The Purpose Of Anthony's Speech

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The purpose of this speech is to prove that women are citizens, and should be granted the right to vote. The reason for Anthony 's speech, other than her being a women 's rights activist, is that herself and a group of her followers were unfairly jailed for having voted in the 1872 presidential election (Peck and Wilmore). The judge wouldn’t let her speak on her own defense because he believed women were too incompetent to defend themselves in court (Peck and Wilmore). In this speech Anthony goes on to say that she didn’t commit a crime but simply,”...exercised [her] citizen’s rights, guaranteed to [her] and all United States citizens...”. Anthony also emphasizes that while black males were allowed to vote by the fourteenth and fifteenth