The speeches of Susan B. Anthony and Franklin D. Roosevelt on women's right to vote were both powerful and influential in their own ways. While both speeches aimed to promote gender equality and secure women's right to vote, they differed in terms of rhetorical strategies and strength of arguments. In this essay, I argue that Susan B. Anthony's speech was stronger than that of Franklin D. Roosevelt, owing to its passionate rhetoric and logical arguments.
Anthony's speech delivered in 1873 was a forceful and emotional appeal to the audience to recognize women's rights as equal citizens of the United States. She used powerful imagery to draw parallels between women's suffrage and the fight against slavery, arguing that denying women the right to vote was just as oppressive as slavery. Her use of rhetorical questions such as "Is it not time that we had the same rights as men?" was effective in engaging the audience and making them question their own beliefs. Anthony's speech was also logically structured, with a clear argument that women's contributions to society, such as raising children, made it imperative for them to have a say in political decisions.
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While he did argue that women deserved equal rights and opportunities, his speech lacked the same level of passion and emotional resonance as Anthony's speech. Furthermore, his arguments were less focused and less logically structured, making it difficult for the audience to grasp the core message of his speech. Although Roosevelt's speech did contribute to the larger movement for women's rights, it was not as effective as Anthony's speech in persuading the audience to support women's