1914-1929: The Famous Five

“Why were men considered to be people? Why not women?”

Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Louise McKinney and Irene Parlby were all part of the Famous Five and all from Alberta. These women were all suffragists fighting against the Person’s Case, trying to win the rights they deserve. They were the first women to ask the Supreme Court if women were related to the said “person’s” mentioned in the Person’s Case. In 1928, after a petition was created and sent around by the Famous Five to ask this question, the Supreme Court made a unanimous decision claiming that they were not a part of the person’s stated in the Person’s Case. Together, the Famous Five formed an “unstoppable force” that changed the life of women in Canada and all Commonwealth countries. These women wanted to come together and fight for the rights they deserved because they were tired of having men be prejudice towards them and look down on them just because they allegedly couldn’t do the jobs men do. Without these women, who know what would have happened with the rights of women in Canada. Would it have been what it was like back then? Would somebody else have stepped up and fought for the women rights?

The Famous Five have contributed to making the women’s march to equality the most important theme of the twentieth century by showing the rest of the world that women in Canada will stand up for what they want. The Famous Five represent this because these five women stood up for what they wanted, women in Canada wanted to be considered “people” and so they took the case to highest court possible. These women did not stop until they got want they wanted. The Famous Five has defiantly inspired other women in Canada to stand up for what they believe in and to follow through with what they want.