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Download documents and transcripts

Teachers' notes

The purpose of this document collection is to make available to teachers and students a wide selection of documents relating to the suffragette movement. The sources include material from the Home Office, Metropolitan Police and prison files, the Women's Social and Political Union office (W.S.P.U.) which were used as exhibits in the trial of Emmeline Pankhurst and other leaders, including their correspondence and the Suffragette newspaper. We hope that such a collection will offer teachers the flexibility to develop their own approaches and questions and differentiate student tasks. All documents are provided with transcripts. Please note that in many cases we have displayed the whole document and highlighted the extract we have chosen to transcribe. These records support numerous lines enquiry on a range of significant themes. Here are some suggestions:

What tactics and types of protest were employed by the movement to draw attention to their cause? [sources covering: marches; attacks on pillar-boxes; response to imprisonment; hunger strikes; petitions; window smashing; marches; census boycott]

How successful was the Suffragette movement in terms of marketing its campaign? [Sources covering: membership; organisation; logos, banners; newspapers, posters, hand bills]

How did the government respond to the movement? [Sources including: prison records, legislation, police reports, newspaper articles]

What methods were used by the police to detect suffragette activities? [sources: surveillance, cameras, finger printing]

How did some politicians view the movement? [Sources on Asquith, Keir Hardy]

Why was it so important for the suffragettes to be viewed as political prisoners? [sources: photographs, prison document on treatment of prisoners, leaders' statements]

What personal stories of women involved in the movement are evident in these records? How do they explain women's motivation for becoming involved and the sacrifices they were prepared to make? [Sources: Annie Kenney, Lillian Ball, Mary Richardson, Sylvia Pankhurst, Christabel & Emily Pankhurst, Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence, May Billington, Lady Constance Lytton]

What was the degree of support for the movement amongst the public? Did it cross all classes? [Sources: working class female workers participation, middle class female supporters]

How did men support the movement? [Sources: letters from men, male protest, men's suffrage societies]

How successful was the WSPU by 1914?

Have any of the documents in this selection surprised you, or altered your original perception of the suffragette movement?

It is important that students recognise that the same document can serve as evidence for more than one line of enquiry. Encourage students to interpret the records, spot inferences and try and detect any unwitting testimony. Here are some general guidance questions to help them evaluate and understand documents. Teachers may wish to print these out and discuss with the students before looking at the material.

Key stage 5 teachers could break their class up into groups and ask students to feed back on the different documents and/or annotate them on a white board. Students can discuss their interpretations having analysed the sources. This could generate discussion about the nature of evidence and how it can be used to construct different interpretations of the past.

Key stage 1 & 3 teachers may prefer to work with selected documents or extracts from the collection and/or use the material for their own research. The material from the 'Illustrated London News' is highly accessible, in particular the source entitled: 'From pavement-chalking to arson, window-breaking and bombing: the progress of Militant Suffragism', 24 May 1913. This contains over 25 photographs and a chronology. Also 'the Women's Suffrage Pilgrimage map' which shows the extent of national protest and peaceful campaign methods is an interesting visual source. With this, we have made available, an interactive map with photographs to compliment it. Again the samples of suffragette 'message codes' used to conceal their activities are provided in this collection. Younger pupils could be tasked to write their own messages using the code words. Emily Davison is referred to in the Key Stage 1 curriculum. We provide a source describing how she hid overnight in Parliament.

The students' interpretations of the documents could be captured using a variety of approaches:

Write a chapter for designed for a school history text book

Create a brochure for an exhibition to commemorate the struggle for the vote

Write a report/newspaper feature on particular event

Hold a debate on the case for/against the different tactics used by suffragettes or debate police/authorities responses' to the campaign.

PowerPoint presentations on different aspects of the campaign

Create a short video documentary on a suffragette

podcasts

blogs

web pages

Create an annotated timeline of events based on the documents

Finally, students could compare how the suffragette movement has been analysed and described in a number of published history textbooks in light of these original documents. They could look at further primary documents provided in The National Archives education related resources on this webpage:

This film resources has several clips of archive footage on the suffragettes

View the animated film produced as result of The National Archives Film Project for

16-19 year olds in 2017.The students' work was inspired by some of the original documents available in this collection

Introduction

Christabel Pankhurst, twenty-three years-old, was impatient for change: 'the vote question must be settled. Mine was the third generation of women to claim the vote and the vote must now be obtained. To go on helplessly pleading was undignified. Strong and urgent demand was needed. Success must be hastened.'

On 10 th October 1903 the Women's Social and Political Union, a new organisation demanding Votes for Women, pushed its way noisily onto the women's suffrage scene. Until then the effort was led by Mrs Millicent Fawcett and her National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, a movement founded in the 1860s. At Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst's home in Manchester, the new Union announced its modernity with the three-word slogan: 'Deeds Not Words.' Mrs Pankhurst's eldest daughter Christabel became the strategist for the movement. The campaign was a response to the Great Reform Act of 1832, which had enfranchised only 'male persons' with property, excluding, by definition, all women.

The W.S.P.U. demonstrated their agitprop approach in the first of many militant protests: Christabel, and Annie Kenney, a mill girl from Oldham, chose a meeting held by Liberal politicians Winston Churchill and Sir Edward Grey, in Manchester on 13 th October 1905. As result of their noisy interruptions and persistent questions, they were ejected and continued to protest outside and were later sent to Strangeways Prison. Today we might now describe their actions as controversial, but at the time they were found deeply troubling and unfeminine. The slogan 'Deeds Not Words' had become a reality, and a precedent for their entire campaign.

This public disobedience earned the W.S.P.U. a derogatory nickname, 'Suffragettes,' coined by a 'Daily Mail ' reporter in January 1906. The 'Suffragettes' adopted the term and used it for their militant newspaper, 'The Suffragette', launched in the summer of 1912.

The W.S.P.U. moved to London in 1906, and opened a national headquarters at 4, Clement's Inn. Frederick and Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence funded the office accommodation in the early days. Emmeline's fundraising and Frederick's expertise as a barrister initiated a formidable campaign, which has never been seen before or since. By the end 1912, fifty-eight branches existed across the country recruiting women from all backgrounds and occupations. Membership lists were not kept in case of police raids on their premises. Donors listed in their weekly newspaper 'Votes for Women' showed that thousands of women supported the campaign financially and actively.

Nowadays we take marketing for granted, but it was first used politically by the W.S.P.U, who created their campaign as a brand. There were well-designed logos, stylish exhibitions, spectacular processions and meetings in London and the major cities. Special colours represented the movement, purple, white and green for freedom, purity, and hope respectively. Supporters wore the colours and they were used on badges, bicycles, chocolate bars, cakes, jewelry and even a motor-car.

Faced with determined opposition from many politicians, the press and the public (including women), Keir Hardie, M.P. (Independent Labour Party) was a good political friend to the women's suffrage campaigners. While Liberal politicians consistently voted in support of the Conciliation Bills to grant a measure of women's suffrage in 1910, 1911 and 1912, their wishes were crushed by the anti-women's suffrage Prime Minister Herbert Asquith and others who refused to steer a Bill through Parliament. The collapse of the 1912 Conciliation Bill was the trigger which propelled the W.S.P.U. into sanctioning extreme militancy which marked the final two years of the campaign until the outbreak of the First World War.

The two men's organizations which worked for votes for women were the Men's League for Women's Suffrage, founded in 1907, and the Men's Political Union for Women's Enfranchisement of 1910. Many men supported their wives, sisters and girlfriends, although most men did not. Those who did paid a heavy price for being 'sex traitors' and suffered violence whilst offering protection at public meetings, and lost their reputations or jobs.

