ConnerTippetts

POLS1100
ProfilePaper
10/24/15

Profile:BarbaraJordan

Thereisnoobstacleinthepathofyoungpeoplewhoarepoorormembersofminority
groupsthathardworkandpreparationcannotcure.BarbaraJordan.

ThisquotesummarizesquitewellthelifeofyoungMs.BarbaraCharlineJordan.
BorntoapoorfamilyintheHouston,TexasareaonFebruary21,1936,shelivedalife
offirsts.HerfatherwasablackministerofthelocalBaptistchurchwhoworkedasa
clerkinawarehousetomakeendsmeet(Morin).Herfamilywasverytightknit,which
servedasasolidfoundationuponwhichshecouldsecureherselftointhetoughworld
ofwhitemaledominatedpoliticsshewouldsoonfindherselfinthemiddleof.Atthis
timeintheSouth,lifewassegregated.AfricanAmericanswererequiredtouseseparate
andinferiorqualitybathrooms,waterfountains,and,mostimportanttoBarbara,
schools.ItisalsoimportanttorecognizethattheGreatDepressionwashappening
duringagoodportionofherearlylife(Hively).Sheenduremanyeconomichardships
thatallcontributedtocreatinghermoralsandethics.
Aftergraduatinghighschoolinthetop5%ofherclass,itcametimetoattend
collegeinthe1950s.Theonlyproblemwasheronlyavailablechoiceforschoolwas
TexasSouthernUniversity.Theuniversitieswereallsegregatedanddespiteher
outstandingacademicsuccessinhighschool,shewasfilteredintoaschoolwitha
subparacademicprogram.Bythetimesheenteredcollege,shehaddecidedshewas
goingtobealawyerafterhearingaspeechgivenbythefirstwomantograduatefrom
theMastersofLawprogramatChicagosLoyolaUniversity,EdithSpurlockSampson
(Morin).Jordanlookeduptoherasashiningexampleofwhatablackwomencando
withhardworkanddetermination.ShegraduatedfromTSUwithaB.A.in1956,she
wentontoearnherlawdegreefromBostonUniversityin1959.Shewasonlyoneof
twowomeninhergraduatingclassof250(JORDAN).LifeinBostonwashardonher
becauseshewasawayfromherfamilyandhadtoadjusttolifeinaplaceshehad
neverlivedin.Soaftergraduating,shemovedbackdowntoHoustonandstartedalaw
practiceoutofherparentshome.
Shesoonbecameboredofherpracticeandhadthechanceopportunitytoget
involvedinnationalpolitics:thepresidentialcampaignofJohnF.Kennedy.Shestarted
offdoingminorclericalwork,butafteroneofthelocalcampaignspeakerscouldnt

cometoanevent,Jordanfilledinandimpressedmanyinthecampaign.Shebecamea
regularcampaignspeakerfromthatpointon(Hively).
Aftergettingatasteofpolitics,sheranforpublicofficein1962and1964.She
didntmakeiteithertime.ShewasthefirstwomantorunforpublicofficeintheTexas
senateandattributedherfailuretothelackof
campaignfundsaswellasthewhitemajoritypoolof
voters.Whenshefinallyranin1966,thesenatorial
districtswerechangedinherfavorandshewas
electedtotheTexassenateandofficiallyjoinedthe
followingyear(JORDAN).Shewasthefirstblack
senatoraswellasthefirstwomansenatorfrom
Texas.Whileonthesenate,shewasinitiallyrejected
bythe
goodol'boysclubwhenJordanarrivedin
1967(Hively).Buttoherpersistence,shewasableto
learnhowtogetthingsdoneincongressandwasalso
abletomakefriendsandgainrespectfrommostof
themen.One,ToddHively,putsherlearninginthe
senate:Ifthatmeantvotingforabillthatshedidn't
particularlylike,inexchangeforhelponabillshe
wanted,shewoulddoit.Jordanwaspragmatic(Hively).Inherfinalsenateyears,she
caughttheattentionofthenewpresidentLyndonJohnsonwhowouldprovetobeavital
mentorintheyearstocome.
Intheearly1970s,sheenteredthenationalpoliticalscenebymovingto
WashingtonDCandrunningfortheHouseofRepresentatives.Shereceived
overwhelmingapprovalfromherhomestateofTexasandwaselectedtoofficein1972.
Duringhertimeinoffice,sheheldontoherpoliticalphilosophylearnedinstatepolitics.
Shekeptherfocusonthelocalissuesofcivilrightsandwomensrightactivismwhile
servinginthisnationaloffice(JORDAN).AlsoduringhertimeintheHouseof
Representatives,she,infact,oftenoffendedanddifferentiatedherselffromherfellow
blackmembersofCongress.AccordingtoHively,Shedidnotconsiderherselftobea
blackcongresswoman,noraliberalcongresswoman,choosinginsteadtoriseabove
labels.Thisattitudeoffendedmanyofhercolleagues.Thisstrippingoflabelsboth
helpedandhinderedherworkinCongress,butitmainlyestablishedhercharacterfor
futurepoliticaloffices.
OneofthekeymomentsinallofBarbaraJordanspoliticalcareerwasher
testimonyonPresidentRichardNixonsinvolvementintheWatergatescandal.Duringa
periodoftimebetween1973and1974,theWatergatescandalwasthemaintopicof
conversationinCongress.JordanwasapartoftheHouseJudiciaryCommitteeduring
thattime,soshewasgreatlyinvolvedinthedecisionsmade.Thescandalevidence,

