Marching With Aunt Susan: Susan Anthony and the Fight for Women's Suffrage - Read Aloud

this is a story about

women

's votes it takes place in california over a hundred years ago in 1896. this story is called

marching

with

aunt

susan

it is about

susan

b

anthony

and the

fight

for

women

's

suffrage

it was written by claire rudolph murphy e illustrated by stacy schuett this recording is for non-profit educational use only here are some words you will find in history headquarters or hq for short this is the main office or central location of a company or group where your instructions come from could be an entire building, a single room or a military tent, the word suffering means that someone suffers pain, it has nothing to do with

suffrage

, which means the right to vote is strenuous means something that requires a lot of work, the Strenuous exercise requires a lot of effort. effort like doing one-arm push-ups or running up stairs dad took my brother for a walk but not me strenuous exercise is not for girls bessie told me you're not strong enough and said she's not a lady charlie added that i can ride a bike faster than anyone on the block I told my brothers, even you girls shouldn't ride bikes either, Charlie said and they left without me inside, mom was busy getting

read

y for a party, I'm strong enough to walk, I said dad wouldn't take me alone. because I'm a girl can you help me get

read

y for the suffrage tea mom said

aunt

mary will be arriving soon with our guest of honor miss susan b

anthony

suffering i'm the one who's suffering i picked up the newspaper and looked at the lady in the photo of anthony looks like a grumpy old lady a shitty old lady who has fought for 50 years for women's rights mom said that even when people threw trash at her and insulted her at tea, they all crowded around miss anthony, called her aunt susan Even though they were not related to her, she talked about the long

fight

for equal rights.

She told us that children should grow up in a world where both men and women were free. Then Aunt Mary introduced me to Aunt Susan. Why girls? they can't do the same things When I was a kid, I asked her and she shook her head when I was your age. My teacher thought that only boys were smart enough to learn long division. That is not right. I told him to come to the rally in San Francisco tomorrow. Bessie's women's votes can help change the world. Golden State Auditorium. I was so full I could barely breathe. Aunt Susan stood on a stage surrounded by hundreds of roses.

Her voice echoed throughout the room. The votes of all people, including women and men, will surely produce the best and wisest government the world has ever seen. I pulled a white scarf from my bag and joined the sea of ​​flags waving in the air the day after the rally. I rode my bike to my best friend, Rita's house. You should have heard Aunt Susan speak yesterday. I told him my dad says ladies. we shouldn't speak in public rita said aunt susan says girls are as smart as boys we too should help make decisions daddy decides everything in our family rita said that's not right i looked at my best friend one day i want to vote Let's see if we can help at the suffrage headquarters all summer Rita and I wrote letters licked envelopes and painted signs while we worked we listened to women talk men decide everything they even decide if we should vote men decide how children are raised men decide how the household money is spent I don't understand I told Rita I can spend my allowance however I want and Mom makes decisions about a lot of things we buy not in our house Rita shook her head Dad keeps track of every penny the week before elections we visited a factory in san francisco rows and rows of girls sitting bent over sewing in a dark room aunt susan encouraged them to come to our suffrage parade then a girl came up to me and my sister sewed some more to help the campaign gave Aunt Susan two dimes If women win the vote will I be able to go to school?

I couldn't imagine myself without learning to read and write. I leaned against the wall and tried to catch my breath. It made me very sad. Back at headquarters I asked Aunt Susan why those girls weren't going to school. Many parents cannot earn enough money to feed their families. She told me that children have to work. Can women get the vote? Change I asked. Aunt Susan nodded. I can work to pass laws that help adults and children. I threw all the coins out of my bag and handed them to him. If those girls can give money, I should too later.

I painted a picture of the factory girl on a banner for the parade. We printed the letters on Sunday afternoon before the vote, Rita Mom and I marched carrying our banner, the crowd cheered as we sang new lyrics for my country, you are yours, our country now for the affirmation that we are freedom in the name of freedom, but then the men started shouting that women belong. In the kitchen the girls belong at home Rita's father appeared and dragged her away No daughter of mine will march through the streets A boy splashed an egg on the front of my white dress What do you want to be a man? she screamed I stood frozen staring at the An oozing yellow stain spread until Mom picked up the end of Rita's banner and we moved on when she found out what had happened.

Dad bought me a new white dress, if only it were that easy to win the election on Monday after school. Mom and I held up a new dress. sign remember your daughters vote yes, I couldn't tell if I got more pats on the head or complaints from passing men but mom said it only matters how they vote tomorrow, the day after the election, my brothers ran me home from the school, Charlie grabbed the newspaper from my front porch women lose the vote, he screamed, I leaned my bike against the house and snatched the newspaper out of his hand, why are you so angry?

I asked Annie, someday you'll be able to vote and you won't even care, Mom. He's as smart as dad and I'm as smart as you we should vote too mom went out and picked up my bike aunt susan says a bike gives a woman freedom teach me how to ride bessie it's hard to do I said sitting down You went down the steps when you tried to ride down First time, you kept falling and scraping your knees, she reminded me, but you didn't give up, I finally showed her what to do, how to ride the balance pedal of the bike and shuffle to stop when dad came.

At home Mom was staggering up and down the street I'm sorry about the election Bessie said girls should be allowed to do the same things as boys Dad why don't we go on a hike this Saturday? She asked, “Thank you, Dad,” I said, grabbing her hand and “On Sunday there is a demonstration for the next suffrage campaign.” Come march with mom and me and they did. California women didn't get the vote until 1911. 15 years after this story took place, do you think Bessie would have been one of the women who fought for the ship? and her wearing it when she got it