11.04.08
Don’t ‘Suffrage’ in Silence!
In case you missed it … today’s a bit special … and so in honor of the day, let’s look at this strange word for the right to vote: SUFFRAGE.
Yes, it’s a special ELECTION DAY EDITION of Figuratively Speaking.
Suffrage, in addition to referring to the freedom to participate in political elections, also means a series of intercessory prayers or petitions. Intercession means to intervene on behalf of someone.
The origin of the word is found in this meaning. The late Middle English word also implies this intercession, or assistance, from the Latin word suffragium, reinforced by the french suffrage. the modern sense of right to vote was originally American, dating from the late 18th century. Which is, by the way, when the first woman in the United States voted: In 1756, Lydia Chapin Taft claimed the right to vote from the colony of Massachusettes. All women formally claimed this right in the 19th amendment to the United States Constitution in 1920.
The National Voting Rights Act of 1965 restored suffrage to African Americans, who had largely been forced out of elections by corrupt local elections actions, which forced them to pass tests, or clear other arbitrary barriers intended to keep them out. These are the same kind of favoritism-politics that even today keep people down, prevent right actions in city governments and result in illegal, corrupt behavior by government.
So if you haven’t already … I did it early … head to the polls and change the world.
