Episode Transcript
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Welcome to Bedtime History. Hello, this is
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storybutton.com forward slash
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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
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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
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for women's rights. Our humble
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home is a hub of discussion, a
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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
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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
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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
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banner. They were planning
2:36
the route and the chance they would say on the way
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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
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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.
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On the main street we joined other women
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who had made similar banners and were marching
2:56
while Let us
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be heard, let us vote. The
3:00
further we walked, the more women joined in.
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People along the way often yelled at us
3:04
and told us to go back home, but
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there were too many of us, too many
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voices to be stopped. Someone even
3:10
threw a tomato at my mother and her friend,
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but they ignored them and kept marching. The
3:16
streets resonated with the rhythm of our
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steps, a cadence of defiance against the
3:20
current norms. As we marched
3:23
to see if faces, both curious and angry,
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peered at us from windows and corners, but
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undeterred, we pressed on. After
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a few more blocks we reached our destination, a
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tall brick building and inside a large hall
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filled with women from all walks of life,
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young, old, of different backgrounds and
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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
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the energy of progress and opportunity. We
3:52
chant and cheer until someone takes the
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stage and we cheer more. The
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speaker finally has to calm us
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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
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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
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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
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me want to stand up and be strong
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for my right to vote someday. She
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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
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podium as she speaks. We cheer
4:56
and hold our banners high. Susan continues,
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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
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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
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heart, the belief that change is not a
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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
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underestimated. The tide is turning and
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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
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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
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me I go to university and
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get a respectable education reaching for
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heights that were once considered impossible.
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The simplicity of the suffragist message, the
7:42
right to vote, the right to
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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
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that inspires, empowers, and reminds us
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that The change begins with a
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single, resolute voice.
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