Florence Kelley Rhetorical Analysis

Florence Kelley, a United States reformer, delivered a speech to the convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association in Philadelphia, in which she emphasizes through the use of rhetoric that lack of women suffrage is part of the reason many states don't incorporate child labor restrictions and that people must come together in order to persuade states to incorporate these restrictions all in order to persuade the convention to fight for child labor laws.

   Kelley uses both personification and rhetorical questions to support the idea that lack of voting rights, namely women's voting rights, and lack of state government support are part of the reason child labor restrictions do not exist in many states' laws. At the time, women still did not have the right to vote, and since many of these women were "mothers and  . . . teachers", including their vote would likely lead to "the Goergia Legislature  . . . to stop the work in the mills of children under twelve"(Kelley 8). Kelley portrays this idea as a rhetorical question in order to invoke a sense of guilt in those that agree with the lack of child labor laws by emphasizing that mothers and women in general wouldn't be voting for these laws. Also, many women may be inspired to take action to fight for their suffrage so that they can express their opinions as well, which eventually would coincide with Kelley's hopes to fight for child labor restrictions. Even New Jersey "took a long backward step" by repealing a law where "women and children . . . stop work at six at night" showing that states were prioritizing their gain over the safety of children. Kelley uses personification by comparing New Jerseys actions to a backwards step so that the audience understands that states are purposefully taking steps to support child labor rather than taking steps to end child labor. This could leadto the members of the convention realizing that the states have no care for the effects of child labor and could encourage them to push for child labor restrictions.

   Kelley uses inclusive language and hyperbole to convey that people must come together to fight against child labor supporters and incorporate ways for states to employ more adults rather than children. The members of the convention agree that "[they] do not wish"  for child labor to continue and "they can enlist the workingmen" instead, showing that the people are willing to come together to make efforts to incorporate child labor restrictions in state governments. The use of inclusive language makes the members of the convention feel a sense of unity and togetherness, further influencing them to fight against the child labor system that was in place. Many labor organizations had come together to fight against child labor, to the point where "[n]o labor organization in this country ever fails to" support the removal of the child labor system. Kelley uses hyperbole in order to make the members of the convention realize that they weren't the only ones ready to support the cause and they actually had backing from labor organizations and people from across the country further increasing their desire to try to incorporate child labor regulations in state governments.

   Through Florence Kelley's use of rhetoric, she inspired the convention of the National American Women Suffrage Association to listen to her ideas and hopefully support her cause.