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The first woman to appear on a Republican presidential ticket toured a series of women’s rights landmarks in Seneca Falls, N.Y., before delivering a blistering critique of the Obama administration and affirming her independence from Washington last week.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin traveled to Seneca Falls to celebrate former Secretary of State William H. Seward, who negotiated the deal with Russia to purchase Alaska in 1867 and who hailed from Auburn, N.Y.

She had a good share of low-key politicking along the way. Mrs. Palin arranged a remarkably quiet tour with husband, Todd, and 14-year old daughter Willow to the home of Harriet Tubman, the Women’s Rights National Historic Park, the National Women’s Hall of Fame as well as a local beauty salon to have her hair done for public events later that day, which included a Founder’s Day parade.

Mrs. Palin spoke at a private fundraiser benefiting the Seward House museum that evening, where she blasted Washington for attempt at “control” by forcing her to accept stimulus money and barring the development of energy in her state.

“Alaskans get tired of hearing that Washington bureaucrats know what’s best for us. So we push, and we fight, and we challenge decisions made inside the Beltway when they’re not in the country’s best interest,” she said.

“We know decisions being made lately, we believe are not in the nation’s best interest, not when they can’t lead us to energy independence. So though it seems that there are some attempts to try to make some from Alaska to sit down and shut up, we’re not going to sit down and shut up. We’re going to spread the message,” she said.

• Amanda Carpenter can be reached at acarpenter@washingtontimes.com.