Victoria Woodhull

Victoria Woodhull

Imagine a female running for president. That would be Victoria Woodhull. She is my hero because she did remarkable things which we take for granted today. She ran for president too.

The main things Victoria Woodhull did were very momentous to us in our lives right now. She ran for President of the U.S. in 1872. She was also one of the most renowned women in the country. She advocated many valuable things we take for granted today: 8 hour work day, graduated income tax, social welfare programs, and profit sharing.

She was the kind of person who was opposed to the Christian religion, but she lived its principles well. She fed the hungry, cared for the sick, and visited the prisoners. She believed that living these principles was more important to saving souls than preaching about Christ. She was also the first female stockbroker on Wall Street. She also never gave up. When she needed to raise money to run for president she tried as hard as she could. She was also a great and important leader. She kept going when women couldn't even vote and she still ran for the presidency.

There were many obstacles and hardships in her life. She needed campaign fund-raising and organization. She also tried to raise money by selling bonds that would be redeemable during her administration. She still couldn't get the support she needed to launch a good campaign. People were spreading horrible rumors about her too!

Her life was starting to mess up badly and she wanted to fight back. The rumors did not subside at all. Eventually, the rumors led Victoria and her family to be evicted from their own home! They spent one night homeless on the dark, lonely alleys and in the empty streets of New York. Landlords were afraid to rent to the "Wicked Woodhull" She believed certain members of the Beecher family, Catherine Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe, were responsible for all of the bad rumors.

She still didn't give up on running for president. Desperate for help, Victoria and her husband wrote to Rev. Henry Ward Beecher. They asked him to put an end to the persecution. He didn't listen to her so she felt there was nothing else to do but to fight back. She published a story of Rev. Beecher's affair with other women. She spent election day in jail. The U.S government arrested her under the Comstock Act for sending their published article that was the truth.

Victoria didn't give up; she kept fighting and trying her best. Instead of stopping and ignoring it like some people do when they're in fights, or having bad rumors spread about them, she was still fighting. She also set a good example; she was a leader too. This is what makes Victoria Woodhull my hero.