Essay about Emily Murphy: Canadian Women's Rights Activist

Emily Murphy played a vital role in helping women reach a level of true equality during the twentieth

Women were also allowed to get educations and go into teaching and nursing positions. The Person’s Case was another highlight which demonstrates the advancements of women’s right in Canadian history. This case included five women who ultimately help transform the way women were seen. Emily Murphy played a significant role in establishing women’s rights which led to women being called “persons” in matters of rights and privileges. Furthermore, another female Canadian named Nellie McClung helped in getting the right to vote for women. Ultimately resulting in the May 24th, 1918 Act allowing all women 21 years of age or more in Canada the official right to vote even if they did not have the provincial license. The war brought many changes to Canada and around the world. Women were finally being recognized for their efforts and perseverance and acquiring new freedoms and improved rights for themselves. During the 1920’s, women became more involved in society and continued to participate in the work force. Women continued to make half the earning men were making at that time but by 1929 women made up about 20% of the workforce. The Women’s Labour League worked to defend women workers and the labour movement. They exposed shortfalls in the minimum wage laws and fought for equal pay, maternity care and a women right for birth control. Women were finally making their mark in government. By 1939,

In October of 1929, women across Canada were given the right to be considered equal to men. Emily Murphy born on 14 March 1868 was a women’s right activist, judge and even an author. The contributed to Canada as a feminist, most commonly known for her “Persons Case”. In 1916, when Emily Murphy was appointed as the first female magistrate in British Empire. During her first case, the defendant’s lawyer was against her decision as legally under British North American Act of 1967, she wasn’t a legal person, and therefore, she should not have the right to make any decision for the case. Supreme Court allowed women to judge but they cannot become a senator. Murphy protested the definition of “persons” in BNA, so along with four other women, Emily

Bertha Wilson was a remarkable woman who changed the face of the Supreme Court of Canada forever. She was the first woman appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court of Canada, and the first female partner in a major law firm. Even though she wasn’t a Chief Justice, it was a huge accomplishment for a woman to be a Puisne Justice. Bertha Wilson was chosen for my Heritage Fair topic because Bertha worked hard even when she knew that no woman had been where she had been before. This essay will explain different times in Bertha’s life and how she made her mark in the books of Great Canadian Women.

Emily Murphy improved Women’s rights by becoming apart of the successful “persons case”. In 1855, women were not defined as people. In 1927, the famous five launched the “persons case”, however the supreme court of Canada made a decision that Women should not be defined as people. By 1929, the famous five took the persons case to judicial court. The case was successful and Women were now considered as people. Emily Murphy strongly believed in Women’s rights and she did many more things to prove her loyalty to the

The government and the general populace realized how hard the woman had worked for the sake of Canada, and this earned woman the respect that they had longed for from the general populace and the government. Furthermore, this very sense of respect was proved when the government under Prime Minister Borden approved the War measures act on September 20, 1917(“Woman’s right to vote in Canada”). This very act was a prime gesture from the Canadian government that illustrated how winning the respect of the people resulted in the destruction of the misogynistic sentiments of that era. Furthermore, many historians regard the “War Times Act” as a gesture that was carried out in order to acknowledge the efforts that women had done in order to aid in the war(“Suffrage in Canada”). As said previously, woman raised funds for war, they volunteered as nurses overseas, worked endless hours in factories in order to build munitions, and provided countless other services for the benefit of the economy and the government. Moreover, they simultaneously kept their families together,”while men went overseas”(“Woman get the vote”), and kept war efforts moving through funds raised by various non-profit organizations run by women. The government witnessed this and rewarded the services of such woman by granting them the right to vote. Furthermore, the fact the government wanted to integrate women into the Canadian political system reveals that the long arduous toiling that woman had done for the nation was finally beginning to reap rewards for their own battle for gender equality.. Although, the right to vote was only bestowed upon those who were related to soldiers fighting overseas, it nonetheless

In one case, the women were asked to leave the courtroom on the claims that the statement was not "fit for mixed company". This outcome was unacceptable to Murphy and she protested to the provincial Attorney General. "If the evidence is not fit to be heard in mixed company," she argued, "then the government must set up a special court presided over by women, to try other women." (Pettinger, Tejvan. “Biography of Emily Murphy“, Oxford) Murphy's request was approved and she became the first woman police magistrate for the British Empire. Her appointment as judge, however, became the cause for her greatest adversity concerning women within the law.

