Lady of Liberty

    In the 19th century, women in America were not allowed to vote. This made many women angry. So, they held street meetings and heckled political speakers. Many of the women were put in jail. These women were called “suffragettes.” They were a very angry and active group of women.

   Then, in 1886, the biggest woman in the world came to America. She was 151 feet (46 meters) tall and weighed 225 tons. She was a gift from France. You can see her today on Bedloe’s Island in New York. She is the Statue of Liberty. The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of freedom and equality. The statue was unveiled on October 26th, 1886. That day, President Cleveland gave a speech to thousands of men on Bedloe’s Island. Except for the Statue of Liberty, women were not allowed to attend.

     So, the suffragettes circled Bedloe’s Island in a boat and heckled the president with megaphones. They shouted at the group of men, “If Liberty got off her pedestal, she would not be allowed to vote in France or America!”

     Finally, American women were allowed to vote in 1920. In France, women began voting after World War II in 1945.