Breaking Barriers in History: Ann Pamela Cunningham’s quest to save Mount Vernon.

“To the Ladies of the South”

Primary Source: In this published letter, Ann Pamela Cunningham argued that it was the moral duty of women to rescue Washington’s home from destruction and shame. Perhaps influenced by Congress’s decision to turn down the opportunity to save Mount Vernon, Cunningham criticized Congress for what she believed to be its clear deterioration at the hands of corruption and immorality. For Cunningham, however, the women who truly loved their country were pure and superior enough to lead the righteous cause of saving Mount Vernon.  

The Mount Vernon Fund

Primary Source: Fund Raising Flyer, 1858-1860

Under Cunningham’s leadership, the MVLA used print media to reach people across the nation. In this flyer, the ladies encouraged the children of America to form groups and make donations for the purchase and restoration of Mount Vernon. The ladies perhaps believed that there was a chance people would ignore their calling perhaps for economic reasons. However, the clever women understood that providing people with a tangible incentive would likely result in more donations. Offering people, who donated, a patriotic souvenir increased the chances of a successful fund-raising. 

Many “little villages"

The Association also encourage ladies to lead fund-raising efforts at the local level. As Cunningham envisioned, the women of the MVLA were socially connected and proactive. Women from small towns and large cities, encouraged friends, who perhaps had not heard of the initiative, to make donations.

Primary Source: Letter from Susan Fenimore Cooper to "my dear sister," 1858 

This letter partially reads:  "It will give me great pleasure to become the agent of the Mount Vernon Association for our own little village, and I beg you will assure Miss. Hamilton that I am actively at her service. I have long felt very much interested in this act of national homage… Under the present arrangement, however, I shall hope to have the tribute of our friends on the shores of Lake Otsego to add to my own little golden dollar."