Diary Entry: Harriot Stanton Blatch

July 19,1848
My mom is acting very weird lately. She's going out really late these days. Today, she came home really late. Yesterday she said she's meeting her friends. I wanted to stay with my mom at home so I asked her if she's going to be home tomorrow (which is today). She said yes. I was really excited. But tonight she came home really really late. Dad got mad at her. He said, "Aren't you a woman? Why aren't you working right now? Why are you so late? There are a lot of dishes so go wash it now?" and he went to his room and slammed the door. So I came upstairs to my room.

July 20,1848
Today I found out that my mom is doing things for the women's suffrage again. What's the point? I just don't get it. What's the big deal of women voting? Seriously. I really don't get it. My dad doesn't like the fact that women's should get their right to vote. Few weeks ago, my dad told her that if she ever does things for the women's suffrage, he wouldn’t forgive her. So I thought she isn't going to do those things anymore. So I was really relieved. But when I found that she still doing the "women voting" things, it was really uncomfortable. But my dad forgave her this time. He said if he finds out she does these things again, he’d never forgive her.

July 21, 1848
It's so embarrassing. Our neighbors found out that my mom had been helping the women's suffrage. So when I walk around the blocks, they stare at me like I am a poor person wandering around. When I met my friend on the end of the block and said "Hi" she acted like she didn't know me and told me that her parents said not to play with her anymore and she walked away. I was so mad at my mom. I am not talking to her and she acts like she didn't do anything. That made me madder. I am NEVER going to TALK to her anymore.

July22, 1848
Today at school, this guy asked me out. I wanted to go out with him but I said,” I’ll think about it," and never said anything back. I'm planning to tell him ok tomorrow. I'm so excited. Secretly, I like him too. I promised my mom when somebody asks me out, she'll be the first one to tell. But, I'm still mad and I don't want to tell her.

July23, 1848
I told him that I would like to go out with him with a smile on my face. But he looked at me and looked down at his feet. So I asked him why he's doing that when he has to be happy that I said I would go out with him. He said their parents said he couldn’t take me out because my mom is a suffragist. So right after school ended, I ran home and started yelling at my mom. "Because of you, I can't go with this guy that asked me out! I hate you! What's wrong with you! I just don't get it what's so good if women can vote? It's just a ballot!" She acted like she didn't hear me. So I ran up stairs and started crying.

July24 ,1848
I am still mad at my mom.

July30, 1848
My dad found out that she's still helping the women's suffrage. He got really mad and he started beating her up. When I saw her getting beat up by my dad, I started to feel bad for her and started to become sorry that I was mad at her and yelled at her. So when my dad was beating her up I started to yell at my father. "What's your problem? Why can't she do anything for the women's suffrage? Why can't women vote? They are the same human as men. Why can't they? Also is she your wife or a maid? You guys are married and got me. Why do you treat mom like a maid of the house? It's so unfair that only women has to work in the house and men don't." Then my dad stopped. Then he went into his room. I saw bruises on my mom's body. I felt so bad. I told my mom that I’d start helping her and support her to do more things for the women's suffrage. She smiled at me and said sorry for all the problems that happened. We spent out whole time crying.