Emily Murphy
Leadership Skills - Rushan Niazi
Many Canadians say that Emily Murphy was one of the greatest Canadians to ever live due to her amazing accomplishments throughout her lifetime. As a writer/political reformer, people could say that she's just an ordinary citizen but in reality, this girl from a small Ontario town was a lot more than just ordinary.
Emily Murphy's Involvements
Emily Ferguson Murphy was the first female magistrate in Canada, and in the British Empire. In the British North America Act signed in 1867, it stated that women were not considered a "person". Emily Murphy, along with the other members of the Famous Five, fought for women rights during the 1900's in order to gain equality and freedom for all women in Canada. The Persons Case was developed in 1929 by the Famous Five, which was the reason why women were legally known as "persons" and later gained the right to vote provincially and federally.
Famous Five
Statue of Emily Murphy at Parliament Hill
The cover of a novel writen by Emily Murphy
Lead from the front - but don't leave your base behind
Emily Murphy really wanted change for all women in Canada and she knew that in order to do that, it would require many difficult decisions which would affect many people. After she was 40, Murphy began to actively organize women's groups where the housewives in the region could meet and talk about ideas for the future or plan group projects. Also, Emily began to speak publicly about the poor living conditions in their society. She gained many supporters along the way but never forgot about her main focus which was to change the lives of women in Canada for the better.
Nothing is black or white
Emily Murphy realized is wouldn't be easy to gain freedom and rights for women but she didn't stop until the job was complete. Emily Murphy protested peacefully in the streets using words to convince the government to change the law. Even though many protests and strikes lead to violence, she believed that using words would be better. For over a decade, Emily Murphy fought to have women known as legal "persons" in Canada as she led many women to take action about this serious issue. After many failed attempts to go to the Canadian Supreme Court who declined the request, Emily was very perseverant and went all the way to the Privy Council in Britain to show them The Persons Case. The council finally declared women as "persons" in Canada and Emily realized that if she hadn't came to Britain to continue the fight, women would still be considered as "non persons". This shows how Emily didn't stop at any point in her fight until the job was completed.
Quitting is leading too
Emily Murphy died at the age of 65 in Edmonton, Alberta. Her legacy goes on for generations to come as she is known as one of the most influential and most extra ordinary women in Canadian history. Her main goal of becoming the first woman member of the Canadian Senate was not accomplished by her but she allowed future generations of women to have freedom and rights which women previously did not have. Also, due to the Famous Five, women in Canada gained the right to vote both provincially and federally which was previously only allowed for men. Emily Murphy showed the nation that women are just as capable as men to be in positions of power. Emily Murphy's legacy remains strong as she influences many women to continue the fight around the world to gain freedom and independence.
Works Cited
Nelligan, Kate. "VIDEOSHERITAGE//MINUTESVIDEOSVIDEOSVIDEOS." Emily Murphy. Historica Canada. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
https://www.historicacanada.ca/content/heritage-minutes/emily-murphy
"Emily Murphy." The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/emily-murphy/
Edwards, Henrietta. "Famous 5 Foundation." The. Mantaray Creative. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
http://www.famous5.ca/index.php/the-famous-5-women/the-persons-case/
Edwards, Henrietta. "Famous 5 Foundation." The. Mantaray Creative. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
http://inbalanceinternational.org/index.php/gallery/image_med/27/