Alice Paul's Determination in Women's Suffrage

First and foremost, the fight for women’s rights is something that has occurred throughout time not only in the United States, but in every part of the world. When it comes to the United States, one cannot deny that it was an important historical event. “The struggle for women’s suffrage in the United States had occupied better part of a century” (Source 1). Truly a struggle, for it was not acknowledged by men in the past, primarily white man who had full rights in the nation. Susan B. Anthony was an important leading figure of the Suffrage Movement and contributed to the Suffrage Movement.

The Progressive Era was an era of reforms to bring the United States up from its corrupted and poverty-stricken condition. In light of these reforms, new ideas were formed, challenging tradition. Of these, the early women’s civil rights movements of the late 1890’s to late 1910’s stood as one of the most prominent. In 1917, towards the end of the era and right before President Wilson ratified the 19th Amendment, feminist and journalist Alice Stone Blackwell responded to possible outcomes if women were allowed the right to vote. Blackwell’s response towards anti-suffrage ideals is significant to the Progressive Era due to her deconstruction of the arguments against women’s suffrage, essentially revealing its acceptance would not present a

When the time came to push for the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment a group of women stood together to let their voice be heard. As Alice Paul said, "We came to be heard, not to be questioned or to be turned around. We will answer your questions and you may turn us around, but we will prove the burden of justice in our favor then you can no longer make us leave. With that we will

The fight for women suffrage was one of the largest reform movements of the Progressive era. In the twentieth century, it was hard for American’s to understand why the right to vote was a big disagreement. Alan Brinkley, an American historian, wrote, “that woman

The battle for suffrage was a long and slow process. Many women tried to initiate the fight for suffrage, like Alice Paul and Lucy Burns. “These were the New Suffragists: women who were better educated, more career-oriented, younger, less apt to be married and more cosmopolitan than their previous generation.” (pg 17) Eventually, in 1920, the 19th amendment was ratified; allowing women to vote, but it was not any one person or event that achieved this great feat. It was the confluence of certain necessary factors, the picketing and parades led by Alice Paul, militaristic suffrage parties and the influence of the media that caused the suffrage amendment to be passed and ratified in 1920. But most importantly, they successfully moved both

Alice Paul was one of the most necessary factors in the equation for Women's Suffrage. Her bold tactics revitalized the suffragists movement and allowed for her to achieve her long term goals. She is the most important person of this time period because she never compromises her beliefs in the face of adversity. From a young age she was taught that she deserved unconditional equal rights. This is a radical notion that will drive her work throughout the rest of her life. She underwent arrests, forced feedings and protest after protest all in the name of equality. This message still resonates with people today as this generation fights for their rights.

To this day the women’s suffrage movement ignites women in the present to keep those right burning. Alice Paul and her fellow women suffrages demonstrated through speeches, lobbying and petitioning Congressional Committees, with parades, picketing and demonstrations, and with arrest that lead to imprisonment. These women express courage that women still uphold for years after their legacy has passed on, such as the article “Women’s Strike for Equality,” by Linda Napikoski, in the demonstration that was held on August 26, 1970 on the 50th anniversary of women’s suffrage. As well as an article “Women to Protest For Equality Today,” by United Press that talks about on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the women’s suffrage and “declared war on firms that Damage the Image,” of the fair sex. Alice Paul, set the stage for inspiring women to fight for their rights everywhere across the world.

Making this movement public was essential in ratification of the Constitution. Paul organized women on all levels. She knew that selling the movement to the American people would further the cause. Her first attempt was to campaign against all Democratic candidates. That did not do much to the political party. She had to reformulate a plan. She organized a group of women to picket the White House daily, except for Sundays, with banners of the President’s own speeches written on them. Papers often carried the stories of the suffragettes’ struggles. When World War I was declared, that changed.

The division between NAWSA and NWP was portrayed in the film and it has relevance to the course because it ties into what the article “breaking down barriers for women” revolved around. The older women were not on board with the strategies and because of that asked Paul to raise the funds for the parade she wanted to conduct. The split was based on tactics. The NAWSA led by Carrie Chapman Catt wanted a state by state approach while Alice Paul, who led NWP had more aggressive techniques. Picketing the white house was considered an aggressive approach to NAWSA. Although they were aggressive, they were not violent. There was more determination coming from the NWP. NAWSA waited patiently as asked by President Wilson. The President ignored the issue and said it was because he had no knowledge nor was he familiar with the issue.

Elizabeth’s first major fight within the world of feminism was after the Civil War had ended, and slavery had been abolished. She joined with Fredrick Douglas, Susan B. Antony, and many other influential women of the time, to create the American Equal Suffrage Association. This group was created to not only secure the voting rights of American women but also the voting right for any freed slave. However, once the bill that had been created to ratify the fifteenth amendment came to the senate floor, it was discovered that although the bill included rights for colored men to vote, it excluded the word ‘sex’, therefore it did not give women the right to vote. The women’s movement of the American Equal Suffrage Association was outraged by the injustice done and they went on to continue the fight for equality without Fredrick Douglas.

National Women’s Party was one of the popular organizations that focused more on dramatic tactics like hunger strikes, picketing the White house and other

This new generation of activists fought with this new agenda for almost 20 years until a few states in the West began to extend the vote to women. The Eastern and Southern states still refused to give in, but this didn’t stop the National American Woman Suffrage Association. In 1916, Carrie Chapman Catt, president of the NAWSA, worked vigorously to get women’s organizations from all over the country together and fight side by side. “One group of activists, led by Alice Paul and her National Woman’s Party, lobbied for full quality for women under the law” (Divine). She used mass marches and hunger strikes as strategies, but she was eventually forced to resign because of her insistence on the use of militant direct-action tactics (Grolier). Finally, during World War 1, women were given more opportunities to work, and were able to show that they were just as deserving as men when it came to the right to vote. On August 18th, 1920, the 19th amendment was ratified, allowing women to vote. This drawn-out and arduous battle opened a new window of opportunity for women all over the country. Significant changes in both social life and job availability began to create what is now referred to as the “new women.”

I would like to meet Alice Paul to ask her why she believed women had a right to vote in America. Many people today view feminism as unnecessary because the types of things they fight for is taboo. However, challenging what is deemed socially acceptable is the only way to create changes. At her time, people similarly viewed women as having enough rights because women were just supposed to be housewives yet Alice Paul did not agree with this. She and many great others lived as catalysts for change. These people have a different type of passion living inside their hearts telling their minds that what is normal does not necessarily mean it is correct. I would want to ask her why the way women were treated at the time was not enough; why she believed

Paul’s materialism has a number of manifestations that, when looked at closely, reveal the protagonist’s deep dissatisfaction with himself and his life. One of them is his inconsideration toward his family. Throughout the narrative, Paul’s father and sisters are only mentioned as a part of the disturbing setting. Paul does not possess emotional attachment to his relatives, neither does he care about their feelings or well-being. The main character only points out

Paul's mother tries to show others that she is a good mother even though "at the center of her heart