Heddwch Nain/Mam-gu: The Welsh Women’s Peace Petition to the Women of the United States, 1924

The women of Wales, aiming to promote peace in the aftermath of World War I, organized in 1923 an appeal to the women of the United States, urging them to bring their country into the new League of Nations.

A delegation of Welsh women brought this appeal to the United States in 1924 on a remarkable journey made possible by the support of American women including women from New Jersey.

Their effort followed the 1921 Knox-Porter Resolution, ending U.S. involvement in World War I without entering the League of Nations. U.S. President Warren G. Harding signed the Knox-Porter Resolution in New Jersey at the Raritan home of U.S. Sen. Joseph S. Frelinghuysen, Sr., a descendant of the Frelinghuysen family of Old Dutch Parsonage and leader of Old Dutch Parsonage’s preservation in 1913.

100 years later, American and Welsh women have joined again in Heddwch Nain/Mam-gu, a transatlantic effort uncovering and sharing the artifacts and history of the Welsh Women’s Peace Petition in support of peacemaking today.

Eirlys Mair Barker, retired professor of American history and member of Heddwch Nain/Mam-gu USA, shares the history of the Welsh Women’s Peace Petition for the 100th anniversary of the tour of the United States in this virtual presentation.

This program is part of a series made possible the Wallace House and Old Dutch Parsonage Association with the sponsorship of New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this series do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.