'Deeds not Words'

'We are here, not because we are law-breakers; we are here in our efforts to become law-makers' - Emmeline Pankhurst (1858-1928).

This blog post will be about the Suffragette movement. This is something that is very personal to me. I have always advocated equality between the sexes, and would absolutely call myself a proud intersectional feminist. I learned about the Suffragettes in school, and it was a movement that truly resonated with me. We learned about their courage and bravery, but also their sacrifice. They campaigned for the right to vote and hoped this would accompany wider reforms . I do believe, that nothing is more powerful than a voice. These women risked their livelihoods, and paved the way for change and equality. They represented strong, opinionated women who fought for what they believed in. I would like to think I am this type of woman too. Due to their hardship and sacrifice, modern women can vote in the UK. This should not be taken for granted. This is now a RIGHT. But, it was not a right that was freely given to women. This should not be forgotten.

So, why did the Suffragettes want the vote?

In this period, there was total inequality between men and women. To start, women were not able to vote, to become an MP, to graduate from Oxford or Cambridge University and to become policewomen/lawyers/jurors etc. These are just a few inequalities that existed in the public sphere. In the private sphere, women were far more oppressed. Men could divorce their wife for adultery, but women must PROVE their husband’s adultery to be granted a divorce. Also, rape in marriage was not identified as a crime. There were many other ridiculous laws, that clearly benefited the man and disadvantaged the woman. The call for action came from both Suffragettes AND Suffragists. They are very easy to distinguish from each other. The suffragettes (WSPU) believed in violent, political action. Whilst, the Suffragists (NUWSS) believed in peaceful campaigning. Whilst briefly mentioning the suffragists, I will be focusing on the Suffragettes.

The Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) was founded by Emmeline Pankhurst (my hero) in 1903. She was the founder of the Suffragette movement, and her daughters are closely linked with the WSPU. In 1906, Daily Mail writer Charles Hands coined the term ‘Suffragette’ in a bid to mock them for seeking suffrage. After an exhausting period, consisting of brutal deaths and force feeding, the Representation of the People Act (1918) was passed. This allowed women over the age of thirty to vote, but only if they met certain regulations. This was deemed a partial victory. Emmeline Pankhurst sadly died on the 14th June 1928, two weeks before the real victory. The revised Representation of the People Act (1928) extended the vote to all women over the age of twenty-one. Emmeline lived to see the introduction of this bill, but she sadly did not experience it coming into law. I recognize this is a subject that many know about and love, so I have tried to stay away from the obvious facts. Here are seven things you may not know…

1. Inequalities

The Victorian and Edwardian period provided women with virtually no rights. All women were upheld to the expectation of wife, mother and worker. Women were legal property of their husbands. They were disadvantaged both in the public and private sphere, and lived with stark inequalities to their spouse. Even Queen Victoria, did not support the idea of women’s right to vote. Women were defined in their domestic sphere, and were required to provide in every sense. They were expected to keep their household clean, cook the food, and to raise the children. Amongst this, many women and their daughters worked in factories (commonly exploited) for very little pay. This pay would also be lesser than a mans. Unsurprisingly, the pay gap still exists today. Society taught women that marriage was essential, and many women married young. Once they were married, the woman lost ownership of her wages and of all her physical property. The limited rights they had were given to their husbands. The marriage placed the man in control of his wife, their money and their home. The poem “The Angel in the House” by Coventry Patmore describes perfectly what the expectations for women were like. Overall, women’s rights in this period were extremely limited.

2. Split between peaceful and militant approaches

The difference between the Suffragettes and Suffragists was distinctive. Millicent Garett Fawcett founded the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) and led the Suffragist campaign. They adopted peaceful approaches and highlighted their refusal to participate in violent tactics. They proposed suffrage could be achieved by reason and education. Mostly, their methods included petitions, public meetings and posters. By 1914, the NUWSS had grown its membership to 54,000. Many women did not want to involve themselves in the volatile tactics of the WSPU. However, the NUWSS was largely criticized by the WSPU for its lack of diversity. Most of their members were middle and upper class women. The Suffragettes were the complete opposite. In Manchester, Emmeline founded the WSPU with her daughters Christabel and Sylvia. This was a working-class women’s movement. They boasted their militant approach with their infamous motto: ‘Deeds not Words’. Adopting all approaches, they chained themselves to parliament, disrupted public meetings and damaged a lot of public property. The Suffragettes also used non-militant tactics. Their newspaper, Votes for Women, sold approx. 20,000 copies every week in the UK. Both groups stopped campaigning in 1914, in a bid to boost patriotic morale. The First World War was approaching, and they decided the fight should be halted.

