THE SUFFRAGETTES

The cause of suffrage and the suffragettes was because in 1897 WSPU (Women’s Social and Political Union) was founded by Emily Pankhurst and Christabel Pankhurst. They believed that every women deserved the right to do so many thing but there main focus was to vote.

The Pankhurst sisters had created riots but of just the two of them. A new member had joined the union, Annie Kenney. That is when Christabel and Annie had gone to a political meeting and walked in where they had asked two Liberal Politicians if women should have the right to vote, neither of them answered so these women pulled out a banner saying “Votes for Women” they shouted at them for an answer. This had caused that the women to be arrested.

In 1912 was a turning point for the British suffragettes as they turned to using more militant tactic, chaining themselves to railings, setting fire to post box contents, smashing windows and occasionally detonating bombs. When World War came into place that is when women started taking the men’s jobs but were responsible of much more which was what they wanted.

Effect:

As Christabel Pankhurst and Annie Kenney were imprisoned, they went on hunger strikes Suffragettes were refused the right to be recognised as political prisoners and many of them staged hunger strikes while they were imprisoned. The first woman to refuse food was Marion Wallace Dunlop, a militant suffragette who was sentenced to a month in Holloway for vandalism in July 1909. Without consulting suffragette leaders such as Pankhurst. Dunlop refused food in protest at being denied political prisoner status. After a 91-hour hunger strike, and for fear of her becoming a martyr.

The Home Secretary Herbert Gladstone decided to release her early on medical grounds. Dunlop's strategy was adopted by other suffragettes who were incarcerated. It became common practice for suffragettes to refuse food in protest for not being designated as political prisoners, and as a result they would be released after a few days and could return to fighting for women’s right to vote. Dunlop payed it forward to the suffragettes and then the women’s population had enlarged heavily.

Long Term Effect:

The long term effects that came from the suffragettes were things like women got the right to vote but still in today’s day of age women have less jobs and get payed less. Women and men are currently fighting for women to be payed the same as men.