Nellie McClung

Nellie McClung (google)

For the my hero project, I chose an individual who was willing to endure whatever she had to, to get to where she wanted, no matter what the obstacle. This woman changed the way of life in Canada for not only the women, but for all beings that inhabited the country at the time. Her name was Nellie McClung, and this is her story.

Nellie McClung Web (I made it)

Nellie Litita Mooney was born near Chatsworth, Ontario, on October 20th, 1873. In 1880 her family moved to an area south-west of Brandon, Ontario, for better farming.Although Nellie did not attend school until age 10, she began to question the position of women in society at age 9. She attended a family picnic around the same age and there was a race. She wanted to participate, but was told she could not, because the girls' long skirts would fly up and they where not allowed to show their legs. Nellie later wrote: "I wanted to know why, but was hushed up."

At age 16 she had recived her teaching degree and was teaching all 8 grades in a one-room schoolhouse. When she was hired to teach in Manitou in 1890, she was billeted by Reverend James McClung and his wife, Annie. Annie introduced Nellie to the Womans' Christian Temparance Union, an organization of women that was concerned about how the use of alcohol can have an effect on families. In 1889, she married their son, Robert Weasly McClung. After marriage, of course, she gave up her teaching career. She later became a mother of five and moved to Winnipeg in 1911 where she became a sufferagist.

She published her first book the same year, "Sowing Seeds in Dany," and it was a Canadian best seller for 2 years. She began giving readings from her books and soon began giving lectures about womens' rights, knowing that if they where allowed to vote they could influence the liquor trade. When Nellie took the matter to court in 1916, Prime Minister Roblin suggested that "nice" women did not want to vote. Nellie responded, "By nice, you must mean selfish women that no longer have any patience for those in need, as a pussycat in a sunny window for a Kitten starving in the streets." She fought the argument hard and won the right for women to vote in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Ontario and British Columbia followed.

Nellie McClung moved to Alberta in the Edmonton area in 1914. By then she had mastered womens' sufferage. So much so, that she became the champion. Nellie McClung was elected to Alberta Legisture in 1921, but she could still not be appointed to the senate on the grounds that a woman was not a "person." Not a person? Nellie very strongly disagreed. She and four other women, Irene Palby, Emily Murphy, Loise McKinny, and Henreitta Muir Edmunds (later known as the Famous Five) banded together to work on "the persons case" to make women persons in Canada. When ready, they took the case to the highest court appeal in London, England. They won the arguement and the British Privy ruled that women were now persons under the law, and could indeed serve as members of the senate. Yet another victory for Nellie McClung.

Nellie McClung died on September 1st, 1951. She left the earth knowing that, thanks to her efforts, women would be free to do as men could, without being treated badly for doing so. And somone that has the courage to do that for others, makes her a hero.