Drafting for Expos Essay

Outline: - Introduction - Who was Esther Hobart Morris? - Mother of Women’s Suffrage - Justice Morris - Past Portrayals - “Womanizing the West” - Herbert’s Claims - Recent Portrayals - Larson’s Recasting - Impactful Evidence - A Lasting Legacy - Does the Truth matter? - Concluding thoughts Sidebars: - monuments/statue - about the author sidebar - timeline sidebar Studio Coe InDesign Use a powerpoint to build the format? (just flip vertically) Sans Serif fonts only 12 Unified color schemes Keep the same header (Inside English 1010) Page numbering ______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________ The Mother of women's suffrage, Justice, and “shrew” (Morris 53) are a few titles that have become associated with historical icon, Esther Hobart Morris. Author Katy Morris examines the life of the suffragette and the historical commentary that would follow her name for decades to come in the online journal entry, “More reputation than she deserves’: Remembering Suffrage in Wyoming” (2017). K. Morris takes historical accounts from Justice Morris herself, politicians at the time, and historical critics to build a comprehensive history of women’s suffrage in Wyoming. Who was Esther Hobart Morris? Mother of Women’s Suffrage “This is how the story goes. It was the fall of 1869 in the gold mining outpost of South Pass City … While women back East had been campaigning tirelessly for the vote, she would be the one to succeed in the enfranchisement of women. Towering at six feet tall and with the weathered face of a pioneer, Esther Hobart Morris set in motion a plan to bring suffrage to Wyoming” (Morris 48). In South Pass City nearly 150 years ago, Justice Morris would lead Wyoming to become not only the first state, but the first place in the world to grant women full enfranchisement. She struggled against the ________, “______________” (Morris __) and those who only wanted suffrage for statehood, “No one wanted to give women power - they were simply more warm bodies” (Morris 49) to grant women the right. In the author’s entry, Justice Morris’s role in women’s history are put into question, examined and torn apart by historians years in the future, but her contributions and Tea Party are well known. The Tea Party refers to meetings that Morris hosted in her home in which she met with politicians to discuss the women’s vote: “ … Morris and Bright [a prominent leader in the Wyoming territorial Legislature] discoursed and discussed the limited rights of women in civil affairs, Mrs. Morris usually being the brilliant leader of the conversation … Morris gave Bright the final courage to carry into action his convictions” (Morris 55). This information included in the ‘How Woman Suffrage Came to Wyoming’ pamphlet published in 1882 confirms the notion that Esther Morris was the main perpetrator in gaining the women’s vote. Justice Morris In 1891 theWyoming Commonwealthmade an observation about Justice Morris’ office: “ … since’ Esther Morris administered successfully the office of Justice of the Peace, among the mountains of South Pass, the minds of the people have dealt with the idea of women's mental and political equality” (Morris 59). In South Pass City, Justice Morris was known as a strong character and an individual who was an inspiration for change (Morris 59). Past Portrayals Historical commentaries that are created about Esther Morris are often polar opposites, one category praising her and the other claiming that she has received more credit than she deserves and often demean her through superficial attacks. “Womanizing the West” Herbert’s Claims Recent Portrayals Larson’s Recasting “Over and over again Larson concluded that Morris simply could not have influenced a man because of her appearance. He consistently included Morris’s age, weight, and ‘mannish’ appearance to bolster his argument and diminish her legacy” (Morris 52). Impactful Evidence About the letter and evidence that supports Morris as a suffragist A Lasting Legacy Does the Truth matter? ___________________________________“ … what ‘happened’ is not really what matters. Maybe Morris did collaborate with Bright to pass suffrage - I certainly believe that she did - but maybe not. Regardless, Wyomingites celebrated her as an independent frontier woman … the significance of this story lies in the collective memory that reverberated over the following century …” (Morris 63). __________________________________________________________________ Sidebar Ideas: Cast in Stone “She has no idea that she will serve as the first female justice of the peace in the new territory, that a century later statues of her will be erected around the state, that she will be hailed as the mother of women’s suffrage, and that historians will fight bitterly over her place in history … and [I] will struggle to explain why her story matters” (Morris 61). In the United States Capital, Justice Morris stands immortalized next to other suffragists for her devotion to women’s suffrage and equality, her legacy extending to United States leaders and millions of tourists annually. Add a photo of her statue in the capital About the Author Cover photo or something under the title (below)