Podchaser Logo
Home
Marching For Rights: Emily's Suffragist Story

Marching For Rights: Emily's Suffragist Story

Released Monday, 1st July 2024
Good episode? Give it some love!
Marching For Rights: Emily's Suffragist Story

Marching For Rights: Emily's Suffragist Story

Marching For Rights: Emily's Suffragist Story

Marching For Rights: Emily's Suffragist Story

Monday, 1st July 2024
Good episode? Give it some love!
Rate Episode

Episode Transcript

Transcripts are displayed as originally observed. Some content, including advertisements may have changed.

Use Ctrl + F to search

0:00

Welcome to Bedtime History. Hello, this is

0:02

Breck. Guess

0:12

what, parents? Bedtime History is now available

0:14

on Story Button. Story Button

0:16

is the easiest way to listen to our

0:18

show without using screen devices like your phone

0:21

or a tablet. Story Button

0:23

is like a radio that's built for easy

0:25

listening to your favorite kids podcasts like ours.

0:28

And the best part is there's no subscriptions

0:30

or fees to access the content. This

0:33

week save $10 and get

0:35

free shipping when you go

0:38

to storybutton.com/bedtime history. That's

0:40

storybutton.com forward slash

0:42

bedtime history. Hello,

1:02

my name is Emily and I live in the bustling

1:04

city of New York in the year 1905. I

1:07

come from a modest home tucked away in

1:09

a neighborhood where the streets are lined with

1:11

apartments. My family may not be

1:14

wealthy, but we are rich in spirit. My

1:16

mother, Mary, is a woman of strong

1:18

convictions. She is a suffragist, a warrior

1:21

for women's rights. Our humble

1:23

home is a hub of discussion, a

1:25

safe haven for ideas that go against

1:27

the norms of society. My

1:30

father, a man with a gentle heart and

1:32

a supportive soul, stands by my mother's side.

1:35

During the day, I attend a local school for

1:37

girls, a place where our education isn't quite

1:40

as good as the boys' school nearby. Their

1:43

school has better books and well-paid teachers and

1:45

quality equipment, while ours is the opposite. The

1:48

building isn't well taken care of, but our

1:50

thirst for knowledge burns brightly. Despite

1:53

the challenges, my friends and I find solace

1:55

within these worn out walls. We share dreams of

1:57

a world where our voices matter as much as

1:59

we can. as the boys, where

2:01

the ink in our pens carry the same weight

2:03

as theirs. We dare to dream beyond the limits

2:05

society has given us." One

2:08

afternoon, after a long day of vocabulary

2:10

and math at school, I was excited

2:12

to get back home, walking faster than

2:15

usual. After hurrying up the

2:17

stairs to our apartment, I walked in the

2:19

door to see my mother and her friends

2:21

using black paint to write on a large

2:23

banner. Welcome home, Emily, she

2:25

said. Are you ready to help with the march?

2:27

Yes, I exclaimed, joining one of her friends

2:30

at the table. I used the black

2:32

paint to follow chalk letters on the cloth

2:34

banner. They were planning

2:36

the route and the chance they would say on the way

2:38

to the hall. More than anything,

2:40

they wanted the right to vote, which had been denied

2:42

to women their entire lives. When

2:45

the three banners were finished, they bound them to

2:47

large poles and headed outside. I

2:49

followed behind, moving as fast as I could.

2:52

On the main street we joined other women

2:54

who had made similar banners and were marching

2:56

while Let us

2:58

be heard, let us vote. The

3:00

further we walked, the more women joined in.

