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The life of Aletta Henriëtte Jacobs
Aletta Jacobs is the woman that changed the reputation of the Netherlands. Aletta Jacobs was the first woman in the Netherlands who visited a secondary school, the first woman that followed a university education. She was the first woman doctor, and for a quarter of a century she was at the head of the association of women's suffrage in the Netherlands.

Personal life
Aletta Henriëtte Jacobs was born as the eight child of a doctor in Sappemeer (Groningen). She was born on the 9th of February in 1854. Her parents were called Anna de Jongh and Abraham Jacobs. Aletta came from a Jewish family. Just like her father she wanted to become a physician, but after elementary school she realized that this was not an option for a girl. Despite of the poverty in their family, Abraham Jacobs gave every child the change to study. Her empty existence made her very depressed around the age of fourteen that she wanted to be dead. Aletta wrote allot of books in her life. There are also a few books written about her.

Marriage and love life of Aletta Jacobs
Aletta had enemies but also friends, one of them was Carel Victor Gerritsen. Gerritsen was a social man who helped and admired Aletta. Together they went through a lot of things as friends, shared their lifes and fell in love. In 1892 Aletta married with the radical politic Carel Victor Gerritsen. They married finally because they wanted children, and without married parents the children would be illegal. During the ceremony Aletta had to, like every woman in this time, she had to accomplish the promise of obedience to her husband. She did this after she protested. The couple got one child that died on the day it was born. Aletta gave the blame to the doctors.

Admission to the university
Instead of waiting to test, Aletta Jacobs wrote in the beginning of 1871, beyond anyone’s knowledge a letter to Thorbecke (he is the first minister). In the letter she asked him to give her permission for the admission exam of the university. And for the permission to let her be a student on the Groningse hogeschool. After Thorbecke consumed her dad, thorbeck decided that she could be a student on the school. By the time she passed the first exam dispensation could be granted. Now her faith helped her. The new that thorbecke would very ill, brought her father to ask Thorbecke for a definitive decision. A few day after his death the message received the family Jacobs on may the 30th in 1872. Which said that she could be an official student on the Rijks university of Groningen.

First female doctor in the Netherlands
On April the 3rd 1878 Aletta finished studying, with that she was the first female doctor in the Netherlands. After this she decided to go on for her promotion. She got her promotion in 1889 with her essay about localization physiological and pathological phenomena in the big brain. After this she moved to London because have a internship in the hospital. Something that was not possible in the Netherlands. In London she came in contact with a group of female doctors of the London school of medicine for women.

Women’s suffrage
In 1882 women were not yet ruled out of voting right, but Aletta Jacobs’ request to the town council of Amsterdam to put her on the voting list. But her request was refused. 20 years of demonstrating :

•        1878 : the new constitution said that only men of the Netherlands could vote and could be chosen.

•        1894 : The establishment of the association for women suffrage.

•        1895 : Aletta became president of the department of Amsterdam’s women suffrage.

•        1896 : Aletta became president of the national government.

•        1911/1912 : Aletta makes propaganda world journey with Carrie Chapman Catt.

•        1916 : big women demonstration in The Hague.

Three times victory :
•        1917 : the constitution was adapted so women could vote.

•        1919 : the constitution was adapted so women could got the same politic rights as men.

•        1922 : the first time that women could vote.

More about the world journey
In 1911 and 1912 Aletta Jacobs and Carrie Chapman traveled around the world, also to stimulate the women suffrage in the rest of the world. To learn more about the situation of women. The voyage lasted for about a year and got them through Africa, Asia and Russia and Europe. They travelled with a boat and by train. Plaines were not available yet for travelers like today.

England : On the 8th of march 1879, Aletta got her doctor certificate. After that she went on a trip to England. This trip was meant to find rest but also for study reasons.

North America : Knowing her man was sick, decided Aletta to make voyage through North America in 1904. Even before they left, Aletta was honored because it was already 25 years ago that Aletta became a doctor. She got letters from old patients and in newspapers where articals about their National Hero. In America she also got a lot of attention, but these were visits to meetings and institutions on social and politic area. Further more Aletta and her husband visited prisons and miningcamps and they enjoyed the culture and the nature.

Austria and Hungary : On the first congress of the world federation for women suffrage in 1906, the American President (of women suffrage) Carry Chapman Catt and Aletta were delegated to Austria and Hungary. There they would help the women with their hardest battle for the women suffrage. They held readings for different audience, spoke on afternoon-teas, gave interviews to magezines and newspapers.

Italy : The Congress of the International Council of Women was hold in 1914 in Rome, Aletta and Anna Howard Shaw were there. Together they went to the close by island Capri to relax.

Facts
•        When Aletta Jacobs was on the university the newspapers wrote ugly things about her. Her parents and her siblings were also bullied because aletta studied. One brother really didn’t like this, so he didn’t wanted to see his sister anymore. Later everything was alright.

•        Some men believed that Aletta Jacobs would change in a shemale.

•        Aletta Jacobs has ensured that shop girls could sit sometimes at work. They weren’t allowed to sit at work before.

•        Aletta Jacobs believed that if women could vote, they would be more involved in the politics, and there would be less wars.

•        Some clergymen that were against anti-conception sended their wives secretly to doctor Aletta Jacobs to get the anti-conception.

•        In her life Aletta Jacobs has got a lot of letters were she was threatened and humiliated.