Impact of Women: Nellie McClung Story.
/Women’s history is super important when it comes to Canada. So many empowering women have influenced our lives and the rules we follow. One of the most influential people is Nellie McClung. She helped pave the way for many impressive women and men. We have known many important and encouraging women but none are like our hero McClung.
Who Is Nellie McClung?
According to The Canadian Encyclopedia, McClung was born Oct.20th.1873 in Chatsworth, Ontario. She was a women’s rights activist, legislator and an author who is best known for her involvement in the Persons case. This woman was a prairie woman who used her talents, determination and energy to bring about change in our lives.
Early Life and Career
Her family moved from Chatsworth and instead was raised on a homestead in Souris Valley, Manitoba. Unlike most of us, she did not attend school until she was 10. Instead of going to school full time, She received a teaching certificate at 16 and then taught school. She then married Robert Wesley McClung in 1896.
In Manitou, Manitoba, her husband was a druggist, Nellie became prominent in the “Woman’s Christian Temperance Union” of which her mother-in-law was provincial president. In 1908, McClung then published her first novel which was called “Sowing Seeds in Danny”. This novel was a witty portrayal of a small western town. It was a national best seller and was followed by numerous short stories and articles in magazines
Activism and Politics
The Nellie Foundation stated that in 1911, McClung’s and their five children moved to Winnipeg which is where the “Winnipeg Women’s Rights and Reform Movement” welcomed her as an effective speaker who won audiences over with humorous arguments. She played a leading role in the 1914 Liberal Campaign against Sir Rodmond Roblin Conservative Government. This government had refused women suffrage but moved to Edmonton before the liberals won in Manitoba in 1915.
In Alberta, she continued to fight for women’s rights. She gained wide prominence from addresses in Britain at the Methodist Ecumenical Conference and elsewhere in 1921 and from tours throughout Canada and the United States. She was a Liberal MLA for Edmonton also from 1921-26.
The Canadian Encyclopedia said that McClung was also known as one of the “Famous 5” a group that was filled with 5 activists. These activists petitioned the Supreme Court to have women declared “qualified persons” who were eligible for public office as senators. Even though, the court decided against this group in 1928, the British Privy Council overturned the decision the following year and officially declared women as “persons”.
Later Life
She then was appointed the only woman for CBC in 1932 according to “The Nellie McClung Foundation”. She remained a human right’s advocate throughout her decades in public life. She urged the government of British Columbia to extend the vote to Japanese Canadians in the 1930s, then petitioned the Canadian Government to open it’s doors to Jewish refugees in late 1930s and early 1940s. She often wrote about the need for equal pay for equal work.
Nellie was a force to be reckoned with and paved the way for so many laws and rights. She helped women become something other then what the law was classifying them as. She made them become more than property. She helped make women one of the most driving forces in the world. She was a national hero until her death in 1951. McClung paved the way, and many people will be forever grateful for the work she put in to make women’s rights a reality.
Hi I’m Zoe Farmer. I am a 20 year old, second year Professional Writing student at Algonquin College. I normally spend my time watching movies and listening to podcasts. I write horror stories mixed with a little sprinkle of romance. I want to direct and make my own stories into movies like James Cameron.
