In the United States of America as a country we take pride in the fact that we get a voice in our government. Every person above eighteen years of age, who is a citizen, unless their rights have been revoked ,affect how our country is run. They do this by casting a ballot every two, four, or six years. However, this was not always the case for everyone. There was a time not too long ago where not everyone got to vote and we didn't get input on our nation’s senators . It was a time when women were thought of as the lesser gender and as a people we didn't elect our own senators.
Prior to the early 1900’s our people didn’t have much of a voice, in multiple ways. One of those ways included we didn’t directly elect United State Senators. The state legislator was controlling who was being put on the Senate. They were manipulating exactly who was in the senate. Who was in the senate affected what laws were passed. Everyone in the state legislator was basically only upper class, rich white men. The common man had no control over who was in the senate. He had no one representing him. This was a problem. How can you have a country “by the people, for the people”, without the people’s input by voting in their own representatives? You couldn’t. On June 11, 1911 the 17th amendment was passed. This
amendment allowed the direct election of United States senators. Meaning people cast a ballot to vote for who would represent their state in the senate. Each state got two senators, no matter the size or population of the state. This is the process we still have today. We vote for those whose platform best represents our views. We trust them to make the decisions we would make, giving us a “voice” in the government.
Another flaw we had as a society was not accounting women as equals to men. Sexism was alive and going strong, not all sexism has died out even today. However, the Women’s Suffrage act was a significant step in the right direction for America. The women’s suffrage act was headed by a number of important woman activist such as a Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. These groups of women were known as feminists and took part in the women’s suffrage act. Which wasn’t an act at all. It was a group of individuals sick of being treated lesser than men. They took a stand. They had rallies and campaigns. They fought for equal rights and plain equality. The most important aspect they were fighting for however, was the right to vote. Once, they get the right to vote, they finally have a voice in the government. They get to influence how their country is run. They were successful on the August 18, 1920 when the 19th amendment was put into law. This amendment declared that no one could be denied the right to vote based on sex. The women of our nation finally received their “voice”.
I have been blessed to grow up in a generation where I truly have a voice in our nation’s government. When I am 18 I will have the opportunity to educate myself and cast a vote. I won’t be discriminated against based on my gender, and I will get a say on who represents me. I am lucky because as our country has been developing laws have kept changing and evolving to the times. We learn from error and constantly keep adjusting to the current day and age. That’s why our nation is so great. We realized back in 1911 and in 1920 there was something wrong with how we ran things. We learned from them and we fixed it. When people say we can’t change how it’s been for so many days, I challenge them and wonder why not? We didn’t get to elect our senators for years, but we changed that. Women didn’t vote for years, but we changed that. It’s a really spectacular part of the United States that we have the ability to do that. To change what needs fixed. To change so everyone gets their “voice” in the most effective way possible.
Here are my sources:
"Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 09 July 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2013.
"Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 09 Oct. 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2013.
"Women's Suffrage in the United States." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Sept. 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2013.
My pictures are of the 17th amendment and the other picture is one of the many strikes during Women's Suffrage.
Comments
Excellent blog Emma! You are a great writer!