“Deeds, not words”
What does the phrase “deeds, not words” mean to you? How is it related to the women’s suffrage movement? I challenge all our readers to bear in mind this phrase over the next three months and consider why it was crucial to women gaining the right to vote.
In the 2015 movie entitled “Suffragette”, the phrase “deeds, not words” was encapsulated in the quotation “it is deeds not words that will get us the vote” [1]. “Deeds, not words” was the slogan of the Women’s Social and Political Union (the “WSPU”), which was founded by Emmeline Pankhurst. The WSPU was a group in the United Kingdom composed solely of females and was dedicated to fighting for women to gain the right to vote [2]. The phrase “deeds, not words” embodied the idea that if women wanted the right to vote, strong actions would be required. In our blog, we endeavor to illustrate the actions that women historically took in their fight for suffrage, as well as those actions that women in contemporary society must continue to take in hopes of achieving equality.
For those of you who are new to our Law & Social Media project, my name is Kathleen and I am a third-year law student at the University of Alberta. This semester, myself and four other law students will commemorate the 100th anniversary of women voting for the first time in Canada. I am so excited to have the opportunity to spend the last semester of my legal education exploring this significant event in Canada’s history. I strongly believe that everyone should have an in-depth understanding of the women’s suffrage movement. Not only is it important for us to appreciate the historical struggles that women faced in gaining the right to vote, but we must also recognize that women continue to face unequal treatment both within Canada and across the world. I hope that our blog posts will challenge your current notions regarding women’s rights and inspire you to join our discussion.
[1]http://www.thecultureconcept.com/circle/suffragette-emmeline-pankhurst-leading-women-of-influence
[2]http://www.biography.com/people/emmeline-pankhurst-9432764#synopsis
