Why You Should Vote.

It looks like a party.

But it wasn't.

Before the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1920, women couldn't vote. 

It was against the law.

It's something that seems so far removed from us here in 2012, but it's not.  It was less than 100 years ago. 

And at that time, the pervasive thought was that politics in general weren't women's business.  Some thought women weren't informed enough to vote.  Some thought they were too stupid, uneducated, and weak. 

And the fact is, some people still feel that way.

In the late 1800's and early 1900's, during the First Wave of Feminism, women wanted a change.  They were no longer content to sit on the sidelines and have their fates decided for them by the male collective.  They stood up to be counted.  They protested.  They held rallies.  It was a worldwide movement.  And it was hard.

Women were thrown in prison for asking to vote.  They were chained to walls.  They were beaten.  They were fed worm-infested food in prison and when they refused to eat it a tube was thrust down their throats to force-feed them until they vomited.  (Google: Alice Paul)

But it was worth it to them.

It was worth it to be treated equally: to have a say in the fate of their country, the fate of their families, the fates of their friends.  They took a risk and stood up to be counted.

They stood up for you.

There was no way for these First Wave Feminists to know if they would ever live to see the 19th Amendment ratified.  They had no way of knowing if they, themselves, would ever cast a vote.  But they put their hope in the future.  It was worth risking their lives. 

Honestly, I don't care who you vote for.  But you owe it to these women to at least show up at the polls.  Register to vote.  Get educated on the issues (it's insanely easy with the internet at your fingertips).  Cast a vote for the future.  Engage in politics with an educated voice.  You are able to do it because your fore-mothers marched, starved, sang, screamed, rallied, chanted, and endured through thick and thin to prove that you are worthy.