Bertha Wilson was a remarkable woman who changed the face of the Supreme Court of Canada forever. She was the first woman appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court of Canada, and the first female partner in a major law firm. Even though she wasn’t a Chief Justice, it was a huge accomplishment for a woman to be a Puisne Justice. Bertha Wilson was chosen for my Heritage Fair topic because Bertha worked hard even when she knew that no woman had been where she had been before. This essay will explain different times in Bertha’s life and how she made her mark in the books of Great Canadian Women.
Bertha Wilson was born to Archibald and Christina Noble Wernham on September 18th 1923 in Kirkcaldy, Scotland. Bertha was the youngest of two boys and one girl. Bertha knew her father as a gentle and devout man. She remembered her mother as a stern, but gentle woman who believed that females were to have the same things as males, including a well education. Her mother was sure to have all three children groomed and well fed at all times. The Wernham’s moved to Aberdeen( a two hour drive from Kirkcaldy) when Bertha was three years old so she doesn’t have many memories of her time on Kirkcaldy. In Aberdeen, Bertha became very fond of the boy across the street, Jackie. Jackie was the youngest of three children as well. One of Bertha’s and Jackie’s favourite activities was to play with hoops, or gird sticks as they called them in Scotland. One day Jackie saw that Bertha
The government and the general populace realized how hard the woman had worked for the sake of Canada, and this earned woman the respect that they had longed for from the general populace and the government. Furthermore, this very sense of respect was proved when the government under Prime Minister Borden approved the War measures act on September 20, 1917(“Woman’s right to vote in Canada”). This very act was a prime gesture from the Canadian government that illustrated how winning the respect of the people resulted in the destruction of the misogynistic sentiments of that era. Furthermore, many historians regard the “War Times Act” as a gesture that was carried out in order to acknowledge the efforts that women had done in order to aid in the war(“Suffrage in Canada”). As said previously, woman raised funds for war, they volunteered as nurses overseas, worked endless hours in factories in order to build munitions, and provided countless other services for the benefit of the economy and the government. Moreover, they simultaneously kept their families together,”while men went overseas”(“Woman get the vote”), and kept war efforts moving through funds raised by various non-profit organizations run by women. The government witnessed this and rewarded the services of such woman by granting them the right to vote. Furthermore, the fact the government wanted to integrate women into the Canadian political system reveals that the long arduous toiling that woman had done for the nation was finally beginning to reap rewards for their own battle for gender equality.. Although, the right to vote was only bestowed upon those who were related to soldiers fighting overseas, it nonetheless
Since the 19th Century, women in Canada have fought political, legal, and social battles to find their place in Canadian society. From starting out in small, local organizations, to legal battles in the Supreme Court, Canadian women have come a long way. Unfortunately, it took a long time for many people to adapt to the changing roles of women, which made women still feel unequal compared to men. It is really striking to think that at one point society questioned if women could even be considered persons, just a small sample of the many changes women had to face through the course of history. This paper will analyze these changes experienced by Canadian women in that time period and how it affected their everyday lives.
“We may yet live to see that day when women will no longer be news. And it cannot come too soon. I want to be a peaceful, happy, normal human being, pursuing my unimpeded way through life, never having to explain, defend, or apologize for my sex” (Nellie McClung, 1929). Throughout most of history, men have had greater rights than women. In present days, the equality between men and women have improved, despite the fact that some countries are still striving to establish those same rights for both genders. What impact did Nellie McClung make on Canadian society? She is a perfect example of a Canadian social activist who advocated for the rights of women throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. In this essay, I will examine the depictions of the fight for suffrage and the stand for electoral office, in addition to the contribution of the Famous 5 and the type of feminism she represented in order to demonstrate the impact and influence she had as a Canadian woman.
The Famous Five decided to appeal to the decision made by the Supreme Court of Canada with the support of Prime Minister Mackenzie King. The Famous Five appealed to the Judicial Committee and Privy Council of England. In 1929, the British Privy Council declared women as “persons”. They stated that the constitution is a “living tree” and should change according to the time (Creating Canada, page 154). In conclusion, the victory of the Persons Case contributed to the importance of women and opened the door to many rights.