Until the increased militancy of 1912 the moderate suffragists - the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies - and the militant suffragettes worked together. Members of both wore each-others' badges, and joined the same marches. They all handed out leaflets about enfranchisement of women, canvassed for the private members' bill and sold newspapers. Yet, these documents reveal that the suffragettes went further: they attempted to enter the House of Commons; heckled meetings; blew up pillar-boxes; smashed windows; burnt down empty buildings and attacked works of art.

By the summer of 1914 the positions of suffragettes and Liberal government were deeply entrenched: the W.S.P.U. was determined to force the government to give women the vote, and the establishment equally stubbornly refused to comply. Over a thousand British suffragettes had acquired a criminal record and many were imprisoned for demanding the vote. These records show that suffragettes were denied the status of political prisoners and treated as 'common criminals'. In protest many went on hunger-strike and were force fed with terrible consequences for their health. The W.S.P.U. awarded women who experienced this torture with 'For Valour' medals: 'in recognition of a gallant action, whereby through endurance to the last extremity of hunger and hardship, a great principle of political justice was vindicated.'

Dr. Diane Atkinson

'Rise Up Women! : The Remarkable Lives of the Suffragettes'(Published by Bloomsbury, February 2018)

External links
BBC archive of historic broadcast interviews with Suffragettes BBC News story article on the struggle for the vote Explore London School of Economics fascinating online collection on women's suffrage Some excellent resources from Parliament.uk to support political education

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Download documents and transcripts The purpose of this document collection is to make available to teachers and students a wide selection of documents relating to the suffragette movement. The sources include material from the Home Office, Metropolitan Police and prison files, the Women's Social and Political Union office (W.S.P.U.)

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Resources quick links

Description

This interactive timeline allows students to learn about key moments in the history of women's voting rights. It spans nearly 80 years from the rise of Emmeline Pankhurst's Women's Social and Political Union in 1903 to the first woman Prime Minister in 1979.
Time required: 30 minutes plus optional writing activity
Students can:

Follow an historical chronology of 10 significant moments from Suffragette history in the last 80 years as women campaigned for the vote and became political leaders

Watch short animations of the Suffragette 'Rush on Parliament' and the outbreak of the First World War

Create a project from a template of a newspaper article and add images and quotations collected from the timeline

Take part in a writing challenge to develop skills of interpreting evidence and understanding changes that take place over a period of time

Learning outcomes

All students should:

Learn how the suffrage movement campaigned for all women to be given the democratic right to vote, increasing their protests as Parliament blocked their campaign.

Follow an historical chronology and, using this, learn about key social and political events.

Be able to identify, explain and analyse social and political change for women from 1903 to 1979 using a range of historical sources, including images, animations, articles and trusted web links.

Most students could:

Understand broader social and political development of votes for women from the early suffrage movement to the first woman taking her seat in Parliament in 1919.

Consider the significance of events, people and developments of the suffrage movement in their historical context and in the present day.

Read longer authoritative articles as they travel through 20th century history.

For teachers, there are more detailed links to the curriculum.

Practical information

Houses of History requires Flash version 10 or later. You can download this free software and the latest version is: Flash plug-in (link opens in a new window).

Access the Help screen by clicking the button marked '?' at the top right of the resource.

The resource is best viewed with a fast internet connection due to the number of images and animations.

Resources

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Women and the Vote timeline - Houses of History

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This interactive timeline allows students to learn about key moments in the history of women's voting rights. It spans nearly 80 years from the rise of Emmeline Pankhurst's Women's Social and Political Union in 1903 to the first woman Prime Minister in 1979.

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Description

In the dramatic finale to this story, Suffragette Lady Constance Lytton endures the harsh treatment that many Suffragettes experienced in prison, as she transforms into a working class protestor.

Stories from Parliament is a series of audio dramas each telling a dramatic story from Parliament's past. Each episode is accompanied by specially commissioned illustrations and images from the Parliamentary art and archive collections that bring each story to life.

All images subject to copyright, click here for more information.

Time required: 8 minutes (with lesson plans: time variable)

Learning outcomes

Using the lesson plans, students will learn:

The use of emotive language, the ability to employ persuasive arguments and to empathise with people in different situations

A key grasp of the issues in their historical context

How to set out an appropriate letter, adjusted for the intended recipient

Using the assembly plan for 7-11 years, students will learn:

To explore the idea of fairness and relate this to the historic struggle to achieve votes for women

Using the assembly plan for 11-14 years, students will learn:

To explore the direct action taken during the Suffragette campaign of the early 20th century

Practical information

Resources are aimed at ages 7-14 in line with the English and Welsh National curriculum, the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence and the National Curriculum for Northern Ireland. They can be used separately or together in three easy steps:

1) Show episode as part of a school or class assembly
2) Use the Fact Files to discover more of the key information around the story
3) Choose one lesson plan activity to complete in class

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Votes for Women Part 2: Stories from Parliament

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In the dramatic finale to this story, Suffragette Lady Constance Lytton endures the harsh treatment that many Suffragettes experienced in prison, as she transforms into a working class protestor. Stories from Parliament is a series of audio dramas each telling a dramatic story from Parliament's past.

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Download documents and transcripts The purpose of this task is for students to explore a collection of documents relating to the suffragettes covering three themes: police methods suffragette tactics the government's response to the movement To make this more manageable, the documents are grouped into sets of three or four per theme.

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In 1903, the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU - the Suffragettes) was formed, led by Emmeline Pankhurst. It was run by Mrs Pankhurst and her daughter Christabel.

The Suffragettes believed in civil disobedience. They:

disrupted Parliament

chained themselves to railings

broke windows

burned down churches

held huge marches and demonstrations

attacked politicians

set post-boxes on fire

slashed paintings

went on hunger strike when arrested

Emily Davison threw herself under the king's horse in the 1913 Derby race. In 1913, Emmeline Pankhurst declared that the WSPU were 'guerrillists', who would destroy anything other than human life to get the vote.

The Suffragettes, however, had won the vote by 1914:

Many bills were presented to Parliament between 1900 and 1914, but they were all defeated.

In 1910, the Men's National League for Opposing Women's Franchise merged with the Women's National Anti-Suffrage League to form the National League for Opposing Women's Suffrage. It published the Anti-Suffrage Review, which said that women were not fit for government and that Suffragettes neglected their families.

In 1914, when the war broke out, Emmeline Pankhurst stopped the campaign and urged women to support the war instead.

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BBC Bitesize - KS3 History - The campaign for women's suffrage - Revision 4

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In 1903, the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU - the Suffragettes) was formed, led by Emmeline Pankhurst. It was run by Mrs Pankhurst and her daughter Christabel. The Suffragettes believed in civil disobedience.

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Resources quick links

Description

This interactive timeline allows students to learn about key moments in the history of women's voting rights. It spans nearly 80 years from the rise of Emmeline Pankhurst's Women's Social and Political Union in 1903 to the first woman Prime Minister in 1979.
Time required: 30 minutes plus optional writing activity
Students can:

Follow an historical chronology of 10 significant moments from Suffragette history in the last 80 years as women campaigned for the vote and became political leaders

Watch short animations of the Suffragette 'Rush on Parliament' and the outbreak of the First World War

Create a project from a template of a newspaper article and add images and quotations collected from the timeline

Take part in a writing challenge to develop skills of interpreting evidence and understanding changes that take place over a period of time

Learning outcomes

All students should:

Learn how the suffrage movement campaigned for all women to be given the democratic right to vote, increasing their protests as Parliament blocked their campaign.

Follow an historical chronology and, using this, learn about key social and political events.

Be able to identify, explain and analyse social and political change for women from 1903 to 1979 using a range of historical sources, including images, animations, articles and trusted web links.

Most students could:

Understand broader social and political development of votes for women from the early suffrage movement to the first woman taking her seat in Parliament in 1919.

Consider the significance of events, people and developments of the suffrage movement in their historical context and in the present day.

Read longer authoritative articles as they travel through 20th century history.

