Yesterday was the seventieth anniversary of the Empire of Japan’s sneak attack on Pearl Harbor: the event that catapulted the United States into World War II. On the following day President Franklin Roosevelt delivered the famous “Infamy Speech” before a Joint Session of Congress. Less than an hour after Roosevelt’s address, Congress passed an official declaration of war against Japan.

And it was almost unanimous. The final tally was 388 for war, and 1 against…

Jeannette Rankin, member of the House of Representatives from the state of Montana, was the sole vote against the declaration of war. Rankin was also the first woman elected to Congress. During her previous term in Congress she had also voted against the United States entering what became known as World War I. And in case you’re wondering, she was a Republican.

As you can probably imagine, Rankin’s stance was roundly unpopular: not just ...