Kate Sheppard

Votes for Women- New Zealand

Women have not always had the vote

Women were property - Coverture• She was

covered by her male relatives

• She could not divorce her husband

• Her property did not belong to her

• She could not go to court in her own right

• She could not have custody of her children

• She could not vote

She was dependent upon men

Which Country Gave Women the vote First?

KATE SHEPPARD AND THE VOTE FOR WOMEN IN NEW ZEALAND

Challenge Nowhere in the world was it considered appropriate for women to vote!

Challenge Many people, especially men, did not want to give women the vote.

Challenge Parliament had to pass a Bill in order for women to vote and it only had men in it!!

HOW DID THEY OVERCOME THESE CHALLENGES??

FIRST – SOME HISTORY

FOR A LONG TIME NO MAN NO WOMAN COULD VOTE THERE WAS NO SUCH THING!!

BUT PEOPLE’S IDEAS ABOUT HOW SOCIETY SHOULD WORK BEGAN

TO CHANGE

DIVINE ORDER MONARCHY

CHANGE DEMOCRACY

PETRACH

• HUMANISM• 1300’S

LUTHER

• REFORMATION• 1520

ROUSSEAU

• ENLIGHTENMENT• 1700’S

IDEASCHANGED

MAKE A FLOW DIAGRAM

SYMBOLS – E.G.

IDEAS

DEMOCRACY? A FLOW DIAGRAM –

CHANGING POLITICAL IDEAS

SYMBOL

IS A SYMBOL FOR MONARCHY

SYMBOL SYMBOL

IDEAS CHANGED

So women wanted the vote too. They started to get involved.

• Some wealthy men got the vote

• Some less wealthy men got the vote.

• All men got the vote

MONARCHY

DEMOCRACY

WOMEN CARED ABOUT THINGS TOO

CARE

SO THEY TAKE

ACTION

ABOLITION MOVEMENT was an International Movement

WROTEBOYCOTED SLAVE GROWN SUGAR

RAISED FUNDS

SPOKE

SIGNED PETITIONS

WOMEN

WOMEN CARED ABOUT THINGS TOO.

THE ABOLITION MOVEMENT WAS…

WHAT WOMEN DID… In the centre of your page draw a

silhouette of a woman. CUT OUT PICTURES AND PASTE

THEM AROUND THE WOMAN.

FOR INSTANCE THE ABOLITION MOVEMENT

BUT WOMEN ONLY HAD INFLUENCE. THEY HAD NO POWER TO

CHANGE THINGS

HOW

DID

CHANGETHAT?

WOMEN

IMPORTANT WORDS1. ABOLITION2. PETITION3. SUFFRAGE (FRANCHISE)4. COVERAGE5. DEMOCRACY6. MONARCHY

HOW DO WE CONSTRUCT A BAR GRAPH

BOTH AXIS ARE DRAWN WITH A RULER

BOTH AXIS HAVE A LABEL

THE GRAPH HAS A TITLE

THE GRAPH HAS A KEY

BAR GRAPH CHECKLIST

Graph is drawn with a ruler with even gaps between bars.

Countries on the horizontal (x) axis

Years on the vertical (y) axis

Both axis are labeled.

Title Key – Male and Female Suffrage

MALE AND FEMALE SUFFRAGE BY YEAR AND COUNTRY

COUNTRY MALE SUFFRAGE

FEMALE SUFFRAGE

U.S.A 1870 1920

NEW ZEALAND 1879 1893

NORWAY 1898 1913

U.K. 1914 1928

FRANCE 1848 1944

MEXICO 1917 1953

SWITZERLAND 1848 1971

HOW COME NEW ZEALAND WAS FIRST IN THE WORLD TO

ACHIEVE WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE??

FLOW DIAGRAM

NEW IDEAS IN EUROPE AND AMERICA

PEOPLE WITH NEW IDEAS MIGRATED TO NEW ZEALAND

NEW ZEALAND AS A SELF GOVERNING COLONY – DID NOT HAVE TO DO THE SAME AS BRITAIN

New Zealand

Kate Sheppard

KATE SHEPPARD

HAND-OUT – MAKE A POSTER IN YOUR BOOK’S REPRESENTING HER LIFE. WRITE AT LEAST ONE FACT ABOUT EACH TIME

BORN 1848

EARLY LIFE

CHRISTCHURCH

WCTU

YOU CAN USE A DIFFERENT SHAPE IF YOU LIKE

DIED 1934

AFTER 1893

WHAT INSPIRED HER?

SHE HEARD MARY LEAVITT FROM THE AMERICAN WOMEN’S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION SPEAK ON THE NEED FOR WOMEN TO HAVE THE VOTE TO EFFECT CHANGE. (1885)

SHE SAW WHAT COLONIAL LIFE WAS LIKE FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN.

SHE RECOGNISED THERE WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE OF THE NEWNESS OF NEW ZEALAND’S POLITICAL SCENE.

w.c.t.u.Womens Christian Temperance Union

Women felt getting the vote would enable them to have some control

Alcohol took a terrible toll on families

Remember women and children had no rights except in relationship to the adult male relatives they had.

