My Great-grandmother Was Not A Person :: essays research papers

My Great-Grandmother was not a PersonMy Great-Grandmother was not a person. Neither was yours. Up until about 67years ago no females were. We were alleged(a) to be pregnant and barefoot in thekitchen. At least thats the perception that the laws enforced. (For ex TheElection Act of the Dominion of Canada and The Common Law of England) As role ofthe British Commonwealth many of our laws were the same as Englands andenforced by British parliament. One such law from the Common Law of Englandstated that "A woman is not a person in matters of rights and privileges, butshe is a person in matters of pains and penalties." This gave women second classcitizenship.Women were not recognized as equals to men, even though the expectations ofwomen were such that the work load was equal if not greater. As pi angiotensin-converting enzymeer women webuilt homes, raised families, maintained the homestead, hunted food, foughtnatives, made clothes, cooked, cleaned, as well as the many manual la bour jobsthat men held. For example, women worked in coal mines, armories, and aided thewar effort via the manufacturing industry, such as factorys. If this is what isdetermeined as equality then women were getting the short end of the stick andmen were receiving all of the benifit. This perception still holds strong today,although not as strongly.Men said that women were to delicate to vote. Yet no man has ever experiencedlabor pains. Furthermore no man has fought any battle that was as hard as theone the famous five women nonplus fought. The Election Act of the Dominion ofCanada states that "No woman, idiot, lunatic, or criminal shall vote." So womenare equal to criminals? Its not a execration to be a woman. We should not be judgedby our sex. On April 19, 1916 women in Alberta were granted the right to vote. Asmall battle was won. Five Canadian women have conquered countries and nationsfor their rights. When questionning the wording of "qualified persons to thesenat e" the Supreme Court of Canada rejected that the word "persons" includedwomen. This battle was lost but the war was won when the Privy Council ofEngland (the highest court in the land) ruled that the word "persons" includedwomen. That was the 18th of October, 1929.The famous five women are Irene Perlby, Nellie McClung, Henrietta MuirEdwards, Louise McKinney, and Emily Murphy. These women have fought a battle ofsexism that is of historic importance. Millions of women in Canada have these