Emmeline Pankhurst

Emmeline Pankhurst

Who was she ?

Emmeline Goulden was born on July 14 or 15, 1858, in Manchester, England. Both her parents supported equal suffrage (voting rights) for men and women.

When she was 14 years old, Emmeline became a dedicated suffragist after she attended a women’s suffrage meeting with her mother.

https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/Emmeline-Pankhurst/631712

The suffragette movement

Emmeline Pankhurst (photo), her daughters Christabel, Sylvia and Adela Pankhurst, and also a small group of women founded the Women’s Social and Political Union in 1903. (also known as the suffragette movement.)

Why did they create this movement ?

In Edwardian Britain, women weren’t allowed to vote in general elections, but Emmeline believed that women should have a say in laws that affected their lives, by having the right to vote.

Definition

The suffragette movement was a long fight to win the right to vote for women in the United Kingdom.Suffrage means the right to vote in parliamentary and general elections.

LET's tAKE ACTION

Their motto was 'Deeds (= actions) Not Words' and they began using more aggressive tactics to get people to listen.

Emmeline’s daughters were involved in the movement, and in 1905, Christabel was arrested for interrupting a government meeting. Actions like these drew publicity as well as new members, and soon the group began harassing politicians, holding rallies, smashing windows, starting fires, sending letter bombs and chaining themselves to railings.

WHAT WERE THE CONSEQUENCES ?

As a consequence, many Suffragettes were sent to prison. They protested against the refusal to treat them as political prisoners by going on hunger strike*

As the campaign became increasingly militant, over a thousand Suffragettes, including Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters Christabel, Sylvia and Adela, received prison sentences for their actions..

Very soon, the authorities decided to introduce forcible feeding of hunger striking prisoners.Mixtures of milk, eggs or other liquid foods were poured into the stomach.Struggling Suffragettes could suffer broken teeth, bleeding, vomiting and choking as food was poured into the lungs.

DID IT WORK ?

The Representation of the People Act of 1928, establishing voting equality for men and women, was passed a few weeks after Emmeline Pankhurst's death. It was the suffragette movement that contributed to this new law.

Many suffragettes gave up* campaigning to support the war effort.

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