For teachers, there are more detailed links to the curriculum.

Practical information

Houses of History requires Flash version 10 or later. You can download this free software and the latest version is: Flash plug-in (link opens in a new window).

Access the Help screen by clicking the button marked '?' at the top right of the resource.

The resource is best viewed with a fast internet connection due to the number of images and animations.

Resources

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Women and the Vote timeline - Houses of History

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This interactive timeline allows students to learn about key moments in the history of women's voting rights. It spans nearly 80 years from the rise of Emmeline Pankhurst's Women's Social and Political Union in 1903 to the first woman Prime Minister in 1979.

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Key sources of suffragettes, police and government

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Key sources of suffragettes, police and government

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Download documents and transcripts The purpose of this task is for students to explore a collection of documents relating to the suffragettes covering three themes: police methods suffragette tactics the government's response to the movement To make this more manageable, the documents are grouped into sets of three or four per theme.

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It feels like women have started shouting again. Women in Hollywood, women in Australian film, women in workplaces of all kinds who want equal opportunities and equal pay are shouting that the statistics are dismal and we've got so far to go. It's impossible not to read Suffragette through the lens of this current protest, and why not? What we find is a steely, sombre film, completely lacking in hysteria (a word so often used to denigrate female emotion) but no less angry or affecting for that.

Director Sarah Gavron () and writer Abi Morgan () tell a fact-based story set in 1912 and 1913, crucial years in the British fight for women's voting rights. The heart of the film is Maud Watts (Carey Mulligan) a young working class wife and mother living humbly with her wiry husband, Sonny (Ben Whishaw) and their fragile little boy, George (Adam Michael Dodd). Childcare is always a problem and Maud's arms and chest are scarred and scalded from working in the steamy London laundry. After witnessing a women's protest in which store windows are smashed, Maud starts to see injustice all around her, from the sexual harassment of young girls by her evil boss, to the fact that women are paid far less for working just as hard as the men. Encouraged by her workmate Violet (Anne-Marie Duff), Maud attends meetings and meets fellow foot-soldiers in the fight for women's right to vote. These include a kindly and liberated pharmacist (Helena Bonham Carter), a wealthy aristocrat (Romola Garai) and Emily Wilding Davison (Natalie Press), the activist who would famously throw herself under the king's horse at the Epsom Derby in 1913.

With a peaky unmade-up face and a natural air of sweet melancholy, Mulligan is an engaging everywoman. Her emerging political consciousness plays out believably alongside her escalating tragedies as she loses first, her marriage, her job, her home and then her child to the cause. The tearful scenes in which she bids her son goodbye are just as traumatic as the increasingly violent punishments we see rained down upon the women as the establishment fights back. Brendan Gleeson plays a police inspector tasked with breaking up and imprisoning the protestors. He's largely unsympathetic, but even he is shocked when the hunger-striking prisoners have tubes brutally forced down their throats.

Special mention should go to cinematographer Eduard Grau (A Single Man) who insisted on shooting on 16mm film, giving a grainy, grimy realism and capturing bleak period detail. The scenes of street violence where police kick and bash the women are shot with such breathtaking immediacy they leave you feeling punched in the guts.

'We break windows and we burn things, because war is the only thing men listen to,' says Maud when she's interrogated by the police. Suffragette may have some weak moments. One wishes Meryl Streep hadn't been dragged out to give a cameo as Emmeline Pankhurst, and there are doubtless many groups of women not represented in this small, British story, but the film remains a rousing and convincing depiction of the kinds of sacrifices made to enact social change. An effective afterword lists the relatively recent dates when different countries gave women the full right to vote, with a final, sobering note: that Saudi Arabia is still talking about it.

Read more of the latest SBS Movies news and reviews

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Suffragette review: A steely punch to the gut

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It feels like women have started shouting again. Women in Hollywood, women in Australian film, women in workplaces of all kinds who want equal opportunities and equal pay are shouting that the statistics are dismal and we've got so far to go. It's impossible not to read Suffragette through the lens of this current protest, and why not?

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It's 87 years since women won the right to vote in the UK. Use our lesson ideas - including role play and protest songs - to mark the occasion

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Explore the campaign for women's suffrage in the UK

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Skip to main content

The militant Votes for Women campaign used art, argument, propaganda, protest and destruction of property to fight for female suffrage. The Museum of London's unparalleled collection shows how women won the right to vote in Britain.

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The Suffragettes - Collection in Focus | Museum of London

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A selection of images and objects from the Museum of London collection charting the Suffragette movement.

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2018 marks the 100th anniversary of the first women winning the right to vote in the UK. Therefore, so much of the history of the Women's Suffragette movement centres around London, the UK's capital city and home of Parliament. This is a great year to inspire your children about London Suffragettes and the overall Suffragette Movement.

On New Year's Eve 2018, fireworks exploded across the River Thames to the soundtrack of Britain's best female voices to begin the celebrations of this momentous occasion.

It was in London on 6th February 1918 that the Representation of the People Act was passed by the British Parliament. This allowed 8.4 million women to vote as well as millions of formerly excluded men. Although the Act only permitted voting for women over 30, who were either university graduates or house owners, this was a giant leap forward for British women. It wasn't until 1928 however that ALL women over the age of 21 got the right to vote.

"You must make women count as much as men; you must have an equal standard of morals; and the only way to enforce that is through giving women political power so that you can get that equal moral standard registered in the laws of the country. It is the only way." Emmeline Pankhurst

Later in 1918, the little known Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act was also passed and this allowed women to sit in Parliament for the first time.

There will be lots of celebrations all around the UK to mark this important anniversary. Teaching your children a little about the role London Suffragettes played in the fight for women's equality will help inspire, entertain and keep the memories of these pioneering women alive for younger generations.

How can you teach about London Suffragettes?

Today, our children grow up used to images of female prime ministers and world leaders (in some countries, at least!). It can be hard to explain to explain to them that merely 100 years ago, women would not have been allowed to even vote for their government let alone represent them in Parliament.

Here's a practical guide to how to find engaging ways to talk to your children about London Suffragettes, Women's Rights, the overall Suffragette Movement and the importance of this 2018's centenary celebrations.

A quick note: I probably should have titled this post 5 Engaging Ways to teach Children about London Suffragists . Suffragists were a huge group of women who campaigned for women's rights to vote peacefully and legally. Suffragettes were a smaller group of a few thousand women, members of the British WSPU, who believed that the suffragist's method wasn't working. They used direct action including hunger strikes, protests and militancy. I decided to use the term Suffragette as some of the most famous women mentioned in this post, the Pankhurst sisters and Emily Davidson were, in fact, Suffragettes.

1. Suffragette Plaques, Monuments and Sites in London

Lesser known and hidden away across London are dozens of blue plaques, statues and memorial dedicated to British suffragettes. Peek carefully around the side of the Houses of Parliament and you'll see the memorial to Emmeline Pankhurst, one of the leaders of the Suffragette Movement.

Parliament Square is currently dominated by statues of men. Promisingly, it has been promised a statue of a woman in 2018 to mark the centenary. According to media sources, a female sculptress has been commissioned to create a statue of the Suffragist Millicent Fawcett. Whilst this is a great move, it seems sad that for so many years no women have graced Parliament Square. This is despite a history of female prime ministers and leaders in so many areas. In 2018, a statue of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled only(!) 68 years after he won Indian Independence. Us ladies on the other hand, well, we're still waiting...

"A large part of the present anxiety to improve the education of girls and women is also due to the conviction that the political disabilities of women will not be maintained." Millicent Fawcett

You'll find a blue plaque commemorating Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst at 50 Clarendon Road in Notting Hill. Fascinating Fact:This was where Emmeline raised 'war babies' during the first world war. These children were born out of wedlock and Emmeline looked after them and even adopted one.