3:02

People along the way often yelled at us

3:04

and told us to go back home, but

3:06

there were too many of us, too many

3:08

voices to be stopped. Someone even

3:10

threw a tomato at my mother and her friend,

3:13

but they ignored them and kept marching. The

3:16

streets resonated with the rhythm of our

3:18

steps, a cadence of defiance against the

3:20

current norms. As we marched

3:23

to see if faces, both curious and angry,

3:25

peered at us from windows and corners, but

3:27

undeterred, we pressed on. After

3:30

a few more blocks we reached our destination, a

3:32

tall brick building and inside a large hall

3:34

filled with women from all walks of life,

3:37

young, old, of different backgrounds and

3:39

ethnicities, rich and poor. All

3:42

women of strength, resilience and hope. Some

3:45

men, too, who supported our cause. As

3:47

we gathered the air, became charged with

3:50

the energy of progress and opportunity. We

3:52

chant and cheer until someone takes the

3:54

stage and we cheer more. The

3:57

speaker finally has to calm us

3:59

down. We are so excited. Elizabeth

4:01

Cady Stanton speaks first. She

4:03

is eloquent, a wonderful speaker. She's been

4:06

a suffragist speaking up for the rights

4:08

of women for many years. She says

4:10

boldly, we hold these truths to be

4:13

self-evident that all men and women are

4:15

created equal. I feel the

4:17

truth of her words in my own soul and

4:19

cheer loudly with all my heart. I

4:21

want to be treated as equally as men too. She

4:24

also says the best protection any

4:26

woman can have is courage. I

4:29

want to be just as courageous and just

4:31

as bold as Elizabeth Cady Stanton. After

4:34

Elizabeth, Susan B. Anthony takes the stand.

4:37

She's known as the boldest of the

4:39

suffragists. She's never been afraid

4:41

to speak her mind. Just seeing her makes

4:43

me want to stand up and be strong

4:45

for my right to vote someday. She

4:48

says boldly, the day may be

4:50

approaching when the whole world will recognize woman

4:52

as the equal of man. She pounds the

4:54

podium as she speaks. We cheer

4:56

and hold our banners high. Susan continues,

4:59

I think the girl who is able to earn

5:01

her own living and pay her own way should

5:03

be as happy as anyone on the earth. The

5:06

sense of independence and security is

5:08

very sweet. In

5:11

that hall I felt the power of unity, the

5:13

combined courage of the women in the room. This

5:15

force that transcended the boundaries set

5:18

by society. The suffragists

5:20

are not just fighting for the right to

5:22

vote. They're paving the way for a future

5:24

where every girl can dream without limits. The

5:27

simplicity of their message resonates with me. The

5:29

right to vote is not just about marking

5:31

a ballot. It's about having a voice, a

5:34

say in the direction of our shared destiny. As

5:37

Elizabeth and Susan speak, I'm struck by the

5:39

realization that change is not just a distant

5:41

dream. It's a journey we embark on

5:43

every time we stand up for ourselves. Their

5:46

words spark a flame within, a flame

5:48

that refuses to be extinguished. The

5:51

march and the speeches are not just events.

5:53

They're milestones in a larger story of our

5:55

progress. I'm no longer just a girl

5:58

from a modest home. I'm part of a move. that

6:00

is reshaping the very fabric of society. The

6:03

simplicity of my dress and the worn-out pages

6:05

of my textbook do not define my worth.

6:08

What defines me is the fire in my

6:10

heart, the belief that change is not a

6:12

privilege but a right for every woman, every

6:15

girl. The march

6:17

and the conference end, days turn

6:19

into weeks, and my routine becomes

6:21

a delicate balance between the rigors

6:23

of school and the suffragist movement.

6:25

The halls of our girls school echo

6:28

with whispered dreams and shared aspirations. One

6:31

by one the suffragist's victories grow.

6:34

States begin to recognize the voice of

6:36

women, the power that has long been

6:38

underestimated. The tide is turning and

6:41

I find myself standing at the cusp of

6:43

something very big. June

6:46

4th, 1920. Finally the day arrives when the

6:48

right to vote is given to women. The

6:51

19th amendment to the Constitution. It's

6:53

not just a victory for the suffragists, it's a

6:55

triumph for every woman who dared to dream.

6:58

The voting booth becomes a symbol of

7:00

empowerment, a testament to the fact that

7:03

change, however gradual, is possible.

7:08

As I cast my vote for the first time

7:10

I feel a surge of pride. The weight

7:12

of history rests on my shoulders but it's

7:14

a weight I gladly bear. The

7:17

suffragists with their unwavering determination have

7:19

paved the way for a brighter

7:21

future. But the journey does

7:23

not end with the right to vote. It's a

7:25

stepping stone to a world where equality is not

7:27

just a word but a reality. Inspired

7:30

by the suffragists who come before

7:32

me I go to university and

7:34

get a respectable education reaching for

7:36

heights that were once considered impossible.

7:40

The simplicity of the suffragist message, the

7:42

right to vote, the right to

7:44

be heard transcends time. It's a

7:46

reminder that every voice regardless of its

7:48

origin has the power to shape the course

7:50

of history. In our shared

7:52

story the suffragists have written a chapter that

7:55

echoes through the ages, a chapter

7:57

that inspires, empowers, and reminds us

7:59

that The change begins with a

8:01

single, resolute voice.

Unlock more with Podchaser Pro

  • Audience Insights
  • Contact Information
  • Demographics
  • Charts
  • Sponsor History
  • and More!
Pro Features