THETEMPERANCEMOV

EMENT

This picture has three parts 1- A family happily at home togetherThe family is warm and happy. The man, woman and children are all provided for.

2 - The family signing “The Pledge” not to drink.The family take the pledge not to touch alcohol. This picture stands between the happy and sad family.

3 – The family begging the man not to go to the pub. The family are outside in the cold and dressed in rags. The husband has a bottle of alcohol in his hand.Alcohol is the difference between the two scenarios. MESSAGE: Alcohol is bad for family life and especially for women and children.

Her Personal Qualities

No Sectarian Narrowness Well Educated Good Judgment Excellent Public Speaker Tolerance Committed Charm Very Feminine Woman

What she did…

WROTE PAMPHLETS WROTE LETTERS TO THE PRESS GAVE TALKS PERSONAL CONTACT WITH POLITICIANS ORGANISED PETITIONS AND OPENED

THEM TO ALL WOMEN TRAVELLED THE COUNTRY KEPT CONTACT WITH OVERSEAS

MOVEMENT Led the push for Women’s Franchise

OTHER GROUPS and PEOPLE INVOLVED

Women’s Franchise League Canterbury Women’s Institute Polly Plum (Mary Colclough) WCTU of America (Mary Leavitt) John Stuart Mill Mary Muller Dunedin Tailoresses’ Union Politicians such as…

William Fox John Hall Robert Stout

Kate Sheppard’s Ideas - Kate Sheppard “Ten Reason’s

Why Women Should Vote.”

1. “Because a democratic government like that of New Zealand already admits the great principle that every adult person, not convicted of crime, nor suspected of lunacy, has an inherent right to a voice in the construction of laws which all must obey.”

LETS LOOK AT WHAT NUMBER 1 ON KATE’S LIST SAYS “Because a democratic government like

that of New Zealand already admits the great principle that every adult person, not convicted of crime, nor suspected of lunacy, has an inherent right to a voice in the construction of laws which all must obey.

What does she mean? Table Groups Discuss Write a definition for these words:INHERENT RIGHT – CONSTRUCTION OF LAWS

WHY DID WOMEN WANT THE VOTE?

2. Because it has not yet been proved that the intelligence of women is only equal to that of children, nor that their social status is on a par with that of lunatics or convicts. 3. Because women are affected by the prosperity of the Colony, are concerned in the preservation of its liberty and free institutions, and suffer equally with men from all national errors and mistakes4. Because women are less accessible than men to most of the debasing influences now brought to bear upon elections, and by doubling the number of electors to be dealt with, women would make bribery and corruption less effective, as well as more difficult.

WHY DID WOMEN WANT THE VOTE

5. Because in the quietude of home women are less liable than men to be swayed by mere party feeling, and are inclined to attach great value to uprightness and rectitude of life in a candidate. 6. Because the presence of women at the polling-booth would have a refining and purifying effect. 7. Because the votes of women would add weight and power to the more settled and responsible communities.

WHY DID WOMEN WANT THE VOTE

8. Because women are endowed with a more constant solicitude for the welfare of the rising generations, thus giving them a more far-reaching concern for something beyond the present moment. 9. Because the admitted physical weakness of women disposes them to exercise more habitual caution, and to feel a deeper interest in the constant preservation of peace, law, and order, and especially in the supremacy of right over might. 10. Because women naturally view each question from a somewhat different standpoint to men, so that whilst their interests, aims, and objects would be very generally the same, they would often see what men had overlooked, and thus add a new security against any partial or one-sided legislation.

IN DESK GROUPS List the important words for each point. Take each point Kate Sheppard made

and summerise it. What did she mean?

• WHAT DO YOU THINK?

• DO YOU THINK HER POINT WAS VALID?

• IS THE POINT TRUE TODAY?

• DO YOU THINK EVERYTHING TURNED OUT THE WAY SHE WANTED?

Women’s suffrage-A New Zealand Time-line

1869 Mary Muller wrote pamphlet advocating

Women’s Suffrage

1879 Male Suffrage Maori Male suffrage

1867

1885 NZ Women’s Christian

Temperance Movement

1891 petition 10,085

signatures

1893 petition 30,000+

signatures – women get the

vote

New Zealand a Self Governing Colony 1853

1843 Mr Alfred Saunders and Mr William Fox advocate Women’s Suffrage

1919 Women allowed to be MP

1933 First female MP 1947 First

female Cabinet Member

1997 First woman Prime Minister

Percentage of woman MP’s same as percentage of women in population

1884 Married Women’s Property Act

Make a time-line

Ruled vertical line Even scale- (Decades) Short horizontal line for

each event Brief descriptions An appropriate title

1850

1900

NZ self-governing colony

Women get the vote

1893

1853

WHO OPPOSED VOTES FOR WOMEN?

