All of these details that are on our website at archives. Gov women. Lets begin our discussion today. My first guest is miss susan b anthony. Hello, miss anthony. Im feeling very energetic today. How are you . Wonderful, thank you. My first question is how did you get involved in the Womens Suffrage Movement . I didnt start my life as an agitator in the Womens Suffrage Movement. It kind of grew gradually over time. It began when i first was made to understand that married women had no legal rights in this country. They could not own property or keep their earnings and i was taught to believe that women and men were equal and should have equal rights in my quaker household, we were treated equally. This was a very cruel comeuppance to me when i was taught about that. It was going to be a long, slow process to change those laws. I became interested in the temperance movement. We thought perhaps if we could take the alcohol out of the hands of abusive husbands, things would not be quite so bad for the wives who would complain to their husbands when they drank away the rent and they had no money to feed the children. An abused mother could not even take her children with her when she left the mat the marriage. Through elizabeth i had my introduction to the abolitionist movement. The state of slavery was still existing on our shores at that time. We devoted all of our efforts and trying to remove that. It was not until after the civil war, when the 13th amendment had finally been passed and involuntary servitude could no longer exist on our shores that we realized it was time to turn our attention to the right of women. The rights for women. Is that what you believe the women had rights to vote . I believe women already possess the right to vote. You can understand that by looking at the founding documents of our republic. The degradation of independence rightly asserts that we are all created equal. Greater. D i r furthermore, it states that when a government becomes destructive of these ends it is the right of , the people to alter or abolish it and to reinstitute a new government that is most likely to affect their safety and happiness. The right of the whole people to vote is clearly implied for no matter how much a government should be destructive to my happiness, a disenfranchised class could not even abolish it nor put anyone in its place. Put a new one in its place. The governments that compels us to obey laws to which we have never given our consent are half of the people left holy at the holey at the mercy of the other half in direct violation of the spirit and letter of the declarations of the government. I realized that document is not a matter of but the constitution is. In the constitution, the 14th amendment stated that all persons born or naturalized in the United States are citizens there of and of the state in which they reside. So the question i have to ask you is, are women persons . I think they are. I dont think any of our opponents could have the hardy hood to say they are not. The 15th amendment went on to say that the right of a citizen to vote shall not be denied or colored because of race, or previous condition of , servitude. Well, i have a race who is white. I do not have a previous condition of servitude other than a metaphorical one that is the yoke of the women of this country. If i am guaranteed citizenship , i guaranteed the right to am vote. No where do we talk about governments granting rights. We are not asking for the right to vote. I believe we already possess it. What we are demanding is that the right to vote be guaranteed and protected. Well its fascinating that , you say that. I would definitely agree that women are people. You obviously believe this to the point that in 1872 you voted rochester, new york election. I know this because the National Archives at new york city actually has a copy of that arrest record as well as your conviction. Can you tell me a little bit about your arrest and the trial that followed . A scene,it was quite as you might imagine but i was , hoping to gather publicity for the cause when i went to , register to vote, the young man at the barbershop who were in charge of the registration work, when i arrive for some of my neighbors in sisters asked me what made me think i had the right to vote. I said i read the constitution. I thought well, i seem to have a point there. They could not go against the constitution. So they allowed me to register, not supposing i would dare to go vote. They did not know who they were dealing with. On election morning i got there , with my sisters around me. Before it could become too crowded and created unnecessary spectacle, and we have to answer the same questions, why do i think i have the right to vote . I read them the constitution again and we were predicted we were permitted to cast our votes. We did it positively. We voted at 7 00 this morning and then two weeks later and not a knock comes at the door at my home in rochester. There is a young man who says he wants to take me into downtown rochester to see the commissioner. I said i have no social acquaintance with the commissioner. Thelitely declined invitation. He said, i have to arrest you. I said is this the way you treat a woman you arrest . He said no, i usually have to put women in handcuffs. I said then put on the handcuffs. Take me down. I want everyone to see how the government treats a citizen who is only exercising her right to vote. He declined the handcuffs, but he took me down on the street car and when we got there i said are you paying your fair because and i said, are you paying my fare because im a woman or this is part of your obligation in your work . He said he has to pay all of the fares for anyone he brings in for arrest. I said well that is the first five cents worth i ever got out of uncle sam. When we went to trial the judge , was kind enough to write his opinion before he even came to rochester. I was not permitted to speak in my own defense, because the judge said women are not competent to testify in a court of law. When all of the evidence had been laid before them, he turns to the jury and said gentleman of the jury, thank you very much for your service. I now direct you to return a verdict of guilty. Did you ever hear of such a thing . When he asked me if the defendant had anything to say, you can imagine that i said yes, your honor. I have a great many things to say