Finding my Inspiration by Madison Stepp

Emmeline Pankhurst in 1913

steppnspanky — 2024-03-05 19:40:29 UTC

I chose Emmeline Pankhurst as my inspiration because she gave the women of Britain a voice and allowed for them to vote. Additionally, she risked everything for women's rights both in a political sense and women's political rights would not be where they are today without her.

History of Emmeline Parkhurst

steppnspanky — 2024-03-06 22:28:51 UTC

There have been very contradictory accounts of Emmeline Parkhurst's life, partially due to her having no desire to write her autobiography. Eventually, however, she did write her autobiography, in 1913, during one of her several incarcerations (Purvis, 2002). It is commonly thought that Emmeline was born on July 14th, 1858, however, her birth certificate says differently. It may be possible that she made this myth herself as she had an adoration for July 14th. This date is the day of the storming of Bastille which was the start of the French Revolution (Purvis, 2002).

Emmeline was the oldest of 10 children and the 'rebellious' child. She was extremely intelligent and able to read by the age of 3 (Purvis, 2002).

During World War I, Emmeline traveled to many countries, including Canada, to give lectures on women's suffrage, and mobilize to encourage the industrial mobilization of women. In 1926, she was chosen as the Conservative candidate for a constituency in east London, however, she unfortunately died before she was elected (Tikkanen, 2024).

Women's Rights

steppnspanky — 2024-03-07 17:07:04 UTC

Emmeline Parkhurst was extremely influential in Britain for fighting for women's rights, especially in the sense of voting. In 1908, she was the director of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) and was a large part of the women's suffrage (Tikkanen, 2024).

Independent Labour Party Denies Women Members

steppnspanky — 2024-03-07 19:57:41 UTC

It was a known fact that women could not vote, however, Emmeline Pankhurst did not become involved in women's suffrage until she realized that "her local branch of the Independent Labour Party refused to admit women members" (UK Parliament, n.d.).

Emmeline's end goal was not only for women to have the ability to vote, but also for women's equality in divorce and inheritance law (Wagner, n.d.).

Militant- Style Protests and Lectures

steppnspanky — 2024-03-07 20:56:26 UTC

Emmeline Pankhurst was especially influential as she traveled to various countries to mobilize women through lectures. In these lectures, her most famous line was "Freedom or death" (Wagner, n.d.). She stated that the only way to get women's rights was by forcing the government with militant action (Wagner, n.d.). Often the militant action that was used to protest included smashing windows, arson, making bombs to blow up empty buildings, etc., however, their intent was not to harm anyone in the process. These suffragettes did not allow imprisonment to stop their messages. While incarcerated, they refused to eat, causing them extreme malnutrition. This led to the Prisoner’s Temporary Discharge for Ill-Health Act to be passed in 1913. Better known as the "Cat and Mouse Act", it allowed for hunger-striking prisoners to be released when falling ill, to be rearrested when back to health (Stainer, 2018). Emmeline was in and out of prison a total of 12 times, only spending 30 days incarcerated (Tikkanen, 2024).

All of these tactics are macro- level tactics.

Unsuccessful Tactics

steppnspanky — 2024-03-07 21:07:59 UTC

I was unable to find which tactics Emmeline Pankhurst and the suffragettes used were successful, or unsuccessful. However, I believe that all of the tactics used played a part in the liberation of women.

Outcomes of My Research

steppnspanky — 2024-03-07 21:14:30 UTC

From my research on Emmeline Pankhurst, I realized that sometimes you need to be aggressive to be heard. I can be super passive with things, but in helping to create change and hinder oppression, that will not work. When I see change that needs to be done, I will yell it at the top of my lungs as these heroic women have done.