If you want to explore these sights in more detail, I recommend for adults this London Suffragette-inspired 2-hour self-guided walk by the Stylist magazine. There's a bonus walk in Manchester too!

2. Suffragette Films set in London
This section and the next section contain affiliate links to some resources that you may find interesting. If you wish to purchase any of these resources through the links provided, I may receive a few pennies at absolutely no cost to you. Thanks for your support.
Watching a movie about the Suffragette Movement is a sure-fire way to engage children. The 2015 film, Suffragette , is the ideal place to start with older children. Rated 12A in the UK, this film raises many excellent discussion points as well as bringing to life some of the conditions experienced in early 20th century London. It's a bit slow at the beginning and some teenagers may be turned off at the thought of a historical drama... So preceding it with a discussion about women's rights and/or one of the other activities mentioned in this blog may help keep them interested. There are some distressing scenes of violence: against women by male police officers and force-feeding. Try to use these and the death of Emily Davidson by the King's Horse as discussion points to get your children engaged and thinking.

Mary Poppins

For younger children and on a much less serious note, is Mary Poppins . Yep, good old Mary Poppins! The film is mostly light-hearted and whimsical. But the character of Mrs Winifred Banks is probably the first London Suffragette character most children ever come across.

Throughout the film, we see Mrs Banks marching off to campaign for Votes for Women. At the beginning of the 1964 Disney film, Mrs Banks is so consumed by her politics that she barely has any time for her children, hence the hiring of Mary Poppins!

Ask your children why they think the right to vote is so important to her that she puts campaigning above her own family. Mrs Banks' theme song, Sister Suffragette , is one of the first songs of the movie and is all about the suffragette movement. If your children are KS2 / middle school age, discuss with them the difference between Mrs Banks' (a rich middle-class woman) involvement and enthusiasm for the Women's Rights movement and her resigned, tired female servants who have no time to go out campaigning as they are stuck in the house working all day.

3. Inspirational Books about Suffragettes

Opal Plumstead by Jacqueline Wilson

This exciting page-turner by one of the UK's best-loved children's authors is an excellent introduction to the Suffragette Movement. The eponymous Opal Plumstead is growing up the 1910s and, as the result of a family tragedy, has to start work at a factory. Once in the workplace, the fourteen-year-old meets some inspirational characters including Emmeline Pankhurst and her life becomes entwined with the Suffragette Movement.

Things A Bright Girl Can Do by Sally Nicholls

This young adult book called Things a Bright Girl Can Do published in 2017 follows the lives of three courageous young girls as they join both the peaceful Suffragist and the militant Suffragette Movements to fight for Votes for Women. The novel follows the girls from polite drawing rooms to poverty-stricken slums and prison cells as they fight for women's freedom. Well-written, captivating and bold, the author doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of being a suffrage activist, like forced feeding and hardship.

Emmeline Pankhurst by Lisbeth Kaiser and Ana Sanfelippo

I absolutely love the Little People, Big Dreams series. These hardback books are absolutely gorgeous! The combination of beautiful illustrations and simple text mean these inspirational stories are suitable for a whole range of age groups from toddler to ten! This book covers the inspirational life story of Emmeline Pankhurst from her childhood and into the Suffragette Movement. Read it to your daughters and then visit the statue of Emmeline in Victoria Tower Gardens next to the Houses of Parliament in London - she'll be their new heroine!

4. Museums, Libraries and Events

Museum of London

Out of all of London's museums, the Museum of London is the place to go to learn about the London Suffragette Movement. The Museum has a huge collection of memorabilia related to London Suffragettes and you can see some of the collection online. To celebrate the centenary of women getting the vote, a special exhibition called Votes For Women is running from February 2018 until January 2019. On display will be iconic London Suffragette related objects, including Emmeline Pankhurst's hunger strike medal.

Family-Friendly Tips: The Museum of London has all the facilities you will need, from baby changing rooms to a cafe and ramps and lifts for strollers. Afterwards, children can let off steam in the nearby Barbican Centre. I last visited the museum in August with H (then aged 3). Although he loved many of exhibits (the Fire of London one especially), it's very much more geared towards school-age children. Check out the website for free activity sheets and games to use during your visit.

The Women's Library at the London School of Economics (LSE)

The Women's Library currently based at the London School of Economics is an amazing resource for books and documents related to all waves of the feminist movement including London Suffragettes. The library is running a variety of exhibitions, talks and events to celebrate the centenary, called Suffrage 18. As an academic library, it is aimed at adults, but there are child-friendly events planned for May half-term. Check out their website for more details.

5. Websites about London's Suffragettes

The British Library Website: For exploring primary sources about the Suffragette Movement, the British Library website is excellent. You can see copies of firsthand encounters of forced feeding, original pamphlets and excerpts of texts by Millicent Fawcett among others. The sources are best suited towards older children.

The official UK Parliament Website has many online exhibitions and resources and downloadable leaflets. The leaflets could be a great resource for self-guided learning and/or project work about London Suffragettes.

BBC Bitesize: There are some excellent learning resources for 11 to16-year-olds on the BBC Bitesize Revision website. Aimed at KS3/GCSE students, there are useful 'revision' notes, activities and tests to consolidate learning. To complement the film Suffragette you may also want to watch a dramatisation of the real trial at the Old Bailey of Emmeline Pankhurst and discuss what the outcome of the trial meant for the Suffragette Movement.

Women's Library LSE Website (launching in May 2018): In May 2018, the Women's Library at LSE (mentioned above) will be launching a brand new online resources area, aimed at 11-18 years old. I'm looking forward to checking it out to learn even more about London Suffragettes and the overall Suffragette Movement.

Short on time? Why not pin on Pinterest to read for later!

I hope that you've found the ideas in this post useful. If you know of any other events or learning materials for children available. Please add them in the comments. I'd love to hear about them.

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5 Engaging Ways to teach Children about London Suffragettes

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2018 marks the 100th anniversary of women winning the vote in the UK with many celebrations in London. Here's a practical guide showing you how to find engaging ways to teach your children about London Suffragettes, Women's Rights, the Suffragette Movement and the importance of this 2018's centenary celebrations.

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Find out all about the life of the leader of the suffragette movement, Emmeline Pankhurst, with this fascinating resource! A perfect reading comprehension for KS2 children to develop their literacy or historical skills and knowledge. Comes with three sets of differentiated questions and answers.

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History Suffragettes Primary Resources - Primary

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Find out all about the life of the leader of the suffragette movement, Emmeline Pankhurst, with this fascinating resource! A perfect reading comprehension for KS2 children to develop their literacy or historical skills and knowledge. Comes with three sets of differentiated questions and answers.

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Mindfulness activities relating to suffragette

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Mindfulness activities relating to suffragette

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When you are learning about how and when women were given the right to vote - and the same rights to vote as men - then this is a good place to start.

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women's suffrage movement - Google Search

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What did the women's suffrage movement fight for?

When did the women's suffrage movement start?

Where did women's suffrage start?

How did the women's suffrage movement end?

women's suffrage, also called woman suffrage, the right of women by law to vote in national or local elections.

Overview

Women were excluded from voting in ancient Greece and republican Rome, as well as in the few democracies that had emerged in Europe by the end of the 18th century. When the franchise was widened, as it was in the United Kingdom in 1832, women continued to be denied all voting rights. The question of women's voting rights finally became an issue in the 19th century, and the struggle was particularly intense in Great Britain and the United States, but those countries were not the first to grant women the right to vote, at least not on a national basis. By the early years of the 20th century, women had won the right to vote in national elections in New Zealand (1893), Australia (1902), Finland (1906), and Norway (1913). In Sweden and the United States they had voting rights in some local elections.

