Emily Murphy

Emily Murphy

To many, a hero is someone who stops a train on television. But to me, a hero is someone who has an outstanding inner strength and who fights for the rights of all humanity. A hero does things that will benefit our society. She does it to enhance civilization.

This is why I chose to do my project on an individual who, along with the Famous Five, fought for women to be seen as real people in a man's world. She was a fighter for women's rights. This exceptional person whose name will forever be in Canadian history is Emily Murphy.

“It is good to live in these first days when the foundations of things are being laid, to be able, now and then, to place a stone or carry the mortar to set it good and true,” she said.

Emily Ferguson was born on March 14,1868, in the small southern town of Cookstown, Ontario. Her father Isaac Ferguson was a wealthy landowner, while her mother (also named Emily) was typical of every other woman in that era: a mother and a wife. As a young girl, Emily was a boisterous child. She never failed to find a way to get into mischief along with her two older brothers Thomas and Gowan. As time went on, and Emily grew older, she was brought up to be a lady. She was only 15 when she found her one true love, Aurthur Murphy. “I fell in love many of times in my teens, but there was never anyone, really, but Aurthur.” Ferguson and Murphy would marry and have three lovely children: Evelyn, Doris and Kathleen.

Emily, hard at work

Throughout her life, Emily showed us a great deal of courage, bravery, individualism, leadership and determination. She was very courageous to get involved with the Famous Five because at the time, a woman was labeled as an uneducated, powerless nothing. So to dedicate yourself to an activist group like the Famous Five and not give up took a great deal of courage. On numerous accounts, Emily entered courtrooms filled with well educated and powerful men, and she did not show fear as she fought against them, hoping to make a difference.

“I feel equal to high and splendid braveries,” Emily said.

As you can tell by the previous paragraphs, Emily was a unique person. From the very beginning, she was different from all the other girls she grew up with. She chose to go after adventure with her bothers instead of staying home with her mother and learning how to become a wife and mother. This woman had a great amount of leadership, as she was president of the Canadian Woman's Press Club for many of years and she took part in 22 other organizations. She desperately wanted to get women recognized as people, and with a little hard work and determination, she achieved that goal.

In her lifetime, Emily accomplished numerous achievements: writing four books (under the name of Janey Canuke), becoming the first woman on the hospital board, advocating for change to the Dower Act in 1911, becoming a member of the Equal Franchise League, teaming up with Nellie McClung for women's right to vote. Emily's name was put forward for a senate position, but was turned down by the prime minister because women were not official people. But in the early 1900s, Emily succeeded in helping women to be officially seen as people. In 1933, Emily died at the age of 65.

Emily (center) along with the Famous Five.

I chose Emily Murphy as my hero because, like her, I do not think women get the respect we deserve. In her own way, she showed us and preached to us that women are just as good as men. This woman accomplished so much and inspired so many. I think she deserved the title of not only a hero, but a respectable person for history and a great role model for young girls. Emily used to say, “Everything is pushed, nothing ever happened by chance." After 12 years of pushing, she finally got the senate to accept women as respectable people.