In the early part of the 20th century, the term "suffragette" was used to refer to members of a militant, feminist movement in the United Kingdom that sought to give women the right to vote. The label was used to distinguish the followers of Emmeline Pankhurst from less militant suffragists.

In this new writing activity from History Study Center (free trial signups), find out more about the suffragettes and evaluate the effectiveness of the protest strategies they used.

Two suffragettes help the cause
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The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was a mainly middle-class organization founded by Pankhurst in 1903. Initially, the movement was ignored by press and politicians, but in 1905, Pankhurst decided to become more militant by disrupting political meetings and breaking shop windows.

In 1912 the Liberal government agreed to include female suffrage in a Franchise Bill, but the Speaker ruled this out of order, as it would change the nature of the original bill. The suffragettes responded by increasing their militancy: almost every shop window in Regent Street and Oxford Street in London was broken, paintings were slashed in art galleries, and public buildings were set on fire. Emily Davison threw herself in front of the king's horse in the 1913 Derby and was killed. All this violent agitation turned public opinion against the suffragettes, whose campaign came to an abrupt halt when war was declared in 1914.

Ironically, much of what the suffragettes wanted came about not through their protests but because of the efforts of ordinary women during the war. Such women encouraged the recruitment of soldiers and took the place of men in industry. The important role played by women during the war helped persuade the British parliament to give the vote to women over 30 in 1918 and women over 21 in 1928.

Writing Activity

1. Have students examine the History Study Center study unit on the Women's Suffrage Movement in Britain.
   
   To access this unit, login to HSC, click the Study Units button, enter suffrage into the Keyword(s) box, and click search. The Britain unit will appear first in your results.
   
   Researchers should focus their reading on the topic of Pankhurst and the suffragettes, paying particular attention to the more militant strategies used by Pankhurst and her followers to draw attention to their cause. Students should also note how the public reacted to these strategies.



2. Assign students to write a two-part essay. In the first part, have students imagine that they live in the early part of the 20th century and are followers of Pankhurst. Each student should then write a brief defense of the methods that the group employed in an effort to gain the right to vote for women.
   
   In the second half of the essay, students should imagine that they are critics of the suffragettes and that they are trying to persuade these women that their methods of protesting are ineffective.

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