When married, all of a woman's money would automatically become their husbands. Women could not sign legal contracts. Women did not hold any social, political or economic power and they were prohibited from voting. Overall, compared to men, women had a lower quality of life due to all of the limitations they had. Women began to realize that they could do more than just domestic work, that they should be achieving just as much as men were. Women’s suffrage was the fight for women’s right to vote along with other basic rights. Many people were opposed to this such as male legislators and leaders of the Catholic Church. A group that fought for women’s rights in Canada was called the Famous Five. This activist group consisted of the five women; Nellie McClung, Emily Murphy, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Louise McKinney and Irene Parlby. Nellie McClung was a Canadian feminist, politician, author and social activist. She hosted a mock play with a reversal of roles, depicting a society in which women ruled and men were restricted in Manitoba which brought light to all the problems women were struggling with daily. The result of the play provoked conversation about the topic. As more people became informed on women’s suffrage, more people began to support it. Protests proved to be effective when women gained the right to vote in Manitoba, and became the first province to grant women the right to vote. However,

The classification of what a "person" was in the eyes of the government became a threshold test of women's equality. The Person’s Case has continued to empower women all across Canada for the past 88 years and has brought inspiration to Canadian citizens to fight for social economic equality for women. The impacts the Persons Case have had on Canada keep growing, a recent example of this is in 2015 Prime Minister Trudeau decided to form Canada's 1st gender-balanced cabinet. The cabinet ministers include 15 women and 15 men. Many of the female ministers have been key roles such as, formal journalist Chrystie Freeland has been put in charge of international trade. This decision reflects Canada’s

Anthony organised demonstrations and hunger strikes. The campaign was led by the Canadian Woman's Suffrage Association, the association supported by National Council of Women of Canada (NCWC), founded by Lady Aberdeen, wife of Canada's governor general. She used her influence to channel what she called “the unused capacity of women in Canada” to achieve reform. The Prairies first had success with the movement because women were already struggling with men against harsh farm life, which meant men already included women equally, but farmers saw this as a way to increase farm vote and farmers' influence. As for British Columbia, the fight lasted more than forty-five years, beginning when the province joined Confederation in 1871. Susan B. Anthony spoke in Victoria, favouring women's rights in the same year, and for the year after, a bill supporting women's rights was defeated in the legislature, only two members voting in favour of the bill. By 1873, women who owned property won the right to vote in city or town elections, but in 1899, the bill was again declined, fortunately, this time, the vote exceeded 15 to

In 1916, Asquith was replaced by Lloyd George as prime minister, with Lloyd George being brought to the position, some hope was restored for the women. The coalition Government which was set up contained several politicians who were for the vote for women, this included Henderson who was totally for the suffrage for women. So the women were now represented

Emily Grierson is to be tried as guilty for the murder of Homer Barron. Witnesses have given the readers sufficient accounts of Miss Emily’s behavior to cause belief in her committing murder of the first degree. “First degree murder is found when the defendant intends to kill and does so with premeditation and deliberation” (Criminal Law Murder Model). The victim, having been found locked away in the house of Miss Emily (327), is the basis of prosecution for the accused. Emily Grierson will be found guilty of murder because she premeditated her crime, was psychologically unstable, and attempted to conceal her crime.

In the same year, Sarah had to answer the burning questions from ministers addressing why she stepping out of the woman’s proper place. To answer the questions Sarah created a paper titled, “Letters on the Equality of the Sexes and the Condition of Women”; “Woman, in all ages and countries, has been the scoff and the jest of her lordly master. If she attempted, like him, to approve her, she was ridiculed as pedantic, and driven from the temple of science and literature by coarse attacks and vulgar sarcasm,” (Grimké and Parker 66). This paper was the beginning of Sarah’s role in women’s rights; she would not get to see women rights grow as it did because Sarah passed way in 1873. Some people say that her letter and more paved the way for more women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, to help end slavery and start the women rights movement.

Women being able to vote was a huge step forward for Canadian women, but even though they could run for certain political positions, they could not be Senators. During the early twentieth century women were not legally considered “persons” and could not be Senators (Women become Persons). This act of exclusion portrayed Canada as an immature nation. A milestone with significant importance occurred in the Persons Case. The first constitution of Canada was the BNA Act (British North America Act). In this constitution it referred to a group of people as “persons” but when one individual was referenced they used the word ‘he”. The constitution restricted women from holding public office. (History Canadian resources book) The act declared that “women are persons in matters of pain and penalties, but are not persons in matters of rights and privileges.” Therefore, women could be given the same penalties as men for breaking a law, but could not receive the same basic benefits that men could. Unfair legalities like this proves that Canada was

These women represent the part women took in Canadian history. Women did not get the right to vote in federal elections in Canada until 1918, and the first female to practice medicine did not get licensed in Canada until 1875. The first female judge in Canada was appointed in 1916, and she faced many challenges, such as male lawyers stating that, because she was a woman, she was therefore not a person under the law. It was not until 1929 that women were considered "persons".