aftermonthsoflookingintotheissue,finallyboileddowntothetranscriptsoftaped
conversationshadbyPresidentNixon.InJulyof1974,Nixonreleasededitedtapesof
conversationshehad,buttheHouseJudiciaryCommitteewereactivelyseekingforthe
uneditedtranscripts.Thecommitteeeventuallygotfedupwithwaitingaroundformore
evidenceandorganizedafinalimpeachmentdebatetotakeplace(Morin).Itwasduring
thisdebatethattheCommitteeChairbegantoaskthemembersofthecommittee,one
byone,theirviewsonthequestionofImpeachment.Finally,itwastimeforBarbara
Jordan,DemocraticHouseRepresentativefromTexastogiveherviewinlessthan
fifteenminutes.
Shestartsherspeechbyintroducingtheconstitution.Shetalkedabouthowshe
hasnotbeenincludedintheWethePeoplepartofthePreambletotheConstitution
untilrecently.ButherpointinusingtheConstitutionasastartingpointwasmanifestin
herstatementsaying,AndIamnotgoingtosithereandbeanidlespectatortothe
diminution,thesubversion,thedestruction,oftheConstitution(Jordan).Thisstatement
setsuptheremainingofherargumenttoimpeach.Shethenmovesherargumenttothe
focusofimpeachment.Sherecallsthemechanicsoftheimpeachmentprocess.The
HouseandtheSenateholdtwo
equal powers to bring the Executive in question to an
impeachment hearing. The thing she focuses on the most, as relating to the
impeachment process, is Woodrow Wilson's quote that, "Nothing short of the
grossest offenses against the plain law of the land will suffice to give them speed
and effectiveness(Jordan).
She uses this to set up the stage that she doesnt have time to waste, so she
will get to the point because, the task we have before us is a big one (Jordan).
The end of her speech, she gives four impeachment criteria, two of which, were
given by the Constitutional framer, James Madison. It is the final impeachment
criteria that I will focus on because it holds the most weight and brings her whole
speech together. She quotes James Madison saying, A President is impeachable if
he attempts to subvert the Constitution" (Jordan). After this she talks about all of
the things President Richard Nixon has done that attempt to subvert the
constitution. This includes: counsel[ing] his aides to commit perjury, conceal
surreptitious entry, and even, attempt[ing] to compromise a federal judge
(Jordan). Jordans speech was a huge success. Although President Nixon resigned
before he was formally impeached, Ms. Barbara Jordan provided much needed
evidence in a form the average American could understand lead to great change in
the Executive branch. One of her most famous quotes from that speech given in
1974, was the following:

IftheimpeachmentprovisionintheConstitutionoftheUnitedStateswillnot
reachtheoffenseschargedhere,thenperhapsthat18thcenturyConstitutionshouldbe
abandonedtoa20thcenturypapershredder!BarbaraWalters

