I know we all get lots of forwards, but I thought this was too important of a message to not pass on. With all of our wedding planning and upcoming events, it's easy to not really pay much attention that this is an election year (here in the U.S.). I still can not believe that it's not even been 100 years since women have had the right to vote.
*read more about this here
A Message for all women
| WHY WOMEN SHOULD VOTE This is the story of our Grandmothers and Great-grandmothers; they lived only 90 years ago. |
The women were innocent and defenseless, but they were jailed nonetheless for picketing the White House, carrying signs asking for the vote.
(Lucy Burns)And by the end of the night, they were barely alive.
Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing
went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of
'obstructing sidewalk traffic.'
They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above
her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping
for air.
(Dora Lewis)
They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her
head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate,
Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack.
Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging,
beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.
Thus unfolded the 'Night of Terror' on Nov. 15, 1917,
when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his
guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because
they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the rig ht
to vote.
For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their
food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms.
food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms.
(Alice Paul)When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks
until word was smuggled out to the press.
So, refresh my memory. Some women won't vote this year because-
-why, exactly? We have carpool duties? We have to get to work?
Our vote doesn't matter? It's raining?
Please, if you are so inclined, pass this on to all the women you know.
We need to get out and vote and use this right that was fought so
hard for by these very courageous women. Whether you vote democratic, republican or independent party - remember to vote.
4 comments:
I agree, this is *so* important. I can't believe anyone - male or female - passes up the opportunity to vote.
Your election is right before my wedding and I hear about it every day on the radio - it makes me laugh that they're on the same countdown as lil old me!
Great post! This also reminded me that I need to go home and bug the fiance about registering himself (he keeps forgetting to register here in Oregon after moving from PA).
Great post. I thought about passing on that forward too but didn't. Shame on me. Good reminder!
My grandmother just registered to vote and she's 92. It's never too late! She's determined to vote for Obama this November. Who would've thought a 92-yr old white woman (not exactly his demographic, according to the media) would be so excited about the election?
You're right that we should NEVER forget the price the women before us paid so that we could have the right to vote. -Julia
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