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Women's Rights Speeches Throughout Time

Essay by   •  November 28, 2012  •  Essay  •  1,403 Words (6 Pages)  •  1,366 Views

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Women's Rights Speeches throughout Time

All throughout history, great leaders have made compelling speeches about subjects that mean the most to them. When making a speech, speakers want to get their message heard by as many people as they possibly can. Whether they are successful or not depends on their message and how persuasive they are when presenting their speech. Speech topics could be political, motivational, awareness-raising, and many more. While the most commonly known speeches have been made by men, women have made an impact in history with their powerful words as well. Female speakers have an opportunity to speak up about a personal issue that is important to their entire gender, women's rights. Two influential female speakers in history have stood out above the rest. Speakers Susan B. Anthony and Hillary Clinton have both created awareness about women's rights throughout their lives. Both of these women have made incredible speeches for everyone to hear about this issue that is so personal to them, and have been successful in getting their message heard.

Several years ago, women hardly had any rights in society, and they certainly were not able to obtain the same rights as men did in the United States. The most controversial issue became the right to vote not being given to women. A brave woman named Susan B. Anthony had a firm belief that this law should be changed. She believed a woman should have every right that a man has, including the right to vote. Susan B. Anthony took action and was arrested for attempting to vote in a local election. Shortly after her arrest, she made a speech that changed history. Her arrest, and the fact that she was a woman provided ethos for her audience because they could see how personal of an issue this was to her. Not only this, but every woman in the crowd could relate to her, being a woman themselves. Being an extreme activist for women's rights, her reputation really did convey a certain authority in her; she spoke for all women, and never backed down for what she believed.

Susan B. Anthony made her speech to a giant crowd of people, consisting of both men and women. However, she most importantly wanted to gain attention of men, especially the men in the government to show them that the way women were being treated isn't fair. She declared women deserve every right as men, especially the right to vote. She believed if women lived, raised their children, and did just as much work as men did in the United States, then they should be able to decide who leads the country that they are a part of. Susan B. Anthony's persuasion methods improved her speech tremendously. She established logos by quoting Constitutional laws that say all people make up a country. She also brings up how hard women work and the reasons they deserve to be able to have equal voting rights. Susan establishes pathos by being a woman herself, and sharing her personal feelings about being deprived of the right to vote just because she was born female. Her words are strong, representing how every woman in the country feels.

Susan B. Anthony knew she had a responsibility to be a voice for all women in the United States, and she dedicated her life to fighting for those rights. Her speech did ultimately succeed in women gaining the right to vote because shortly after her words became known around the country, women were given equal rights as men and could help elect who they wanted to lead their country. Her words effectively reached men and political leaders in our country and they were persuaded into changing the laws for women to vote.

Nearly seventy five years after Susan B. Anthony's inspiring speech, women have become more influential in our country, even progressing to leadership positions in our country. Hillary Clinton a well-known female leader in our country. She was the Senator of New York before being elected Secretary of State in the United States. She stands up for her beliefs on many different issues, especially the issue of women's rights. While visiting

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