{"id":32,"date":"2015-03-08T06:16:54","date_gmt":"2015-03-08T06:16:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/opentextbc.ca\/abealfreader4\/?post_type=chapter&p=32"},"modified":"2022-07-22T20:14:03","modified_gmt":"2022-07-22T20:14:03","slug":"the-story-of-nellie-mcclung","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/opentextbc.ca\/abealfreader4\/chapter\/the-story-of-nellie-mcclung\/","title":{"raw":"The Story of Nellie McClung","rendered":"The Story of Nellie McClung"},"content":{"raw":"

Click play on the following audio player to listen along as you read this section.<\/p>\r\nhttps:\/\/media.bccampus.ca\/id\/0_dp936xvc?width=608&height=70&playerId=23449753\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"450\"]\"Picnic_in_a_wooded_area\"<\/a> Picnic[\/caption]\r\n\r\nIn 1882, a nine-year-old girl from the Prairies was at a community picnic. The summer sun was high in the sky. People sat on tablecloths spread over the green grass. They ate sandwiches and watermelon. They drank tea and lemonade. And boys were lining up for a race. The nine-year old girl wanted to run in that race. But she was told that races were for boys only. It was not nice for girls to run. Their skirts might fly up and their legs might show. A fire was lit inside her that day. One day, she would see to it that women could do the things that men could do -- like vote. Her name was Nellie McClung.\r\n\r\nRunning in races wasn\u2019t the only thing girls weren\u2019t allowed to do. Back then, it was illegal for women to vote, be in government, own property, or go to university. This is because men were thought to be more reasonable than women. Only men were reasonable enough to take part in the world of government and business. Women were seen as emotional. This made them \"more fit\" for the world of homemaking and childcare.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_34\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]\".\"<\/a> Nellie McClung[\/caption]\r\n\r\nWhen Nellie grew up, she poked holes in these old ideas. She spoke to large crowds in favour of women\u2019s right to vote. Some Canadians worried that women\u2019s rights would lead to the breakdown of the family. With a colourful hat on her head and a charming sense of humour, Nellie changed hearts and minds.\r\n\r\nWomen\u2019s rights activists in Europe and America often used violence to get their point across. Nellie used humour, instead. She starred in a play where she [pb_glossary id=\"391\"]debated[\/pb_glossary]<\/strong> men\u2019s right to vote. She began by telling the men how nice they looked. Then she pointed out that most of the people in prison were men, and men made up only a small number of the people who went to church. How could these people be trusted with politics? Big crowds came to see Nellie\u2019s play. They roared with laughter. It became fashionable to support women\u2019s rights.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_225\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"450\"]\".\"<\/a> Women learning to vote[\/caption]\r\n\r\nWhite women were finally allowed to vote in federal elections in 1918. As a result of racist laws, women of colour and Aboriginal women would not be allowed to vote until much later.\r\n\r\nIn 1921, Nellie served as one of the first female MLAs in the government of Alberta. It was often said that women\u2019s involvement in politics would lead to divorce. Nellie and her husband Wes proved those claims wrong. Wes was proud of his wife. \u201cI don\u2019t mind being Mr. Nellie McClung,\u201d he\u2019d say with a smile.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_226\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"]\".\"<\/a> Nellie McClung (front, far right) with her friends and Prime Minister W.L. MacKenzie King[\/caption]\r\n\r\nOne day, Nellie\u2019s friend Emily Murphy invited some friends to her house for tea. They talked about how unfair it was that women were not allowed to sit in the [pb_glossary id=\"423\"]Senate[\/pb_glossary]<\/strong>. This is because women were not seen as \u201cpersons\u201d in the eyes of the law. The women decided to take the matter to court. After a long battle, they won the case in 1929 -- but Nellie wasn\u2019t finished. \u201cThe end is not yet!\u201d she said.\r\n\r\nEven though women had won many legal rights, they were still not treated as equal to men. This was especially true for women of colour. Unlike most women\u2019s rights activists of her time, Nellie called for an end to racism.\r\n\r\nEven as she grew older and her health [pb_glossary id=\"392\"]declined[\/pb_glossary]<\/strong>, she kept writing and speaking for equal rights. Nellie said, \u201cBecause I\u2019ve got a bad heart my doctor has told me not to write. I assume he meant books so I keep busy on letters, [pb_glossary id=\"395\"]editorials[\/pb_glossary],<\/strong> and messages.\u201d If she hadn\u2019t died in 1951, she would probably still be fighting for women\u2019s rights today.\r\n

See The Story of Nellie McClung<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0BC Reads: Adult Literacy Fundamental English - Course Pack 4<\/a>.<\/div>","rendered":"

Click play on the following audio player to listen along as you read this section.<\/p>\n