The Persons case was one of the most defining moments for Canadian women in history. Not only did it allow for women to work in the government but it opened so many doors for other issues involving women and their rights. The Persons Case was a constitutional ruling that gave the right to Women to be able to be appointed into the Senate. The case was started by the Famous Five, a group of women’s right activists, consisting of Emily Murphy, Irene Marryat Parlby, Nellie Mooney McClung, Louise Crummy McKinney and Henrietta Muir Edwards. In 1928, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that women were not “persons” according to the BNA act. Therefore, they were not eligible to hold a position in the government. The Famous Five were not pleased with this law that was degrading to women so, they appealed to the Privy Council of England and in 1929, the Court’s decision was reversed. The Persons Case enabled women to work for change in
In recent History, Women’s rights were extremely different. Women were treated very differently then men were. Emily Murphy made a significant impact on Women’s rights. Emily Murphy was a part of the “persons case”, she organized the Dower Act, Emily was a part of “The famous five”, she was the first female magistrate, and along with many other things she did in her life.
Throughout history many U.S. Supreme Court Justices have served for numerous years on the Supreme court making final decisions on diverse cases that have created long lasting impacts. The current supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and former justice Sandra Day O’Connor have not only made an impact but are proof that women are equal to men when it comes to court room decisions. Throughout the essay I will explain the background of the justice, the president who appointed them, and the accomplishments made on the Supreme Court.
Throughout this course, we learn that women’s studies originated as a concerned at the time that “women and men noticed the absence, misrepresentation, and trivialization of women [in addition to] the ways women were systematically excluded from many positions of power and authority” (Shaw, Lee 1). It has always been known that in the past, men have had more privilege than women. Women have battled for centuries against certain patterns of inadequacy that all women experience. Every culture and customs have divergent female identities, however this does not hinder the fact that many of these cultures are based on patriarchal past where men hold more rights than women. Canadian women have sought to overcome these stereotypes and have managed to gain a position of near equality. This was
For twelve years Murphy led the fight to have women declared legal "persons" in Canada. When petitions from various women's organizations failed to open in
Today, women in Canada don't need to second-think when standing in line, ready to cast their vote. But, that was not the case 100 years ago. Back in the 1920s, women had little rights and were not even considered “persons” (The Persons Case ). Women's suffrage in Canada was a long struggle which Canadian women fought for, even before the start of World War I. But their persistence and determination is what lead to women winning their suffrage. Women strongly stood beside their demand for the right to vote before the start of war, during the hardships of the World War I, and after the war ended, which leads to the forever lasting impacts on women's rights in today's society.
During the late nineteenth-century, women went to court to continue to secure their rights to participate in public life: to vote, to be a justice of the peace, to be a notary public, to serve as school district directors, school committee officers, school officers, and prosecuting attorneys, an of course to practice law (Drachman, 1998).
In this paper, I will discuss a number of topics regarding woman and the Supreme Court from historical precedents to objective research to the importance of female judges and Justices and finally to the possibilities of the future. Each of these steps is vital to fully understanding how we got to our country’s current place in female jurisprudence and creating future opportunities for women both on the Supreme Court and in all other levels of the judicial system across the United States.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton didn’t want to be remembered as a household but the women they will admire. The purpose of this paper is to explain the life of Elizabeth Stanton and how she had a huge effect on the outcome of seeking equal rights for woman.
Throughout history, Canada’s identity has changed in many ways and there have been many historical events that have greatly shaped and impacted Canada’s history and identity. The Women’s Movement and women’s contribution in the past and throughout history has had the greatest impact on shaping Canada into what it is today. Among many identifying qualities like being multicultural, bilingual, and world leaders, Canada is also country that has changed immensely in the way of becoming a country that has learned to accept women, move towards providing them with equal opportunities and treating them equally. Through economic, social and political movements and actions, the contribution from women and the women’s movement have increased, changed and improved women’s rights and equality greatly. Women worked to create independence and equality economically through their contributions to war on the homefront in WWI resulting in greater workplace equality, socially through the actions of the Flappers in the 1920’s giving women currently, the confidence and strength that they need to speak up, and politically, through the work of the Suffragists including the Famous 5 to allow women to have the same political rights as men.
Women being able to vote was a huge step forward for Canadian women, but even though they could run for certain political positions, they could not be Senators. During the early twentieth century women were not legally considered “persons” and could not be Senators (Women become Persons). This act of exclusion portrayed Canada as an immature nation. A milestone with significant importance occurred in the Persons Case. The first constitution of Canada was the BNA Act (British North America Act). In this constitution it referred to a group of people as “persons” but when one individual was referenced they used the word ‘he”. The constitution restricted women from holding public office. (History Canadian resources book) The act declared that “women are persons in matters of pain and penalties, but are not persons in matters of rights and privileges.” Therefore, women could be given the same penalties as men for breaking a law, but could not receive the same basic benefits that men could. Unfair legalities like this proves that Canada was