The Greatest Briton is Emmeline Pankhurst

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The Greatest Briton is Emmeline Pankhurst

In a quest for the greatest Briton it is difficult to know where to

start. Many people are considered to be great in today's world;

doctors, scientists, authors, inventors, celebrities and many others,

but what is the meaning of great? Two definitions in the dictionary

are applicable in this situation: Of exceptional talents or

achievement and arising from or possessing idealism in thought, mind

etc. There are many Britons who could meet this qualification, but we

have selected the only Briton for whom this could have been written as

a summary of her life. She strived all the way through her being to

achieve her ideal of a fair world. She devoted her mind, heart, body

and soul to her goal and never gave in. She possessed the exact

qualities of greatness. Our greatest Briton is Emmeline Pankhurst.

This name, to many of you, may not be as familiar as those of many of

the other candidates nominated today, however, this is only because

Emmeline's great achievement is taken for granted, but this is only as

a result of its own successes. She fought for gender equality which

today is much more of a lesser issue, and it is often forgotten that

less than one hundred years ago only a small proportion of the country

could vote.

Ever since the Ancient Greeks had the first democracy all women had

been exempt from the vote. Females all throughout history have been

discriminated against. Think of religious leaders, such as Jesus and

Buddha. How many of these are female? Who opened Pandora's box and let

evil into the world?

There are more examples of this, but this is what Emmeline had to

fight.

Emmeline first noticed that she was considered inferior to males when

her education was being discussed. In her autobiography she observes

that her brothers education was a big issue, whereas hers was barely

discussed. This belief was later confirmed by her father who, although

he supported women's rights, stood over her bed one night and said,

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