The women of the Jarvis family possessed an obsession towards
activism which was hardly seen in the women of their times in the
1900's. Though there were, in fact, several reform movements that women
were engaged in during that time period including The temperance and
suffrage were the movements in which some women were engaged (both of
which the Jarvis women participated in) but most women devoted their
time solely on their family and homes. The Jarvis women, on the other
hand were working to ensure that these homemakers were recognized and
honored in their work as mothers. Thus, the mother of the household,
Mrs. Ann Marie Reeves Jarvis helped develop the "Mothers Friendship
Day" to assist in the healing of the nation after the Civil War.
After the death of her mother, Anna Jarvis decided to dedicate her life
to her mother's cause and to establish Mother's Day to "honor
mothers, living and dead."
Anna spent her childhood at Grafton. She attended college in Virginia
and then returned to Grafton to become a teacher. From her childhood she
remembered how important the cause of establishing a day of recognition
for mothers was to her own mother.
Thus, the Mother's Day was established by the determination of a loving
daughter. Miss Jarvis worked industriously, writing innumerable letters
to influential people and distributing pamphlets to gain recognition for
motherhood. It was due to Anna's tireless work and efforts that the
first Mother's Day service was held on May 10, 1907 (though some sources
state 1908), at her mother's church, St. Andrew's Methodist Episcopal
Church in Grafton. She passed out more than 500 white carnations, one
for each mother in the congregation. The white carnation was her most
favorite because it represented the purity of a mother's heart. A white
carnation was worn to honor deceased mothers and a red one to honor a
living mother.
John Wanamaker, a great merchant and philanthropist from Philadelphia
joined led by Anna's campaign, giving a great fillip to the cause. It
helped the movement to grow. Her efforts started bearing fruit and by
1912 West Virginia became the first state to adopt an official Mother's
Day, and finally by 1914, the Congress passed a joint resolution, signed
by President Woodrow Wilson, to establish Mother's Day.
Despite all the joy surrounding her successful campaign, all was not
bliss. Miss Jarvis became very concerned with the steadily increasing
commercialization of Mother's Day and opposed the selling of flowers and
the use of greeting cards. She felt that her holiday, which was meant to
be a "noble and true" celebration, had been exploited for
profit. Miss Jarvis was concerned with reform, not revenue.
The Mother's Day movement was a celebration of the importance of women
and their work inside the home, as mothers. The very involvement of Anna
Jarvis and other activists brought the role of mothers and homemakers
into the eyes of the public- giving it positive exposure,
acknowledgment, and public admiration.
The resolve and resilience of Anna Jarvis and her mother towards their
causes and beliefs made them a hero. She is a true hero not only because
of her devotion, love, and loyalty as daughter but also as her
dedication as a sibling, caring for her unsound sister. It is a great
irony that the women who worked for the cause of other women couldn't
become a mother herself. But through her work, she earned the title of
the "Mother of Mother's Day,"- a title as grand as her
beautiful cause.
