The Crime For A Citizen Of The United States To Vote By Susan B Anthony

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“All men are created equal” is what the founding fathers said when they created the US Constitution, but what if men are not treated equally? Unfortunately, during the 1800s-1900s, men did not treat women as equals. Men denied women basic rights such as the right to vote; consequently, these women began to protest to let their voices be heard. In the speeches Is it a Crime for a Citizen of the United States to Vote written by Susan B. Anthony and Freedom of Death written by Emmeline Pankhurst, both women provide their account of how they as women have been mistreated and why women should be able to vote. Each speech effectively supports their claim that women should have the right to vote through rhetorical devices such as ethos and pathos. In the speech Is it a Crime for a Citizen of the United States to Vote, Anthony appeals to credibility using historical documents. Throughout the speech, Anthony refers to the government and how they are …show more content…

She references historical documents like the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution stating they, “propose to protect the people in the exercise of their God-given rights. Not one of them pretends to bestow rights.” Her use of these documents emphasizes her argument that governments are not allowed to retract the alienable rights of the people, including women. Since governments are mainly run by men, they have the jurisdiction to decide who is allowed what and who is not. Unfortunately, this included women’s basic rights such as suffrage; however, as Anthony stated, historical documents promptly contradict these laws men have created and state that everyone deserves basic rights. Furthermore, after saying that governments do not have the power to take away women’s rights, she quotes, “All men are created equal, and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable