Emily Murphy was a Canadian women's rights activist born in 1868 who became the first woman magistrate in Canada and the British Empire in 1916. She fought for women's rights by pressuring the Alberta government to allow women to retain land rights through the 1911 Dower Act. Along with four other women known as the "Famous Five," she took a case to the Supreme Court of Canada that established that women were considered "persons" under Canadian law. While she made important contributions to feminism, her legacy is disputed due to her nativist views and support for compulsory sterilization policies of the time.

1. Emily Murphy Student: Minkwan Son Civics Class Teacher: Brian

2. Who is Emily Murphy? She born in March 14, 1868 and died in October 17, 1933. She was a member of the Canadian Women’s Rights Activist. She became the first woman magistrate in Canada, and in the British Empire in 1916.

3. What did she for human equality? Emily Murphy fought for women’s rights. - There was no rights and respect for women, because people thought women can’t do anything without house work. Therefore women wanted to find their rights and respect, so they made group of five. The group of five worked to against drugs and launched the persons case. Dower Act - Murphy began to pressure the Alberta government to allow women to retain the rights of their land. In 1911, Murphy successfully persuaded the Alberta legislature to pass the Dower Act that would allow a woman legal rights to one third of her husband’s property. Murphy’s reputation as a women’s rights activist was established by this first political victory.

4. Drugs Murphy’s concern with drugs began when she started coming into disproportionate contact with Chinese people in her courtroom because they were over represented in the criminal justice system. Murphy was also given a tour of opium dens in Vancouver’s Chinatown by local police detectives. Vancouver at the time was in the midst of a moral panic over drugs that was part of the anti-Oriental campaign that precipitated the Chinese Immigration Act of 1923 Canadian drug historian Catherine Carstairs has argued that Murphy’s importance regarding drug policy has been “overstated” because she did not have an impact on the drug panic in Vancouver

5. Legacy - Her legacy is disputed, with her important contributions to feminism being weighed against her nativist views. In addition to being against immigration, she was a strong supporter of Alberta's legislation for the Sexual Sterilization of the Insane at a time when compulsory sterilisation was practiced in some North American jurisdictions. However, it has been argued that that those in the vanguard make mistakes; Murphy's views were a product of her times, and this should not vitiate her activism on behalf of Canadian women.