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Women and the Election of 1860; by Dagan Abraham and Michael Sinicropi

Video Project Script
Teacher: People often speculate whether women had an influential role in politics prior to the nineteenth amendment.

Farmer: The answer is yes. While women may not have been able to directly impact the election at the time. They were certainly able to impact the decisions of their spouses.

Housewife: Women certainly hold the power of influence over men within a household.

Jim: I certainly wouldn’t want my wife unhappy with my voting preference.

Housewife: Very funny Jim, but in reality women impact public opinion in a number of ways, however lets get back to politics.

James Monroe: Good Evening, James Monroe here for the Democratic-Republican party. I’d like to take a minute of your time and discuss the female role in my upcoming election versus Rufus King.

James Monroe (Cont.): As a member of the Democratic-Republican party I fully believe that women deserve to have their opinions heard in regards to political partisanship.

James Monroe (Cont.): However, my opponent Rufus King, a federalist believes that the power to vote should remain with proprietary males, an ideal that I see as closed minded and ignorant.

James Monroe (Cont.): The Federalists see female involvement in the election as irrelevant; and my party’s appeal to female involvement even more so. But I strongly believe that the influence of women will prove to be the deciding factor in this election.

James Monroe (Cont.): Ultimately, accepting the entire household’s opinion rather than just the patriarch’s helps to strengthen both our nation and the very ideals of democracy.

James Monroe (Cont.): With both male and female support I believe the Democratic-Republican party will prove to be the victor in the upcoming election. Thank you for your time.