Women’s Vote – Suffragettes

Women’s VoteWhat were the main factors involved in the gaining of the vote by woman?Suffragettes: Suffrage – ‘the right to vote’The NUWS (National Union Of Women’s Suffrage)  was founded in 1897 by Milicent Fawcett, with aims and of objectives to gain the vote for women. We will never know, but the likely mission statement was ‘To rally, debate and show good will – for the cause of gaining woman suffrage’. The main idea behind the group was to show the male population that women too, were worthy of the vote. Her main success came from her main argument! That women ranked high in society had the vote, why then did all women not vote? – this argument may have been the reason for the conversion of many in what was to become, the ‘Labour Party’. In 1903, many disgruntled women left the party and formed the WSPU (Women’s Social and Political Union), better known as the ‘Suffragettes’. The movement was founded by Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst and was prepared to use violence when necessary. At around 1905, the cause became violent, with political meetings being attacked, windows smashed and buildings burnt down. Emmiline Pankhurst states in her autobiography; “we interrupted a great many meetings……and we were violently thrown out and insulted. Often we were painfully bruised and hurt.” – Some statements (spoken at the time) gained a significant amount of sympathy and awareness for the cause. With the realisation that prison would gain them more of an audience, the women allowed this to happen and then simply went on hunger strike once they were inside. This concerned the government as martyrs would help the Suffragettes and so they made the fatal decision to force-feed the women, which resulted in public outrage and several resignations. All they could do to respond was introduce the ‘Cat and Mouse Act’, this gave them the power to imprison the women, let them free at the last moment to feed themselves, and then re-imprison them the minute they recovered. This only encouraged the movement and it wasn’t long before Emily Wilding Davidson ‘threw’ herself under the King’s horse at the 1913 June Derby. Although there are many plausible explanations as to how she came to be under the horse, most evidence does suggest she either threw herself, or tripped. When was broke out in 1914, the Suffragettes ‘lay down arms’, and put their strength towards the war effort, mainly health and munitions factories, given them the name, the ‘Canaries’.Although there are several other reasons (all strong), the Suffragettes are considered the main reason behind Women gaining the vote!“To no form of religion is woman indebted for one impulse of freedom.”“It is our duty to make this world a better place for women.”“Ability is sexless.”“Remember the dignity of your womanhood. Take courage, join hands, stand beside us, fight with us.”