World War I and its aftermath speeded up the enfranchisement of women in the countries of Europe and elsewhere. In the period 1914-39, women in 28 additional countries acquired either equal voting rights with men or the right to vote in national elections. Those countries included Soviet Russia (1917); Canada, Germany, Austria, and Poland (1918); Czechoslovakia (1919); the United States and Hungary (1920); Great Britain (1918 and 1928); Burma ( Myanmar; 1922); Ecuador (1929); South Africa (1930); Brazil, Uruguay, and Thailand (1932); Turkey and Cuba (1934); and the Philippines (1937). In a number of those countries, women were initially granted the right to vote in municipal or other local elections or perhaps in provincial elections; only later were they granted the right to vote in national elections.

Immediately after World War II, France, Italy, Romania, Yugoslavia, and China were added to the group. Full suffrage for women was introduced in India by the constitution in 1949; in Pakistan women received full voting rights in national elections in 1956. In another decade the total number of countries that had given women the right to vote reached more than 100, partly because nearly all countries that gained independence after World War II guaranteed equal voting rights to men and women in their constitutions. By 1971 Switzerland allowed women to vote in federal and most cantonal elections, and in 1973 women were granted full voting rights in Syria. The United Nations Convention on the Political Rights of Women, adopted in 1952, provides that "women shall be entitled to vote in all elections on equal terms with men, without any discrimination."

Historically, the United Kingdom and the United States provide characteristic examples of the struggle for women's suffrage in the 19th and 20th centuries.

In Great Britain woman suffrage was first advocated by Mary Wollstonecraft in her book A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) and was demanded by the Chartist movement of the 1840s. The demand for woman suffrage was increasingly taken up by prominent liberal intellectuals in England from the 1850s on, notably by John Stuart Mill and his wife, Harriet. The first woman suffrage committee was formed in Manchester in 1865, and in 1867 Mill presented to Parliament this society's petition, which demanded the vote for women and contained about 1,550 signatures. The Reform Bill of 1867 contained no provision for woman suffrage, but meanwhile woman suffrage societies were forming in most of the major cities of Britain, and in the 1870s these organizations submitted to Parliament petitions demanding the franchise for women and containing a total of almost three million signatures.

The succeeding years saw the defeat of every major suffrage bill brought before Parliament. This was chiefly because neither of the leading politicians of the day, William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli, cared to affront Queen Victoria's implacable opposition to the women's movement. In 1869, however, Parliament did grant women taxpayers the right to vote in municipal elections, and in the ensuing decades women became eligible to sit on county and city councils. The right to vote in parliamentary elections was still denied to women, however, despite the considerable support that existed in Parliament for legislation to that effect. In 1897 the various suffragist societies united into one National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, thus bringing a greater degree of coherence and organization to the movement. Out of frustration at the lack of governmental action, however, a segment of the woman suffrage movement became more militant under the leadership of Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughter Christabel. After the return to power of the Liberal Party in 1906, the succeeding years saw the defeat of seven suffrage bills in Parliament. As a consequence, many suffragists became involved in increasingly violent actions as time went on. These women militants, or suffragettes, as they were known, were sent to prison and continued their protests there by engaging in hunger strikes.

Meanwhile, public support of the woman suffrage movement grew in volume, and public demonstrations, exhibitions, and processions were organized in support of women's right to vote. When World War I began, the woman suffrage organizations shifted their energies to aiding the war effort, and their effectiveness did much to win the public wholeheartedly to the cause of woman suffrage. The need for the enfranchisement of women was finally recognized by most members of Parliament from all three major parties, and the resulting Representation of the People Act was passed by the House of Commons in June 1917 and by the House of Lords in February 1918. Under this act, all women age 30 or over received the complete franchise. An act to enable women to sit in the House of Commons was enacted shortly afterward. In 1928 the voting age for women was lowered to 21 to place women voters on an equal footing with male voters.

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Women's suffrage | Definition, History, Causes, Effects, Leaders, & Facts

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Women's suffrage, the right of women by law to vote in national or local elections. Women were excluded from voting in ancient Greece and republican Rome as well as in the few democracies that had emerged in Europe by the end of the 18th century.

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Women's Suffrage Movements in Australia - Trove List

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Body of Historical Evidence The proposed research question is: To what extent did the 'W...

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Ready to travel back to a monumental moment in British history? Then check out our suffragettes facts and learn about the time when women fought for the right to vote..
What is 'suffrage'?
Suffragettes campaigning against the Liberal Party during the 1910 election.
' Suffrage ' means the right to vote in political elections.

It is a sad fact that throughout history, there have been many restrictions placed on who can and can't vote, based on things like age, gender, race, education, wealth and social status.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, men in the UK had the right to vote but women did not. Many people - including women - didn't believe that women should be able to vote. Even Queen Victoriacalled the fight for women's rights a "mad, wicked folly" - despite being a powerful woman herself!

The suffragist movement
A Suffragette procession through London, 1914.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many women started to campaign for women's rights. The focus of their attention? The right to vote. This became known as the suffragist movement.

During this time, two main political groups formed, the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies and the Women's Social and Political Union.

These groups came to be known by two different nicknames, invented by some newspapers who sought to ridicule them; the Suffragists and the Suffragettes.

The two groups used very different tactics to draw attention to their cause but their message was very much the same. They wore the colours purple, white and green and made banners, badges and sashes with the words ' Votes for Women ' displayed on them.

Who were the Suffragists?
Millicent Garrett Fawcett, President of the NUWSS addresses her suffragists at a meeting in Hyde Park, 1913.
The suffragists were members of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) and were lead by Millicent Garrett Fawcett during the height of the suffrage movement, 1890 - 1919.

They campaigned for votes for middle-class, property-owning women and believed in peaceful protest. Millicent thought that if the organisation was seen to be thoughtful, intelligent and law-abiding, that they would win the respect of Parliament and in time, be granted the vote.

By 1900, the Suffragists' hard work was starting to make waves. Several Bills (a proposed law) in favour of women's suffrage won support in Parliament, but not enough to pass... Yet!

Who were the Suffragettes?
Emmeline Pankhurst - leader of the Suffragettes - being arrested outside Buckingham Palace in 1914.
Emmeline Pankhurst was a former member of the NUWSS and a supporter of women's suffrage. After becoming frustrated with the Suffragists' approach, she broke off and formed her own society - the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). The society was more inclusive and welcomed women from all different walks of life. Emmeline's daughters, Christabel and Syliva, were also active in the cause.

From 1905 onwards the Suffragettes' campaign became more violent. Their motto was 'Deeds Not Words' and they began using more aggressive tactics to get people to listen. This included breaking windows, planting bombs, handcuffing themselves to railings and going on hunger strikes.

Suffragettes and the law
Imprisoned Suffragettes wave through the windows of Holloway Prison, London, in 1909.
Many protesting Suffragettes were arrested for law-breaking and many went to prison. In further protest, Suffragettes would go on hunger strike (stop eating) in prison. To stop them from becoming ill, they would often be held down and force-fed by prison staff in a particularly unpleasant procedure!

To prevent any Suffragettes on hunger strike from dying in prison, Parliament introduced the "Cat and Mouse" Act. This meant that hunger-strikers were temporarily released from prison until they recovered - before being re-arrested and locked up again!
Emmeline Pankhurst (centre) and her daughter, Christabel (third from the left), are welcomed by friends and supporters after their release from prison in 1908.
In 1913, Suffragette Emily Wilding Davison stepped out in front of the King's racehorse during a race at Epsom, and died a tragic death after being trampled on. Whilst no one knows for sure what Emily was hoping to do exactly, it's believed she was trying to pin a banner of suffragette colours to the King's horse.

Emily's death and the cruel police treatment of the Suffragettes sparked public anger and gathered sympathy and support to the women's cause.

The suffragist movement during WWI
A group of women's making weapons in a factory in 1917.
The outbreak of World War 1 changed life as people knew it - BIG time! In the midst of such huge international conflict, both Emmeline Pankhurst and Millicent Fawcett temporarily stopped campaigning and instead encouraged women to join the war effort in the spirit of national unity.