for the directed verdict of guilty every principle of , government is trampled underfoot. My civil rights, my natural rights, my political rights. My judicial rights are all alike ignored. Me 100 i saided your honor, i will never pay a dollar of your unjust fine. And i never have. Fascinating. Thank you for voting in that election and being the name associated with the movement. Thank you for mentioning the other women that were arrested along with you. I think its important to know that as the leader, your name was out there, but there were many women behind the movement as well. I think at this point, miss anthony, if you dont mind i will ask you to come back in a little bit and im going to turn the conversation to our next guests. Ms. Sojourner truth. How are you today . I am good, thank you. Thank you for coming today. Lets start with the first question i have. It is about your name. It is unique. Tell us about the story behind it. I was born on a dutch plantation in upstate new york. Not too far from the hudson river. 1797, they gave me the name of isabel. Short. Lled me bell for i grew up tall and strong like my daddy. My daddys name was james and my mamas name was betsy. Betsy. Amas name was ,t seems like wherever i went people would talk and i heard their names and i thought about my name. After new york state passed a law in 1827 saying i could be free, i moved to new york city, started to work there. I stayed in a commune on the outskirts of town. I didnt like the goingson , tell me i said, god what should i do . God said, bell, be about your fathers business. In aked everything i could knapsack and i left new york city. I left with two dollars in my pocket and a song in my heart. Along and i thought about it. I said now that i am a free woman, i need a freewomans name. What should i call myself . So i thought about it. God told me to move me to move up and down the countryside to preach about the ills of sin and the meanness and wickedness of slavery and god told me to speak up about womenss womens rights. In the valleys and hills and mountainsides, spread the word of the gospel. I thought about that. The people in the bible sojourned the countryside. Im about to do the same thing. Im about to sojourn the countryside to preach and speak up for womens rights. Sojourn the countryside. I am a sojourner. I called myself sojourner. I like that. I kept on moving. I said, most people got two names. What shall my last name be. I said wherever i go, i will speak from the heart and i will always speak the truth. Shall be my last name. Forward, my name shall be sojourner truth. And that is what i did. I sojourned the countryside. I spoke to every town, every city. I would start to sing and people would begin to gather around. I would tell them of my days of being a slave, of being sold three times in the meeting. I would say, women, youve got just as much right as the menfolk. A man should not have dominion over the. A woman should be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with a man. You should be able to work outside the house. You should be able to speak without being ridiculed. You should be able to vote, run for public office. The word got around. Sojourner truth is coming to town and talking about womens rights. The crowd got bigger and bigger. Get a so i had to secretary to keep track of all of my speaking of agents engagement sometimes the crowd got rowdy. Engagement. Sometimes the crowd got rowdy. I would start to sing and they would drop the rocks. Sometimes they would have to lock me up to keep me safe from the crowd. After the crowds went home, they let me out and i would go to the next city and start a speaking engagement again. Sometimes they would say, old lady, if you speak here tonight, we will burn the place down. I said burn it down. I will speak upon the ashes. That is what i did for years and years, sojourning the countryside and speaking up for womens rights. That is such a great story. Thank you for sharing that. Aknow in 1851 you delivered public speech. Could you tell us what the lessons are from that speech, what we should take a way from it . I would be happy to. Sammy, who traveled with me, i said, sammy, read the newspaper. Tommy what is going on tell me what is going on. , he said, in akron, they are heaven having womens rights convention. I said i am going to go up there. I sat down in the back and listened to everything going on. I wasnt invited, i just showed up. Most of the men were doing all of the talking. They said some things that didnt sit too well with me. They said women dont need to be equal to a man. A man is smarter than a woman. A woman is weak and needs to be taken care of. It went on and on. How come the women are speaking up . The women dare not speak in public or dare not debate a man in public. So i said, i have to say something. So the next day i went back and i sat a little closer to the front. A man was doing all of the talking again. I told the ladies, i said, excuse me, can i get up there and say a few words . And they said ms. Sojourner truth, dont speak, they will ruin us. Everywhere she goes she causes trouble. I said i wont take long, but i just have to say a few words in response to these menfolk. They said well, in time they will let her speak. The other said, dont let her speak. I didnt come prepared with a speech in my head. To walk in front of the convention and say nothing. I had to respond to these men with all they had to say. I didnt know whether they were going to let me speak or not. They were trying to run out of time to let me not have time to speak. So i thought about it, how am i going to get up there . So i started to sing. Before i could get another word out, the place was quiet. They were looking at me and pointing with mouths open. Some say, that is sojourner truth. I said here is my chance. , allked up to the front the way up there, they were pointing and i took my time and i got up to the front. By the time i got to the front, the place was quiet. Speak. Ed to i didnt have a speech prepared, just responded to the men. That gentleman over there said, she, by her lonesome managed to turn the world upside down. Beuldnt women everywhere able to turn the world right side up again . So menfolk looked at him mean, he sat back down. All women should be able to work together. Lesson number two, a woman is not equal to a man. I said, to use their, if you have a whole gallon