LIQUOR LOBBY SOME CONSERVATIVE WOMEN’S GROUP RICHARD SEDDON and MANY OTHER POLITICIANS INDIVIDUAL MEN such as;

Henry Smith Fish Henry Wright

WHAT WERE THEIR IDEAS?

It would “Unsex” women. WOMEN TALKING POLITICS WOULD BE TOO DISRUPTIVE.

Women had a vote through their husbands.

Woman’s place was in the home. Families would suffer. Women voting is against God’s order. Women who want the vote are too masculine. Women are not physically suited to vote.

HAND-OUT Cut out the faces. In your own words write why each

thought women could not vote.

Underneath Add The economy would suffer Women did not want the Vote

WHAT IS A POLITICAL CARTOON?

A political cartoon is a mixture of visual and written evidence.

Political cartoons are normally drawn to show the cartoonist’s point of view about an issue which is seen as important at the time.

Cartoonists often use humour or sarcasm to emphasise their point of view about a particular issue.

Remember this?How did we go about deciding what it was

about?

Interpreting Cartoons We decided what the illustration was about? -

Temperance We decided what was happening in the

illustration? Husband at home with happy family; husband going to pub with unhappy family.

We looked at the way the illustration was set out? Taking the Pledge was between the other two pictures.

The message?

TOPIC - ACTION – WORDS – LAYOUT - CHARACTERS

Here is an example from the Christchurch Press

LETS PRACTICE ANALYSING A POLITICAL CARTOON

handout IS THE CARTOONIST PRO- OR ANTI-

WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE?

HOW CAN YOU TELL? -words -pictures IS IT FUNNY? OR IS IT DEMEANING?

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

ANALYSE THE FOLLOWING CARTOONS BY ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS.

1- What is the Cartoon about?

2- What characters/types can you identify?

3- What idea/s does it portray?

4- What clues lead you to your identification of the characters/idea(s)?

5- Which perspective is the cartoon being depicted from?

This is a picture of family life.

But something is wrang.

The woman is dressed and acting like a man and the man is dressed and acting like a woman.

The household is in chaos.

This cartoon is against votes for women.

Because the household is unhappy

WHAT IDEA IS THIS CARTOON REPRESENTING?

How to Write about Cartoons 1 Briefly describe the cartoon.

2 Write a because sentence.

3 Write…The cartoonist is trying to say that…

Heading in your books

This cartoon has two parts

The first part is women sewing together.

The second picture shows women smoking and talking together.

Because the women in the second picture are not behaving in a very ladylike way – this cartoon is against Votes for Women.

The cartoonist is saying that giving women the vote will “unsex” them or make them too masculine..

1) Write a sentence to very briefly describe the cartoon. 2) Write a because

sentence.

3) Write what the cartoonist is trying to say.

WHAT IS THIS CARTOON SAYING?

A woman is washing a child.

The child is not enjoying it.

The child has a moustache.

Because the woman is washing the man from a bowl labeled Votes for Women this cartoon is for Votes for Women.

Briefly describe the cartoon.

Write a because sentence.

The cartoonist is trying to say that giving women the vote will be good because it will clean-up politics.

Write a sentence to say what the cartoonist is trying to say.

Female Voters: “Come,Come my boy you have to take this nice medicine. It will be good for you.”Young NZ: “I don’t like your medicine, and am feeling alright. But I guess I have to have it. Maybe it won’t hurt.”

Write a brief description of the cartoon.

Write a because sentence

Write…The cartoonist is trying to say that…

WHAT IS THIS CARTOON SAYING?

“You permit this gentleman to influence your Elections. Surely you might permit me to have a voice in the matter too?”

WHO IS THIS CARTOON TARGETING AND HOW?

The men are;

• Political Boss.

• White Slaver.

• Child Labour Exploiter.

• Food Doper.

• Saloon Keeper.

Other activities

Collage a) colonial life for women b) life for the modern woman c) life for women in 19th Century England.

Expert Groups – 1 Liquor Lobby2 Conservative Women’s Lobby3 Pro Women’s Suffrage4 Politics too rough Lobby5 WCTU Lobby

Develop a short speech containing each p-o-v to deliver to the class by a spokes man. Parliamentary Debate

Photograph of Pioneer Womenby Ruth Dallas

You can see from their facesLife was not funnyThe streets, when there were streets,Tugging at axles,The settlement ramshackle as a stack of cards.And where there were no streets, and so houses,Save their own roof of calico and thatch,The cows coming morning and afternoonFrom the end-of-world swamp,Udders cemented with mud.

Photograph of Pioneer Womenby Ruth Dallas

Verse 2There is nothing to equal pioneering labourFor wrenching a woman out of shape,Like an old willow, uprooted, thickening.See their strong arms, their shoulders broadenedBy the rhythmical swing of the of the axe, or humpedUnder loads they donkeyed on their backs.Some of them found time to be photographed,With their bearded husbands, and twelve or thirteen children,Looking shocked, but relentless,After first starching the frills on their caps.