World War 1 also drastically changed women's role in society. Before the war, a woman's place had been in the home, cooking, washing, cleaning and raising her children. But when the war began, women were needed to lend a hand! Millions of men had been sent away to fight, leaving vacant jobs that were essential to keeping the country running. Many women went to work for the first time in lots of different industries - even in dangerous munitions factories making weapons for the war!

The Representation of the People Act
A Suffragette holds a 'Votes for Women' sign during a demonstration in London.
In 1918, the efforts of the women's suffrage movement finally had a breakthrough. A Bill was passed through Parliament that granted some women the right to vote. They had to be over the age of 30 and own property, or be married to someone who owned property. Despite the restrictions, it was still a big victory, giving 8.4 million women the vote!

However, there was still a long way to go until all women had the same voting rights as men - who could vote from the age of 21 regardless of property. In fact, it took another ten years until women received equal suffrage with men, in 1928.

How are the Suffragettes remembered?
A monument to Emmeline Pankhurst stands in Victoria Tower Gardens, London, next to the Houses of Parliament.
There is some divided opinion over the violent tactics the Suffragettes used to spread their message. On several occasions, they were lucky that no one was seriously injured, or even killed, by the bombs they planted. But there is no doubt that they are remembered as incredibly courageous, forward-thinking women who stood up for what they believed in - often laying their lives on the line in the process!

They paved the way for future generations of women. Without them, your grandmothers, mums, aunties, friends and sisters - even you! - might have had considerably fewer rights today.

That's not to say that the fight for women's rights is over. Around the world, including in the UK, men are still likely to be paid more than a woman for doing exactly the same job. And there are many countries today where women still lack basic rights that we take for granted.

So let's make sure the future looks even brighter for women's rights!

What did you think of our Suffragettes facts? Let us know by leaving a comment below!

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Suffragettes: facts for kids | National Geographic Kids

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Get ready to travel back in time to a monumental moment in British history in our Suffragettes facts! 'Suffrage' means the right to vote in political elections. Sadly, women haven't always had that right. They had to fight for it in the late 18th & early 19th centuries, in what became known as the suffrage movement...

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Women's Rights Movement Begins

The campaign for women's suffrage began in earnest in the decades before the Civil War. During the 1820s and '30s, most states had extended the franchise to all white men, regardless of how much money or property they had.

At the same time, all sorts of reform groups were proliferating across the United States- temperance leagues, religious movements, moral-reform societies, anti- slavery organizations-and in many of these, women played a prominent role.

Meanwhile, many American women were beginning to chafe against what historians have called the "Cult of True Womanhood": that is, the idea that the only "true" woman was a pious, submissive wife and mother concerned exclusively with home and family.

Put together, all of these contributed to a new way of thinking about what it meant to be a woman and a citizen of the United States.

Seneca Falls Convention

In 1848, a group of abolitionist activists-mostly women, but some men-gathered in Seneca Falls, New York to discuss the problem of women's rights. They were invited there by the reformers Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott.

Most of the delegates to the Seneca Falls Convention agreed: American women were autonomous individuals who deserved their own political identities.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident," proclaimed the Declaration of Sentiments that the delegates produced, "that all men and women are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

What this meant, among other things, was that they believed women should have the right to vote.

Civil Rights and Women's Rights During the Civil War

During the 1850s, the women's rights movement gathered steam, but lost momentum when the Civil War began. Almost immediately after the war ended, the 14th Amendment and the 15th Amendment to the Constitution raised familiar questions of suffrage and citizenship.

The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, extends the Constitution's protection to all citizens-and defines "citizens" as "male"; the 15th, ratified in 1870, guarantees Black men the right to vote.

Some women's suffrage advocates believed that this was their chance to push lawmakers for truly universal suffrage. As a result, they refused to support the 15th Amendment and even allied with racist Southerners who argued that white women's votes could be used to neutralize those cast by African Americans.

In 1869, a new group called the National Woman Suffrage Association was founded by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. They began to fight for a universal-suffrage amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Others argued that it was unfair to endanger Black enfranchisement by tying it to the markedly less popular campaign for female suffrage. This pro-15th-Amendment faction formed a group called the American Woman Suffrage Association and fought for the franchise on a state-by-state basis.

Gallery: The Progressive Campaign for Suffrage

This animosity eventually faded, and in 1890 the two groups merged to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Elizabeth Cady Stanton was the organization's first president.

By then, the suffragists' approach had changed. Instead of arguing that women deserved the same rights and responsibilities as men because women and men were "created equal," the new generation of activists argued that women deserved the vote because they were different from men.

They could make their domesticity into a political virtue, using the franchise to create a purer, more moral "maternal commonwealth."

This argument served many political agendas: Temperance advocates, for instance, wanted women to have the vote because they thought it would mobilize an enormous voting bloc on behalf of their cause, and many middle-class white people were swayed once again by the argument that the enfranchisement of white women would "ensure immediate and durable white supremacy, honestly attained."

Did you know? In 1923, the National Woman's Party proposed an amendment to the Constitution that prohibited all discrimination on the basis of sex. The so-called Equal Rights Amendment has never been ratified.

Winning the Vote at Last

Starting in 1910, some states in the West began to extend the vote to women for the first time in almost 20 years. Idaho and Utah had given women the right to vote at the end of the 19th century.

Still, southern and eastern states resisted. In 1916, NAWSA president Carrie Chapman Catt unveiled what she called a "Winning Plan" to get the vote at last: a blitz campaign that mobilized state and local suffrage organizations all over the country, with a special focus on those recalcitrant regions.

Meanwhile, a splinter group called the National Woman's Party founded by Alice Paul focused on more radical, militant tactics-hunger strikes and White House pickets, for instance-aimed at winning dramatic publicity for their cause.

World War I slowed the suffragists' campaign but helped them advance their argument nonetheless: Women's work on behalf of the war effort, activists pointed out, proved that they were just as patriotic and deserving of citizenship as men.

Finally, on August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified. And on November 2 of that year, more than 8 million women across the United States voted in elections for the first time.

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Women's Suffrage - The U.S. Movement, Leaders & 19th Amendment

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The women's suffrage movement was a decades-long fight to win the right to vote for women in the United States. On August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was finally ratified, enfranchising all American women and declaring for the first time that they, like men, deserve all the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

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Why women won greater political equality by 1928 - Revision 1 - Higher History - BBC Bitesize

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For Higher History, revise how changing attitudes, suffrage campaigns and World War One contributed to women winning greater political equality.

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Women's Suffrage League secretary, Mary Lee. National Museum of Australia

Agitating for change

Women believed that if they could vote they could elect candidates who would legislate to improve society generally and strengthen the position of women and children in particular.

A number of organisations threw their support behind the female suffrage movement including the Christian Women's Temperance Union and the Social Purity Society.

The most influential South Australian group, the Women's Suffrage League, was established by Mary Lee and Mary Colton and later joined by well-known social reformer Catherine Helen Spence.

Female suffragists struggled against prejudicial traditional views of women that were embedded in society and the law.

Groups agitated for change in many ways. Letters were written to newspapers and magazines, public speeches were made and rallies and marches were held. Groups of women visited parliament and held discussions with important political figures including the state's premier. Signatures were collected from across the colony for the longest petition that has ever been presented to the South Australian Parliament.

With more than 11,600 signatures and measuring around 400 feet in length with its pages glued end to end, the petition was used to show the government that both men and women supported women's right to vote.

At last enfranchised

Before the 1894 Bill, there had been three unsuccessful attempts to gain equal voting rights for women in South Australia.

Many parliamentarians felt that women were not emotionally or intellectually capable of properly participating in politics. Others also felt that women were stepping outside their traditional roles and that giving them the vote would undermine a husband's position in the family.

