Introduction
As one of the proponents of the women's suffrage movement in Great Britain, Fawcett pushed for legislative changes to allow women to have the right to vote. In her appeal to Parliament, she addresses the idea of women as more valuable to society than interpreted by men. In her many examples of the competence of women, she notes that women in that time period (1889) have had more influence on society than acknowledged by men; women taught health, safety and basic education in their travels abroad, and have been instrumental in the election process by rallying voters together for a particular candidate. In her request for more rights, she describes women's experiences in other countries and describes her perception of their treatment. The men in power were concerned with England's perception as a world power. By stressing women's importance to imperialism and the perception of Great Britain as one of the truly great nations, Fawcett argued that women deserved more rights to solidify England's place globally.
Statement of Argument:
Imperialism empowered women to make advances with respect to women's suffrage as a result of the global comparisons of women that resulted.