and ive jot ive got just a little quite, isnt it plain mean to deny me the rest. Everyone is deserving of equal rights. Everyone should be equal under the law. Another gentleman over there said that a woman is weak. [laughter] thing, there is no such as a weak woman. He said a woman is weak and needs to be taken care of. No one ever helped me over mud puddles and gave me the best of places. And aint i a woman . Aint i a woman . Rich or poor, you are still a woman. Colored or white, you are still a woman. Married or not, youre still a woman. Whether you have children or not, you are still a woman. No matter the circumstance, you are still a woman. After the convention, they came up to me and shook my hand. I said, prepared. I was just speaking to the menfolk. Everywhere i went, they said, say that speech again. Everybody wanted to hear that speech again, but it just happened on the top of my head. Those are wonderful lessons. So what advice or what suggestions would you make for people, women or activists today . To keep things stirring. To keep things moving. Never let the movement go still. Movement or no idea is too small. One time i was speaking to camp meeting, and they said, lady, we dont care too much for your talk. We care about it as much as the bite of a flea. I said, the small it may seem to you, but it keeps scratching. No idea is too small to keep things moving and stirring. Another thing i would say to the womenfolk, learn the law. Get that book learning. Learn all about the law. Written where laws are down, and find some new laws. I wonder the womenfolk to work together. Just like fingers on a hand. They are pretty strong on the hand, but if you put them together, they are Even Stronger and they will deliver quite a blow. Want my sisters, colored and white, rich and poor, also worked together. That is what one them to do. That is great advice. Thank you, miss truth. Thank you. Im going to come back to in a little bit. We are going to move on to our third guest. Miss alice paul. Miss alice paul joins us, how are you today . I am happy to see you. Thank you very much. You are welcome. I have a question, could you tell us a little bit about your early life . Early life . Yes. 1885, but dont think for a minute i was a victorian. You see, Queen Victoria believed she was independent because of the divine right of monarchs. Well, she admired many philosophers of the time who believed women were plainly inferior to men. That was an attitude i never understood. You see, i came from a quaker family. We believe in the inner life and divine in each person. As taught quality from equality from the beginning. I home is a new jersey. Where a comfortable house i was born and grew up there. I loved my father deeply. He was a farmer and president of a bank, but mostly a farmer. Evered to say when anything disagreeable had to be well, he died when i was in college, and i would hope you would the proud of my accomplishments. I graduated from a small, Small College and went on to do a graduate degree, a masters degree in social work, which i received from columbia university. Then i studied at the university of pennsylvania and received a phd in economics. Low, i decidede to go back and study law because i thought if you do not know the law, someone can talk you down. I got so engrossed in the subject. I ended up with three lotteries. Three law degrees. How did you get involved in the fight for womens suffrage . Very was there from the beginning. As i say, it came from my quaker values, my quaker roots and principles. My mother was active in the National American womens Suffrage Association and i helped her, even as a girl, so i always knew about the principles of equality from my quaker ringing. Out into when i went the broader world and left my quaker community, it was as if i had been punched in the stomach. [indiscernible] four votes in britain and you could hear cristobal speak about votes for women. She tried to speak it was heckled off the platform. Still, i paid one shilling signed up. There i was, member of the womens social and political union. I began to work with the family. Daughtersras and her krisa and crist tabell. Some of their tactics were unusual froman to engage four women to engage in. Politiciansconfront with their position on votes for women. Rattle theuld politicians significantly, so he kept at it, but here was our problem. At that time, no women were allowed at political gatherings. You wonder why . Confronthe women might the politician about his view on votes for women. That frightened them, you see. Well, we had to think of lever ways to enter the hall. If we gathered outside, we would be immediately arrested for obstruction of the sidewalk, so we would go in early in the toning and we would pretend be kitchen staff, perhaps, or [indiscernible] cleaning women and we would wait all day sometimes. We would hide so we would not be discovered, and we would pump out when a politician entered the hall and confront him on votes for women. Of course, we were immediately arrested. Would grab us. We wore cotton underneath our clothing to protect ourselves from their blows. In england, i was put in prison seven times. When we were in prison, the pancras would give orders to hunger strike. We would stop eating. Then we were forced. That was a terrible, terrible thing. I am sorry that you had to go through that. How did women finally get the right to vote . Strategy was to confront the political system. I encouraged women to take the vote and not ask politely for it. Terry chapman did not believe that we needed a settled amendment. She preferred to go statebystate and bake women for the vote. Big man for the vote for women. No, we cannot go state right state. We have to have a federal amendment. Ofave shown you a picture professions that we planned. Eveas planned for the very of the inauguration. We were going to confront him with the glory of our cause. Here in the photograph, you see this whitehorse that led the suffrage parade. She was a beautiful young woman. Unfortunately, she exhausted herself in her work for suffrage and died at the podium exclaiming mr. President , how long must women wait for liberty . But you see how we presented ourselves, all in beautiful white clothing. And we marched instead. We wore sashes of purple, gold and white. And there is another picture actually i believe from the National Archives that shows us all marc