However, following an election in early 1894, the Labour Party, which was sympathetic to the women's cause, formed government.

The Constitutional Amendment (Adult Suffrage) Bill was presented to the Legislative Council on 23 August 1894.

A conservative effort to derail the Bill by introducing a woman's right to stand for parliament as well as the right to vote did not stop the Bill narrowly passing. It was then sent to the Legislative Assembly where three months elapsed during which a slight amendment was made allowing women to postal vote as well.

After much debate, the Bill was finally passed 31 votes to 14 in front of a crowd of around 200 women.

The Bill was officially made law in 1895 when signed by Queen Victoria. South Australian women then became the first in the world who could not only vote but also stand for parliament.

Equal enfranchisement therefore applied to all citizens of South Australia, including the Indigenous men and women of the colony.

The first South Australian election in which women could participate was held in 1896. The female presence was remarked upon by many newspapers, including the Adelaide Observer, which said:

Women were everywhere, and their presence ... no doubt had a refining influence. Never have we had a more decorous gathering together of the multitude than that which distinguished the first exercise of the female franchise on Saturday April 25 1896.

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Women believed that if they could vote they could elect candidates who would legislate to improve society generally and strengthen the position of women and children in particular. A number of organisations threw their support behind the female suffrage movement including the Christian Women's Temperance Union and the Social Purity Society.

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Facts, information and articles about Women's Suffrage Movement, the struggle for the right of women to vote

Women's Suffrage summary: The women's suffrage movement (aka woman suffrage) was the struggle for the right of women to vote and run for office and is part of the overall women's rights movement. In the mid-19th century, women in several countries-most notably, the U.S. and Britain-formed organizations to fight for suffrage. In 1888, the first international women's rights organization formed, the International Council of Women (ICW). Because the ICW was reluctant to focus on suffrage, in 1904 the International Woman Suffrage Alliance (IWSA) was formed by British women's rights activist Millicent Fawcett, American activist Carrie Chapman Catt, and other leading women's rights activists.

Women's Suffrage In Europe

The first country to grant national-level voting rights to women was the self-governing British colony of New Zealand, which passed the Electoral Bill in September 1893. The British colony of South Australia granted full suffrage in 1894, giving women the right to vote and to stand for parliament. Australia federated in 1901 and country-wide women's suffrage followed quickly in 1902; however, women of Australia's indigenous people were specifically excluded until 1949, when the right to vote in federal elections was granted to all indigenous people. Remaining restrictions were abolished in 1962.

Other countries followed soon after New Zealand, with limited rights granted to women in Sweden, Britain, Finland, and some U.S. states by the early 20th century. When World War I began in 1914, many suffrage organizations shifted their focus to supporting the war effort, although some activists continued to fight for suffrage. Because of manpower shortages in warring countries, women took on many roles traditionally held by men and changed the dominant idea of what women were capable of doing, giving further momentum to the suffrage movement. Britain's Parliament passed the Eligibility of Women Act in November 1918, which allowed women to be elected to Parliament. Ten years later, the Representation of the People Act granted women the right to vote. Following a path similar to Britain's, many countries-Denmark, Iceland, the USSR, the Netherlands, Canada, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Sweden, Germany, Luxembourg, the United States-had granted the vote to women by 1920.

Other European countries did not grant women the right to vote until much later-Spain in 1931, France in 1944, and Belgium, Italy, Romania, and Yugoslavia in 1946. Later still were Switzerland (1971) and Liechtenstein (1984). In Latin America, national suffrage was granted to women between 1929 (Ecuador) and 1946 (Argentina). In Africa, the right to vote was generally conferred on both men and women as colonial rule ended and nations became independent-the same is true for India, which granted universal suffrage with its constitution in 1949. Middle Eastern countries granted women the right to vote after World War II, although some countries, such as Saudi Arabia, do not have suffrage at all or have limited suffrage and exclude women completely (Kuwait).

Women's Suffrage In the United States

The suffrage movement in the United States gained prominence with the first women's rights convention in the world: the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848. The convention was organized by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, active members of the abolitionist movement who met in England in 1840 at the World Anti-Slavery Convention. In 1851, Stanton was introduced by a mutual friend to Susan B. Anthony, who was most active in the temperance movement at the time. The two would form a life-long friendship and collaboration focused on obtaining suffrage. They formed the Woman's National Loyal League in 1863 to support the Thirteenth Amendment to abolish slavery and to campaign for full citizenship for blacks and women.

The National Woman Suffrage Association

In 1869, with slavery abolished, a rift developed in the suffrage movement over how to gain suffrage. Anthony and Stanton founded the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) and campaigned for a constitutional amendment for universal suffrage in America, and for other women's rights, such as changes in divorce laws and an end to employment and pay discrimination. Lucy Stone, Julia Ward Howe, and Josephine Ruffin formed the less-radical American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) to focus on obtaining suffrage for black men with the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments and on winning women's right to vote state-by-state, ignoring the broader rights the NWSA was campaigning for.

By the 1880s, it became clear that the two organizations would be more effective if they merged back into one group, so they formed the National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890, with Stanton as president and Anthony as vice president. Stanton's position was largely honorary-she departed on a 2-year European speaking tour shortly after being elected, leaving Anthony as acting president. NAWSA was a national, parent organization to hundreds of local groups that campaigned solely for women's right to vote. However, NAWSA alienated the more radical activists like Stanton, Matilda Joslyn Gage, and Olympia Brown who were campaigning for broader rights along with the right to vote.

In the early 20th century, NAWSA restructured itself and shifted it's tactics, recruiting celebrities to draw attention to the cause, allying with local women's clubs and some labor unions, and raising money to train and pay organizers to canvass for votes and enlist new members. NAWSA held many parades and rallies to draw attention to their cause, with its members wearing white uniforms and carrying banners to draw crowds and reporters.

In 1914, Alice Paul and Lucy Burns became dissatisfied with the leadership and direction of the NWSA and formed the Congressional Union. Both women had assisted and learned from the British suffrage movement, which was much more radicalized and militant than the NWSA. England's more militant suffragists faced violent confrontations with authorities and jail sentences; some went on hunger strikes while imprisoned and were made to endure force-feedings to prevent them from dying behind bars, which might increase public sympathy for their cause.

The Congressional Union initially focused on putting pressure on the Democratic Party, which controlled both houses of Congress and the White House. In 1916, the organization was renamed the National Woman's Party (NWP) and began a more militant campaign for suffrage, picketing and holding demonstrations in front of the White House.

Carrie Chapman Catt, NAWSA president from 1900 to 1904 and 1915 to 1920, was Anthony's hand-picked successor as the driving force of the organization. She led the final push toward a constitutional amendment, setting up a publicity bureau in Washington, D.C., in 1916 to exert immediate, face-to-face pressure on Congressmen. At the beginning of World War I, the NWP criticized the government for supporting democracy abroad while denying women the right to vote at home-blatant hypocrisy, in their view. Chapman Catt publicly distanced herself and NAWSA from the NWP, calling their behavior unladylike and disapproving of the bad publicity they generated for the movement. In June 1917, NWP members were arrested on the technical charge of obstructing traffic. Arrests and jail time, hunger strikes and force-feedings would continue for activists until the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified.

Ratification Of The Nineteenth Amendment

Tennessee became the last battleground state for ratification. There, as in other Southern states, the woman's suffrage movement was inextricably linked in the minds of many with the abolition movement, and old animosities still simmered. In Dixie, even more than in other parts of the country, feminism ran counter to a culture in which conservative religion, tradition, and respect for the law was deeply engrained. Too, powerful lobbying groups including liquor distilleries-the temperance movement and women's rights movement had long been comrades in arms-textile manufacturers and railroads opposed expanding women's rights. Additional opposition came from state's rights advocates, some of whom wanted to see women get the right to vote but felt that should be dealt with at the state level, not the national. On August 18, 1920, the Tennessee legislature narrowly approved the 19th Amendment. On August 31, the Tennessee House of Representatives voted to rescind their previous vote, but the U.S. Secretary of State had already proclaimed the amendment ratified on August 26.

