In the 1800s, women in the United States had few legal rights and did not have the right to vote. This speech was given by Susan B. Anthony after her arrest for casting an illegal vote in the presidential election of 1872. She was tried and then fined $100 but refused to pay.

Friends and fellow citizens: I stand before you tonight under indictment for the alleged crime of having voted at the last presidential election, without having a lawful right to vote. It shall be my work this evening to prove to you that in thus voting, I not only committed no crime, but, instead, simply exercised my citizen's rights, guaranteed to me and all United States citizens by the National Constitution, beyond the power of any state to deny.

The preamble of the Federal Constitution says:

 

"We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

 

It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union. And we formed it, not to give the blessings of liberty, but to secure them; not to the half of ourselves and the half of our posterity, but to the whole people - women as well as men. And it is a downright mockery to talk to women of their enjoyment of the blessings of liberty while they are denied the use of the only means of securing them provided by this democratic-republican government - the ballot.

 

For any state to make sex a qualification that must ever result in the disfranchisement of one entire half of the people, is to pass a bill of attainder, or, an ex post facto law, and is therefore a violation of the supreme law of the land. By it the blessings of liberty are forever withheld from women and their female posterity.

 

To them this government has no just powers derived from the consent of the governed. To them this government is not a democracy. It is not a republic. It is an odious aristocracy; a hateful oligarchy of sex; the most hateful aristocracy ever established on the face of the globe; an oligarchy of wealth, where the rich govern the poor. An oligarchy of learning, where the educated govern the ignorant, or even an oligarchy of race, where the Saxon rules the African, might be endured; but this oligarchy of sex, which makes father, brothers, husband, sons, the oligarchs over the mother and sisters, the wife and daughters, of every household - which ordains all men sovereigns, all women subjects, carries dissension, discord, and rebellion into every home of the nation.

 

Webster, Worcester, and Bouvier all define a citizen to be a person in the United States, entitled to vote and hold office.

 

The only question left to be settled now is: Are women persons? And I hardly believe any of our opponents will have the hardihood to say they are not. Being persons, then, women are citizens; and no state has a right to make any law, or to enforce any old law, that shall abridge their privileges or immunities. Hence, every discrimination against women in the constitutions and laws of the several states is today null and void, precisely as is every one against Negroes.

 

Susan B. Anthony - 1873

 

The men that arrested Susan clearly were right to do so according to the law and the law was clearly wrong as she points out. She stood up for what she believed in and she was educated enough to articulate her views and had enough courage to stand up for what she felt was an injustice. I suppose some people would refer to Susan as a criminal and some people would refer to our founding fathers as traitors to England and criminals as well.

 

I don't suggest that illegal immigration is right nor do I say people should come over illegally although those that are here should be treated with dignity and we should pass reasonable reform so as not to separate families since we are we are currently doing it at a higher rate than ever before.

 

Some would questions the constitution and say that the 14th amendment is wrong. They say it only applied to the children of the slaves yet every state recognizes all children born in the US as US Citizens. Every state issues birth certificates and the Federal Government issues SS# to these children.

 

I would say we should be reasonable and remember these are people we are dealing with and not objects. Refering to them as anchor babies only shows our lack of sensitivity and lack of civility.  No police department in the Nation enforces Civil Federal Law and "Unlawful Presense" is only a Civil infraction. ICE does not have the names and addresses of millions of undocumented people therefore they cannot legally arrest them without warrants or deportation orders. We don't even know how many undocumented people there really are within the US. We need to ID them, give them permission to work as guest workers, have them get in the back of the line and not be ahead of anyone that has applied legally but sending them all back will separate millions of US Citizens from their families and also cause untold financial problems for the country. We should concentrate on deporting the real criminals that are felons.