning to be recognized as equals in society. The book is well written, with believable characters and historical facts that make the story ring true. A very enjoyable, enlightening read.

[R.D. Kardon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Women’s rights

This is the perfect time to revisit the beginnings of the women’s suffrage movement. Flora Burlingame focuses us through the lens of Rev. John Stevenson, an early supporter of women’s rights. He and his family’s resilience during troubled times is inspirational.

[Energy Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the late 1800s, women don't have the right to vote, not only that, they have very little rights in general. While there are women out there fighting for suffrage, there are very few men. We meet John Stevenson, a reverend fighting for temperance and suffrage, which is controversial to some of his congregation.

The general consensus is that women have a place, and that is in the home. After the loss of his wife, and with children to raise, John remarries such a forward-thinking woman, Ella and we follow their life together as they traverse equality for all, Ella's desire to work outside of the home, and John's failing health.

This is a fairly slow-paced book and that's perfectly fine because it suits the genre and our characters. I enjoyed the characters immensely, and we even got to check in on John's children's lives as they each, in turn, moved out into the world. John and Ella made a great couple because they were able to work with each other and work towards their shared goals.

I absolutely love Historical Fiction and I loved Path of Progress even more so because the author drew from actual people to create her story. It was a great blend of historical accounting tied with some characters from the author's imagination to tell a wonderful story. I also want to add that at the end of the book, the author included an epilogue in which we find out what happened to the characters in their lives and gave us a bit more about the story that wasn't included, so don't stop reading when the story is done, it's a really nice treat.