Preston Salazar

At exactly 18 years old, my aunt was the first woman ever in my family to vote in the United States. My grandparents had immigrated to the United States without a citizenship status thus were not allowed to vote at all and so, being the first to vote in the family was a huge deal for my aunt. During the time she voted, there wasn't a women's movement for voting rights going on but there was a war going on. 

During 2005, the Iraq War was going on in the United States so voting for our states' representatives and other important figures was very important. There was no presidential election at the time so all she could vote for were people who could help our state. My aunt saw it as an opportunity to voice her opinion by going to the ballot box and choosing who she thought was going to steer not only this state but this whole country into the right direction. Her story isn't about how she gained her right to vote but what she did with that right to vote in order to help our country.
 
As of this moment, we are not (thankfully) in a huge war as we were back in 2005 so the people that we vote for are more about what they can do for the people and what they can do for their rights rather than what they can do to protect this country from the major threats going on right now. But in the 2000s (2003-2011) they had gained a lot more attention than usual since a lot more was at stake during that time. The fact that my aunt was able to be a part of the major decision in choosing which people would be the ones to help us is amazing to me and she will always be a hero in my eyes for her role in keeping our country safe.

Sojourner Truth is an abolitionist and a feminist who went around the country and spoke out against slavery. Originally named Isabella Baumfree, Truth was born in Rifton, New York and was later sold into slavery at only nine years old. She then, in 1826, decided to escape from slavery with her infant child claiming that a spirit had called her and told her that she had to leave and preach the truth which led to her renaming herself “Sojourner Truth.”  After escaping she would move to a new city and practiced in religious revivals which developed her charismatic speaking voice that hit everyone's emotions. She started giving her speeches about abolishing slavery and equal rights for women across the nation. One of her most famous speeches being “Ain't I A Woman?” which was an improvised speech about freeing the slaves and giving women more rights. She would not only preach about these subjects alone, she would also go around and fight for other topics such as prison reform.

The Union's purpose for fighting in the war was to beat the Confederates and abolish slavery for good and for this to happen they needed more troops to fight in the war. During the Civil War, Sojourner would help by convincing black men to join the war and help fight for their rights as people. Once the war was over, the Union had won and Sojourner Truth was recognized for all the effort that she put in recruiting people for the war. She was even invited to the White House in order to assist the Freedmen's Bureau by helping the now freed slaves with making a living. She would help find them new homes to live in and also get them a job in order to help provide for their families.

After all of this, Sojourner would then write her autobiography talking about her achievements and experiences through the Civil War. The book became extremely famous and Truth was able to live off the profits she made off of it. The book really attracted national attention towards all of her good deeds. In fact, she was even given the opportunity to meet some of the other suffragists such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

Sojourner is and will forever be known for leaving one of the most monumental marks on US history. Her passion for equal rights for all combined with her amazing charismatic speaking ability helped spread the idea that slavery was cruel and women should be equal to men. Without Truth, we may not have even progressed as far as we have today. Her speech “Ain't I A Woman?” touched many hearts and made people realize the damage that they had done with slavery. Plus she also supported the US army by bringing in troops and supplies for them that would eventually help win the war for the Union. In her final years she held lectures about rights for blacks and women but due to occurring health problems she had to retire, and she died on November 26, 1883.

Everyone should have the opportunity to vote for whom they think should run their country, state, and city. No one should be excluded from this monumental decision. The right to vote is an amazing privilege that everyone should be able to have as an option. If a group of people are excluded from having voice in our government is it really the people's choice or is it just certain people's choice? In order to make decisions for our country we must include everybody and not silence anyone's voice as they did back in the 1800s with women and African-Americans. I have so much respect for the women who fought so hard to earn their right in order to play a role in their country. These women worked hard day in and day out just to have a voice in our government when they should have gotten it on day one! I admire their commitment to gaining gender equality in the United States. Although my aunt may have not been around for this movement for equality, she is still an amazing person for exercising the right that previous women before her have fought with all of their hearts for. 

Whether it be for something as small as electing a mayor or something big as choosing the next United States President, everyone should be able to speak for themselves and should be heard.