Women's right to vote was achieved through the national and local efforts of both the NAWSA and the NWP. The labor shortage caused by World War I that allowed women to move into roles traditionally held by men also made it increasingly difficult for opponents to argue that women were unworthy of the vote on the grounds of physical and mental inferiority. With the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in sight, Chapman Catt formed the League of Women Voters during NAWSA's last meeting on February 14, 1920, to help newly enfranchised women exercise their right to vote.

Articles Featuring Women's Suffrage Movement From History Net Magazines

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More Womens Suffrage Articles

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Facts, information and articles about Women's Suffrage Movement, the struggle for the right of women to vote Women's Suffrage summary: The women's suffrage movement (aka woman suffrage) was the struggle for the right of women to vote and run for office and is part of the overall women's rights movement.

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Women's Suffrage: Crash Course US History #31

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women's suffrage movement - Google Search

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Facts, information and articles about Women's Suffrage Movement, the struggle for the right of women to vote. Women's Suffrage summary: The women's suffrage movement (aka woman suffrage) was the struggle for the right of women to vote and run for office and is part of the overall women's rights movement.

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Women's rights

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What the British Women's Suffrage Movement Means Today

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The Representation of the People's Act gave U.K. women the right to vote. A century later, here's a look at what the movement means today.

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Who were the Suffragettes?

Women had been campaigning to get the vote for decades but it was not until the Suffragettes were formed that they managed to achieve their goal on 6 February 1918.

The Daily Mail gave the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) the name Suffragettes as a derogatory term in 1906.

But Emmeline Pankhurst embraced the name for the organisation which she had set up in Manchester three years before.

Who were the key women?
Emmeline Pankhurst - leader, jailed 11 times
Aged 45 she founded the WSPU, which became the Suffragettes, and was defiantly independent from political parties.

The Suffragettes motto "deeds not words" gave a clear signal times were changing and they were not going to be like the groups who had peacefully been campaigning for women's suffrage for decades.

She was jailed and released 11 times for her campaigning.

Mrs Pankhurst angrily sent her youngest daughter Adela to Australia when she spoke out against the party becoming more militant.
Christabel Pankhurst - Queen of the Mob
Emmeline's eldest daughter and a lawyer, Christabel was an executive member of the WSPU.

She was arrested and imprisoned for interrupting a Liberal Party meeting which prompted the decision for more militant action.

Called "The Queen of the Mob", she was arrested and jailed multiple times.

She eventually escaped to Paris to avoid the Cat and Mouse Act where police could release imprisoned hunger strikers so they would not die in custody then re-arrest them when they were better.

Christabel thought other causes such as equality should not be linked to women's suffrage as inequality would be solved when women were given the vote.
Sylvia Pankhurst - imprisoned and force-fed
The middle Pankhurst sister, Sylvia was also part of the WSPU, however she was more of a Labour supporter and disagreed with her mother and elder sister's politics and with the violence.

Sylvia was imprisoned multiple times for her involvement and endured being force-fed.

She created most of the iconic tricolour WSPU gear such as banners, jewellery and exhibition design.
Emily Wilding Davison - killed by King George V's horse
Highly educated, Emily Davison studied at Royal Holloway College in London and St Hugh's College, Oxford before becoming a teacher and governess.

She joined the WSPU in 1906 and became an officer and chief steward during marches.

Emily quickly became known for her militant action which included breaking windows, setting fire to postboxes and hiding in the Houses of Parliament overnight three times.

She was arrested nine times, went on hunger strike seven times and was force fed 45 times.

Most well-known for being killed by King George V's horse at the 1913 Epsom Derby after running in front of it, her funeral attracted a procession of 5,000 suffragettes and supporters while 50,000 people lined the route through London.
Leonora Cohen - personal bodyguard
Emmeline's personal bodyguard, she was arrested and force-fed multiple times which only increased her passion to fight.

During a protest she smashed a glass case housing the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London, giving her the name the Tower Suffragette.

She was appointed OBE for services to public life in the 1920s and was a hero of the second wave of feminism in the 1970s before dying at the age of 105 in 1978.
Lydia Becker - inspired Emmeline to start campaigning
Less well-known than the Pankhursts and Emily Davison, Lydia Becker led the early women's suffrage movement, inspiring 15-year-old Emmeline Pankhurst during a speech in 1874.

She helped secure the vote for women on the Isle of Man in 1881 - the first country to do so.
Millicent Fawcett - peaceful campaigner
A moderate suffragist and an intellectual, she was president of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies before the Suffragette movement.

She later distanced herself from the WSPU believing their actions were harming women's chances of gaining the vote.

Suffragette tactics: Blowing up post boxes and smashing windows

Members of the Pankhurst-led group were well-known for smashing windows, cutting electricity wires chaining themselves to railings and blowing up post boxes.

They frequently assaulted police officers and staged hunger strikes when they were imprisoned to protest against the conditions, for which they were force-fed.

One of their most daring acts was bombing a Surrey house being built for finance minister and future prime minister David Lloyd George in 1913.

How did they secure the right to vote?

Following years of campaigning, on 6 February 1918, 8.4 million women over the age of 30 were finally given the vote under the Representation of the People Act 1918.

They had to either be a member or married to a member of the Local Government Register, a property owner or a graduate voting in a university constituency.

The act was a massive step in the struggle which started 86 years before when Mary Smith presented the first Woman's Suffrage bill to the House of Commons in 1832.

It took another 10 years for women to gain the same voting rights as men but the 1918 act put Britain ahead of countries such as France and gave other nations a push to do the same.

One woman's terrorist is another woman's freedom fighter

Some argue the Suffragettes were terrorists because they used bombs to target mostly male-only buildings such as David Lloyd George's house which was being decorated.

However, others said Emmeline Pankhurst herself always said nobody should be killed in pursuit of the vote.

Former suffragette Mary Leigh, in 1975 said: "Mrs Pankhurst gave us strict orders... there was not a cat or a canary to be killed: no life."

Did men help women in their fight?

Many MPs initially opposed votes for women but there were some male supporters who were ultimately key to getting the act passed.

Most intellectual men, apart from Rudyard Kipling and GK Chesterton, were ardent supporters of votes for women.

The Men's League for Women's Suffrage was formed in 1907 in London.

John Stuart Mill, the Liberal MP and philosopher, and Henry Fawcett, Millicent Fawcett's husband, presented the second women's suffrage bill to parliament in 1866.

They failed but the move prompted the founding of suffrage societies in Edinburgh, Manchester and London.

Keir Hardie MP spoke regularly in the Commons on the subject, questioning ministers on the treatment of suffragette prisoners and attended WSPU events.

George Lansbury MP resigned so he could fight a by-election on the suffrage question.

He lost but continued to support the campaign and was imprisoned in 1913 after making a speech at a rally in support of the Suffragette's campaign of arson attacks.

Some men took part in Suffragete activities, with Frederick Pethick-Lawrence, Emmeline Pankhurst's husband, editor of the publication Votes for Women alongside her.

An MP for eight years, he was imprisoned several times, went on hunger strike and was forcibly fed on many occasions.

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The Suffragettes: The women who risked all to get the vote

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Women had been campaigning to get the vote for decades but it was not until the Suffragettes were formed that they managed to achieve their goal on 6 February 1918. The Daily Mail gave the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) the name Suffragettes as a derogatory term in 1906.

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What is a suffragette?

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Women’s right to vote - Suffragettes - History Learning Site

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The move for women to have the vote had really started in 1897 when Millicent Fawcett founded the National Union of Women’s Suffrage.

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Suffragette film on-demand