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Joy Sutton

Norton

Blended English III

4-7-17

TNReady Practice: Voting Rights

A womans right to vote has been a long and hard fought battle; in fact, it is a fairly new

privilege granted in 1920. There have been many advocates for it throughout history such as

president Woodrow Wilson, Carrie Chapman Catt, and of course the well-known Susan B.

Anthony. There have been many methods of accomplishing this goal: protests, propaganda, etc.

In addition to this, many people, woman and man alike, have taken their cause to the arts; there

have been many documents that demand a changenot just a change in law but a change of the

eye, mind, and heart of the world. While all the noted suffragists posed a compelling and unique

argument, I believe that Chapmans speech holds a certain conviction that causes it to stand out.

As previously stated, Woodrow Wilson was an advocate for womens suffrage. He

believed that women had just as much to offer as a man, and that the country would be foolish to

ignore an untapped potential. In his words, It is my duty to win the war and to ask you to

remove every obstacle that stands in the way of winning it, he appealed to the countrys desire

to win the Great War to achieve a long fought for goal. its adoption is, in my judgment, clearly

necessary to the successful prosecution of the war and the successful realization of the objects

for which the war is being fought, Wilson utilizes current events and patriotism in an attempt to

sway the opinion of the senate.

Susan B. Anthony takes a similar yet unique stance as Woodrowshe uses the

foundations of America to appeal to her audience. While the war is utilized she, instead of
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relying on it, uses the constitution to convey her point. There are instances where she quotes the

famed document and essentially throws those words back at the nay-sayers. As Anthony puts it,

It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the

whole people, who formed the Union. And we formed it, not to give the blessings of liberty, but

to secure them; not to the half of ourselves and the half of our prosperity, but to the whole

peoplewomen as well as men. Here Anthony reviews the words of the very document our

country was founded upon, and reiterates the intended meaning.

Last but not least, we have the speech titled The Crisis by Carrie Chapman Catt. As the

name implies Chapman describes the situation women found themselves in as just thata crisis.

Chapman questions the heart most suffragists have for the cause; she enforces the urgency of the

state of affairs, as well as the belief that action must be taken. However, unlike the prior

speeches, she states that a sense of responsibility must back these actions; for action with no

sense of responsibility is a fruitless endeavor: this is the shining characteristic that gives her

speech the most power. Chapman fears for the suffragist of 1916, as she sees no energy in the

cause.

Most viewed the movement as a steadily moving side-objective rather than a task that

deserves the utmost attention. While she does express this concern she maintains that, I can

only defend my claim with the plea that it is better to imagine a crisis where none exists than to

fail to recognize one when it comes; for a crisis is a culmination of events which calls for new

considerations and new decisions. A failure to answer the call may mean an opportunity lost, a

possible victory postponed. She, in a sense, challenges suffragists of all kinds to work for this

goal with as much will, vigor, and determination as they can muster, and not simply pass the

torch to their daughters.

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After reading these speeches I have concluded that Chapmans speech possessed

something the other two did not. While Wilson and Anthony did hold a capable stance,

Chapmans speech seemed to embody her passion for the advancement of women.
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