Saturday, November 01, 2008

Suffragists: The Women Who Got Your Vote


You may have seen the flick, "Iron-Jawed Angels", about those brave women who endured jail, torture and worse in order to get women the legal right to vote in the United States. Now check out the histories and photos of the REAL iron-jawed angels, members of the National Woman's Party who were arrested and imprisoned for their role in suffrage protests.

They were all ages, rich, middle-class and poor and came from some pretty diverse backgrounds. But they all had the same goal. If reading their stories and looking into their eyes doesn't convince you to make them proud by voting this year, there's just no hope for ya. (Link goes to a PDF document, so you can forward it around via email. Also the pic is the real Alice Paul, portrayed in the movie by Hilary Swank.)

3 comments:

Virginia Harris said...

I believe that my generation of women was the first to come of age with most of us believing that the world would be fair to us.

Women candidates have not been treated with equal respect in this campaign but at least women are in it!

Can you even imagine NOT being able to vote?

Thanks to the suffragettes, America has women voters and wide range of women candidates, and we are a better country for it! Women have voices and choices! Just like men.

But it saddens me that so few people know ALL of the suffering that our suffragettes had to go through, and what life was REALLY like for women.

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PerfectMomentProject said...

Get up, stand up! Love it.

My mamma voted for the first time since my dad died... and I'm so proud.

You go, mamma

Anonymous said...

Y'all rock. I just gotta say that.

When the Equal Rights Amendment was the hot topic, my hard-working (18 hour days, sanding fiberglass parts in a horrible factory), single mom was donating what little spare time and energy she had to get the ERA passed.

Why she even got on television once, giving the benediction at at ERA rally in St Louis, MO!

But the ERA didn't pass.

And it didn't, it was like something sucked all the life out of her. My momma got beat down, and it hurt like hell to see that happen.

So ever since I became old enough to vote, I have never missed a chance to vote -- even in small, local elections.

Even if you have to stand in a line for hours and ask somebody to hold your place while you go pee, please keep the faith. Volunteer to babysit, feed election workers or drive voters to the polls.

Please do your part to bring back the power to generations of "beaten down" women.

Please vote -- and help others do the same.