Ricardo Garcia

García Early College High School | Laredo, TX | 10th Grade

Inspirational Family Member
My Sister

August 18, 1920 was a memorable date because since then women have had the right to vote. Women have always been treated as inferior, and the truth is that their treatment has been unjust and senseless. Again however, about a century ago American women could vote.
 
In my close family, my sister is the next front runner to exercise her right to vote. Her name is Lucia Garcia, and she was born on June 20, 2008. Her mother, Guadalupe Garcia was born in Mexico, and her father, born in the US gave her the opportunity to vote since she was born in the United States. She believes it is fascinating to see a girl like her up on the big leagues and being able to lead. Although she is young and unable to vote now, she certainly is excited to be given the chance to make a difference. Especially when learning about history in school seeing how men for the most part are the leaders, yet in the present day she likes seeing a change in who takes the lead.
 
The same year she was born, Hillary Rodham Clinton ran for the presidency. However she withdrew when it was evident that Barack Obama had the majority vote. Eight years later, Clinton would run again only to become the presidential nominee for the Democratic Party. Telling her about it was drastic and history-making. As she was growing up, she was able to see the impact that the 19th amendment made that was ratified almost 100 years ago. Personally, when this was happening, I was not aware of what it meant, but when I started thinking about my sister, I realized that what was happening was pivotal and major. Nevertheless, in her short life she has seen major changes that happen when women vote, and the reality is that as time passes more women will vote making a better tomorrow.

Historical Figure I Admire
Jane Addams

Jane Addams was born on September 6, 1860 in Cedarville, Illinois. She was the daughter of John Huy Addams, a businessman and Republican politician, and Sarah Weber Addams. She was the youngest of her five siblings, and her mother died when she was only 2 years old.

Her father later married, however he was an important influence on her. Teaching her principles of religion, liberalism, and republicanism about rights and responsibilities. He also worked as a state senator and was a supporter of Abraham Lincoln.

Jane Addams was part of the first generation of women to go to college. She attended the Rockford Female Seminary. She was outstanding and rapidly became a well-known leader. When she graduated in 1881, she planned to go to medical school, but realized that it was not meant for her. That same year her father passed away and consequently it broke her down. Progressively, she went on a long phase of soul searching stripped along with health issues. 

At this point Addams traveled to Europe, and during her second trip, she met Arnold Toynbee and visited Toynbee Hall who allowed young men to better the lives of poor Londoners. During the time she met Toynbee, she conceived of a plan to start a similar settlement in the United States. She quickly rallied Ellen Gates Starr to her cause. Starr momentarily went to Rockford with Addams, so they had a mutual understanding of the power a woman should have. They opened the Hull-House venue in 1889 on the west side of Chicago; they began with limited resources and supporters, however they still had the desire to help. Their reputation and supporters grew with the help of other women's organizations in the city. More women and even men from different parts of the country started to join the social cause.
 
With Addams as leader, the Hull-House developed a public bathhouse, made a campaign to collect garbage, initiated a kindergarten, and created a playground in the city as well as helped with whatever the community needed. In the beginning, the Hull-House building was limited to two floors, but as the social cause grew, the settlement later became a full city block. Moreover, Addams encountered an opposing force with people classifying her work as plain charity work. However, she further explained to the public the ideas and motives behind the charity work her establishment served.

 
She was an efficient activist and better organizer, but she also had a different interest in social theory. Since a young age she read about this phenomenon, and in her college, she dived deeper into Greek philosophy and the social theory of the Romantics. Fast forwarding to the Hull-House, she caught the attention of men who encouraged her to develop public philosophy in philosophical pragmatism. While in Hull-House Addams wrote or co-wrote a few books and more than 500 articles. The articles came out in both school and popular newspapers that made her both a philosopher and social leader. She also traveled nationally and internationally to give speeches and presentations that helped her cause. Public and private polls showed that Addams became a sensation in the United States. She assisted in the start of American Civil Liberties Union and organized the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. Her extraordinary work in support of peace allowed Addams to receive the 1931 Nobel Peace prize. Unfortunately, on May 21, 1935, she died of cancer at the age of 74.

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What the Project Means to Me

Throughout this research I realized how hard it was for women to accomplish what they have today and being able to take it into action in such an extraordinary way. It is sad and hard to swallow the fact that it wasn't always this way, but in that reality, it is evident that women are now changing the world in major ways. Women like my sister, that are young and enthusiastic about exercising their centennial right.
 
Additionally, the impact that they are making is not temporary, it is atemporal. Future generations of women will continue to make a difference like their predecessors. That is why it is important to remind our young to keep on voting. Federal, state, and local opportunities to vote should be taken seriously and be given our attention if we want to be represented. Ways that we can do that is through our family. Reminding each other of the importance of voting, so every time a ballot is open, we know we have to research and give our best in the vote. Together will be the only way to preserve our rights specifically women that can now be stronger than ever before.

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