In1973,afterbeingdiagnosedwithMultipleSclerosispreviously,Jordanbegan
experiencingincreasingsymptomsofthedisease.ShestartedmissingHousebusiness,
butwhenquestioned,shetriedtokeepherhealthhistoryprivate(Hively).In1976,she
wasinvitedtobeakeynotespeakerattheDemocraticNationalConvention.Thiswas
theyearJimmyCarterwouldeventuallywinthePresidentialbidinNovember.She
deliveredarousingspeechthatinitiatedtalkthatshecouldbecomethenext
vicepresident.Shedismissedthesestatementssaying,It'snotmyturn"(Morin).
Althoughthevicepresidentialracewasnotgoingtohappen,Jordanstillwantedtorun
forhigheroffice.PresidentCarterofferedheraspotinhiscabinetasSecretaryof
Health,Education,andWelfare,butshehadhersightsonbecomingahigherranking
officenopersonofcolororwomanhadeverheld,AttorneyGeneral(Morin).Butthejob
wenttoawhiteGeorgialawyerandclosefriendofCarter.HerMultipleSclerosishad
beentakingatollonbothherpersonallifeaswellasherjobintheHouse,soin1978,
sheannouncedherretirementfromtheHouse.Thediseaseaffectedthecartilageinher
kneessoshesoonbecamewheelchairbound(Hively).Afterfinishingherfinaltermin
congress,shereturnedhometoTexas,andbecameacollegeprofessor.
ButJordanwastoopublicafiguretoretirequietly,sosheremainedanactive
citizenofpolitics.Shecalledforherlocalleaderstodomoreinregardstocivilrights
andwomensrightsactivism.In1992,shedeliveredherfinalkeynoteaddressatthe
DemocraticNationalConventioninawheelchairshewaspermanentlyboundtoasshe
hadlosttheuseofherlegs(Morin).By1995,herhealthproblemshadcompoundedto
includelungproblemsfromaneardrowningeventin1988andleukemia.Byearly1996,
shewashospitalizedinAustin,Texas,anddiedonJanuary17,1996frompneumonia,a
complicationofleukemia(JORDAN).
InlookingatnotonlytheaccomplishmentsmadebyBarbaraJordan,butthe
wholeperson,IhavecometoseewhatagreatAmericanheroshewas,aswellasa
characterwhosemoralsonecanonlyhopetofollow.InthebeginningofmypaperI
sharedaquotegivenbythelateJordanthat,inessence,statedthathardworkand
preparationcanovercomeanyobstaclethathasbeenputinyourpathbecauseyouare
poororareapartofaminoritygroup.JordanwasbornablackwomaninAmericaata
timewhenblackwomenwerefacedwithalmostinsurmountableobstacles.Butinthe
faceofoddsthatconsistentlywentagainsther,sheusedpreparationandhardworkto
overcome.Hergritandstrictmoralvaluesthatshelearnedasayounggirleventually
transformedintochangeintheAmericangovernment.
IfIweretorelateBarbaraJordanslifeandaccomplishmentstopoliticstoday,I
wouldadviseallcitizenstoeducatethemselvesontheimportantissuesthatfacethe
nationtoday.Jordanexemplifiedthiswhenshepreparedspeechesthatbroughtabout
hugechanges.Shepreparedbyeducatingherselfonthefacts,andformulatingan
educatedopinionbasedonherresearch.Ifwecouldtakethisoneexamplefroma

personwithalifetimeofpoliticalandpersonalaccomplishment,thisnation,today,can
onlygetstronger.

WorksCited

BarbaraJordan
.Digitalimage.
Wikipedia.org
.N.p.,n.d.Web.23Oct.2015

Hively,Todd."BarbaraJordan."
OurStates:Texas
(2015):16.
HistoryReference
Center
.Web.20Oct.2015.

"JORDAN,BarbaraCharline|USHouseofRepresentatives:History,Art&Archives."
JORDAN,BarbaraCharline
.History,Art,andArchives,n.d.Web.22Oct.2015.

Jordan,BarbaraC."StatementsontheArticlesofImpeachment."HouseJudiciary
CommitteeImpeachmentHearing.WashingtonD.C.25July1974.
American
Rhetoric
.Web.23Oct.2015.
<http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/barbarajordanjudiciarystatement.ht
m>.

Morin,IsobelV."5:BarbaraJordan."
WomenOfTheU.S.Congress
(1994):82.
BiographyReferenceCenter
.Web.20Oct.2015.