3. Suffragettes weren’t just women – they were men too!

Indeed, the Suffragette movement is rightly accredited to women. But, what is interesting is the lack of information on the few men that helped the fight. Keir Hardie (Labour MP) spoke on many occasions about women's rights in the House of Commons. He questioned the treatment of Suffragette prisoners, and gave his support by attending the WSPU’s rallies and meetings. George Lansbury (Labour MP) also supported the WSPU. In 1913, he was imprisoned after making a speech which supported their arson attacks. These men were few, but they were there. Some men were also militant in their support. Frederick Pethick-Lawrence was the co-editor of ‘Votes for Women’ with his wife Emmeline. His wife, Emmeline Pethick, was known for being an active campaigner. On several occasions, Frederick was imprisoned. He joined the women on their hunger strike, and was forcibly fed many times. Richard Pankhurst also supported women’s rights. He was an influential figure in the movement, as he drafted the first women’s suffrage bill in the UK. This was known as the ‘Women’s Disabilities Removal Bill’. He also proposed the ‘Married Women’s Property Act’ in 1882. This allowed married women to have ownership of their wages and property. His five daughters with Emmeline all became Suffragettes.

4. Suffragettes had died before Emily Wilding Davison

On the 8th June, it will be 105 years since Emily Davison’s death. Davison was a prominent suffragette who fought for women’s rights alongside the WSPU. She believed in their militant tactics and was arrested on nine occasions. She underwent hunger strike several times, and was force fed on forty-nine occasions. She was known to break windows and use arson in her attacks. Three times, she hid overnight in the Palace of Westminster. Davison attended the 1913 Epsom Derby with many other suffragettes. Davison was to hold a Votes for Women banner to attract the King’s attention. It was not planned for her to run onto the track. Davison died after being hit by King George V’s horse. There has always been debate surrounding her death. This is due to the authorities having found a return train ticket in her bag. Whether it was an accident or for the cause, it caught national attention. Her funeral on the 14th of June 1913 was organized by the WSPU. There was a procession of 5,000 suffragettes and 50,000 of the public lined the route through London. However, she was not the first woman to die for the cause. Mary Jane Clarke was Emmeline Pankhurst’s younger sister, and member of the WSPU. She was Emmeline’s registrar in Manchester, during the early days of the union. Clarke was arrested many times, and force fed. In 1910, Clarke died due to the force-feeding they subjected Suffragette prisoners too. She was described by Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence as “the first woman martyr who has gone to death for this cause” (Elizabeth Crawford).

5. Force-feeding in prison was COMMON

If you were a Suffragette, police brutality and force-feeding were common. Sadly, these women would be imprisoned constantly throughout their campaign. Once imprisoned, they would embark on hunger strikes. The doctors had no problem with this, and would force-feed them. The practice of this was barbaric and inhumane. It caused long-term health issues, but also psychological issues for the women. The WSPU believed that working-class prisoners were treated much worse, than middle and upper class prisoners. Lady Constance Lytton was imprisoned in 1909, and went on hunger strike. She was not forcibly fed, and was released after just two days. She believed the doctors treated her differently because of her status, and she wanted to prove this. She re-joined the WSPU as ‘Jane Warton’ (a working-class woman). She was arrested in Liverpool, and forcibly fed eight times. This proved the WSPU’s point. On release, suffragettes would be awarded with commemorative medals for their valour (given by other Suffragettes). In 1913, the Cat and Mouse Act passed. This allowed the prison to release hunger-striking Suffragettes when they became too weak, and re-arrest them when they recovered. As an example, Emmeline Pankhurst was imprisoned and released on 11 occasions. By 1914, stories had emerged about the involvement of drugs used on the women. These drugs would make them docile, and easier to force feed. Masses of public, media and medical outrage followed.

6. The Fourth Pankhurst: Adela

The face of the Suffragette movement has always been Emmeline Pankhurst. But also, her daughters Christabel and Sylvia. Unknown to most, there was another Pankhurst daughter: Adela. She joined the WSPU, and agreed with their militant approaches. In November 1909, Adela joined a protest that disturbed a talk by Winston Churchill in Dundee. She was arrested and imprisoned. Adela slapped a policeman who tried to evict her from the building during the protest. She was among the first group to hunger strike in prison. However, she had many arguments with her mother and sisters. Her mother disagreed with many of her opinions. Eventually, she was presented with the only option given to her. A ticket to Australia, twenty pounds and the introduction to a prominent Australian suffragette.

7. There were women who did NOT want the vote!

Resistance did not just come from men; it came from women too. Many women campaigned against the Suffragettes, on the basis it was unladylike or unwomanly. Just before 1914, the anti-suffrage group collected half a million signatures against the Suffragettes. For modern readers, it is hard to understand why they would not want equality. In this period, politics was a dominant male sphere. It was not one that involved women, and many women did not want to be involved. Therefore, many felt they did not have the right to talk about it. This was partly due to their gender and place in society. In this period, there was a general acceptance of a woman’s place. This was based on the notion that women were weaker and inferior to men. Both men and women believed this. it was a hierarchical society, and many did not come around to the idea of women being in power. Even though, there was quite literally a woman in power: Queen Victoria.

If you’re interested in this topic and would like to know more, I’d highly recommend Maggie Andrew’s ‘101 You Need to Know About Suffragettes'. It’s a quick read, but it’s fantastic. It’s great at highlighting some of the less popular facts. So, I hope you have enjoyed this one! I certainly have. Feel free to ask me any questions you have in the comment box below! Thank you!

A few bits of mine!