The Militant Suffragettes

Pankhurst in Defense of Militancy During the Suffragette Movement 1916 was the year the first woman was finally elected to Congress. This was not from disinterest or a lack of qualifications, but because women had no rights. During the early 20th century, while men relaxed in the comfort of their homes, women waged a war. The fight for equality influenced women like Emmeline Pankhurst to become soldiers on the front lines in the fight for suffrage. Her speech, “Freedom or Death,” outlines the necessity of her militant methodology. She defends her methods with an extensive use of metaphors and hypotheticals.

Women suffrage is women gaining the right to vote. Susan B. Anthony was a very important person in this movement. The first major meeting of women to discuss their rights was in Seneca Falls, NY. A document similar to the declaration of independence was written by women. It listed the grievances, or issues, that women had with society, it was named the Declaration of Sentiments.

Why did the campaign for women’s suffrage become militant between 1903 and 1914 and what, if anything, did this campaign achieve? The campaign for women's suffrage began in earnest in 1867, when Liberal MP John Stuart Mill, an influential thinker of classical liberalism, unsuccessfully attempted to amend the 1867 Reform Act. This piece of legislation enfranchised part of the urban male working class in England and Wales for the first time, but the amendment granting enfranchisement of all households, regardless of sex, was defeated by 194 votes to 73. The campaign to achieve improved rights for women continued in the late 19th century, but although some progress was made in areas of employment and education, attempts to achieve women’s suffrage

In the Progressive Era, ‘women reformers did not have faith in the traditional biased government. The women reform group adopted new political techniques. There techniques included marching, and demonstrating as unbiased pressure groups’. (Goldfield, ed., The American Journey: A History of the United State, pgs.

In the women 's suffrage movement the women used many different tactics to get their cause across to government. On tactic that they used was they organized a parade. The girls were smart in the timing of the parade. They that President Woodrow Wilson was getting inaugurated and that their would be a large crowd already in the area. With a large crowd it would be easier for the women to spread the word about how they should be able to vote.

Women Suffrage movement began more active after 1894. For example, “In New York City, Josephine Shaw Lowell and Mary Putnam Jacobi formed the Woman Municipal League." (Dubois, 189) This organization was primary focusing on the corruption of public. “By the early 1900s, moreover, the spirit of political reform in New York City spread beyond the elite.”

Women Suffrage movement began more active after 1894. For example, “In New York City, Josephine Shaw Lowell and Mary Putnam Jacobi formed the Woman Municipal League." (Dubois, 189) This organization was primary focusing on the corruption of public. “By the early 1900s, moreover, the spirit of political reform in New York City spread beyond the elite.”

Three rights women were fighting for during the Suffrage Movement are firstly, their right to vote. Before, women were not able to vote and it took a lot of time for them to be given the freedom. Secondly, they wanted the right to have a voice in the public office. They wanted to be able to have a say in what was happening around them and they believed that it is only fair for them to have that right. Finally, they wanted to fight for the right of not being viewed as just housewives.

Suffragettes, wanting the rights of woman to be recognized, recognized the rights that were being given to former slaves and made the case that it was now their time to receive their rights. Several suffragettes such as Susan B. Anthony fought hard to convince the American government to grant woman the right to vote. Anthony presented that "as then, the slaves who got their freedom must take it...through unjust forms of law, precisely so, now, must woman, to get their right to a voice in this government" (document 4). Suffragettes often compared themselves to slaves in relation to the rights that had been stripped from both groups of people. As a result of the civil war suffragettes became more persistent in their pursuit of Liberty and in their relationship with the American

The Women’s Suffrage Movement is one of the biggest impacts on the women in different countries around the world because it allowed women to have the right to vote, have equal rights, privileges of success, and shape the perspective of how women are seen today; but what is the Women’s Suffrage Movement? The Women’s Suffrage Movement was the movement that grasped the attention of citizens in different countries all over the world, especially women. This was a movement that consisted of upset women who were anxious to fight for the right to vote and/or run for office. This developed from the Women’s Rights Movement for overall civil rights for women around the world.

There were many different things that Pankhurst wanted to bring attention to and fight for but her key issues focused on voting rights for women, fair trials, and taxation. Pankhurst felt that in Britain, women were not being treated equally and were deserving of more rights within their society. It took up until the death of Pankhurst in 1928 for women to have the same rights as men. “Ever since my girlhood, a period of about 30 years, I have belonged to organizations to secure for women that political power which I have felt was essential to bringing about those reforms which women need.” (Pankhurst, 1).

It was an enormous social change for women to take part in public decision making, and gave them a voice to abolish unjust laws. The suffragettes in Australia argued that they were intelligent enough to vote, that it was unfair for them to be taxed without representation, and that they were equal to men therefore should have equal rights. In contrary, the suffragettes’ opponents alleged that women already had indirect power through manipulating their husbands and father’s voting choices at the ballot box, that women were equal but different and that women could not fulfil the duties of citizenship therefore should not vote. The suffragettes encouraged people to sign their petition, as well as held meeting and debates in order to gain supporters. Women in Australia used civil methods of protest, and didn’t adapt the more radical methods used by suffragettes in other countries.

Thesis Proposal Title The impact women’s right to vote had on economic growth in the U.S, as women in integrated into the labour force from the 1920’s to the 1990’s. Background Prior to the 1920s, before women got their right to vote in America. They took up in the more subservient role in society, they were not seen as equal to the men.

Suffrages chose to take a more militant style approach to capture the attention of the government in a way that could not be ignored. They became a public nuisance in terms of publically demonstrating their frustration through actions rather than words. In “Freedom or Death,” Pankhurst speaks on behalf of the suffrage women, “we were called militant, and were quite willing to accept the name. We were determined to press this question of the enfranchisement of women to the point where we were no longer ignored by the politicians” (Pankhurst, 2). Though militant had a negative association, the suffragists prided their actions fighting for an honourable peace.

This speech was given on November 13th, 1913 by Emmeline Pankhurst, who has been called the mother of British suffragette movement, in Hartford, Connecticut. She was on a fundraising tour across the United States and it became her most famous talk. She addressed to an audience filled with men but also women such as Katherine Houghton Hepburn (mother of the movie star) who was also a leader of the American suffrage, an audience assembled by Connecticut Women's Suffrage Association. Pankhurst's intentions were to justify the aggressive tactics the movement had taken and to encourage women to join their forces, it was also known her aim was also to increase fundraising to go on fighting for their cause.