Why Did Some Women Get the Vote in 1918?

Moreover, due to great frustration the Suffragettes were formed as their vote was still not passed. Between 1909 and 1914 the motto of their campaign had expanded - "Deeds not Words". This meant that peaceful methods were abolished by them and militant tactics were reforced, such as smashing windows, pepper bombing various places and setting fire to pillar boxes. Their aim was to be recognised all over Britain as they were desperate for the vote. The death of one of the dedicated followers, Emily Davison led to the Hunger campaign. This resulted to force feeding in prisons as the members refused to eat whilst they suffered from imprisonment. Furthermore, this resulted in the Temporary Discharge Act in 1912, which is also known as the "Cat and Mouse Act". Therefore, the Suffragettes gained alot of publicity and sympathy for the women's suffrage as women were dying or suffered from a great deal of pain for their beliefs. This also put pressure on politicians to appease women. However, their was distinct male back-lash against the Suffragette as they were vigorously violent and seemed undeserving of the vote due to their methods. Martin

Throughout the years, the use of imprisonment has varied, along with its influences of society. It is thought that although prisons have been around since the thirteenth century, prisons as we know them now to be have only been around for the last three centuries. The first uses of prisons were not seen as a form of punishment instead they were used as a way of making people do something. People would be held in prison until they paid their debts, or awaiting trial and then leading up to their sentence. McGowen (1995) suggests that from the early 1700s ‘bridewells’ a house of correction have existed, however at that time being used merely for vagrants and drunks. At the end of the sixteenth century there was a shift in punishment to imprisonment, along with this came a new, more humane idea of reform. Criminals would spend their days of prison carrying out hard labour. However after the American Revolution, imprisonment took a step back and there was another change. There was mass overcrowding within the prison service and although the death penalty was still being used it was a symbol of the power of the state. Therefore, an everyday way of dealing with offenders would be transportation to the colonies, being either Australia or America.

Why Women Gained the Vote in 1918 In 1918, women had finally gained the right to vote, after 68 long and hard years of campaigning and rebelling they finally got the vote they wanted. The women had tried everything like campaigning, getting them selves arrested, using the media and many more things were done. However, there were a couple of things that they did which really helped them get the right to vote and they were the fact that they helped the men in World War I, like loading the bombs shells with explosives and tidying the bomb shelters.

Women’s rights is apparent in the fight for suffrage in the late 1800’s-early 1900’s . It can

What were some reasons women wanted the right to vote? In the 19th century Women’s Voting Rights began when male suffrage extended in many countries. African American men achieved their voting rights before the women. Many people looked at this as sexist towards the women. After this amendment women became more determined to achieve their rights and started movements towards Women Suffrage. Many men and women tried preventing the process of Women Rights. Yet women who believed in their own rights didn’t give up hope to one day have the same rights as any other individual.

World War I also provided women with the means to finally achieve suffrage. Groups such as the National American Woman Suffrage Association, led by Carrie Chapman Catt, enthusiastically joined the war effort, thereby intertwining patriotism and women’s rights. After the House of Representatives passed the women’s suffrage amendment in January 1918, President Wilson told the nation, “We have made partners of the women in this war. Shall we admit them only to a partnership of suffering and sacrifice and toil and not to a partnership of privilege and right?” (James and Wells, 67-68). True political equality did not result from the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment—very few female candidates were elected in the 1920s—but, in the words of Allen, “the winning of the suffrage had its effect. It consolidated woman’s position as man’s equal” (96).

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.”

Women were trying to get the vote for many years before 1900, however this was not a serious concern and they were not doing much to achieve this. However in 1900 this all changed. The NUWSS (Suffragists) and the WSPU (Suffragettes) were set up in the early years of 1900; their goal was to allow women to get the vote. Their reason was that women were already allowed to work on city councils and become doctors, some notable ones too such as Florence Nightingale. The NUWSS believed that if women were house owners and had respectable jobs they should be allowed to vote. This is because men who were allowed to vote could be white slave owners and lunatics so why could these men vote and

In the source, Sigerson wrote about how Suffragettes were treated in prison, and about how many of them attempted to go on hunger strike, but were force-fed, which was introduced by the government in 1909. From my own knowledge, I know that force-feeding was introduced as the government didn’t want the WSPU to have a martyr, which is what would happen if they let the women who were attempting to go on hunger strike do so. He also discusses how these women were put in

In 1918 it wasn’t fair for the women to take over all of the jobs. They should have been treated better. Although there wasn’t anyone around to help besides their children. A lot of the time the girls and boys would help out around the house. But mostly the women were cleaning the house, buying the food, harvesting the crops, taking care of the animals as well as their children. Women had a lot to go through when their husbands were away. Women's suffrage was something that needed to be seen

In 1918 at the final stages of the war, there were at least 1 million more people working than at the commencement of the war. Women would undoubtedly have an enormous impact on the outcome of the war, which may have convinced the Government into the thinking that giving women the vote, was not an outrageous proposal. The women also worked as nurses in the red cross centes, which were set up just after the beginnin of the war. There were also hospitality organisations set up for the attained of the Belgians to England. The women also worked in munitions in the war, but before the war the women wouldn't have been allowed anywhere near weapons, because the Government thought that women weren't to be trusted.

Prisoners not abiding by silence or working rules were punished. Punishments ranged from diets of bread and water, banishment to the 'dark hole' or whippings with a cat-o'-nine-tail. (Johnson & Wolfe: 135)

The main request of this source, and of the NUWSS, was for votes to be given to women. The way that the NUWSS made their appeal in this source gives an idea of the opposition being faced. Their desire for voting rights here is encompassed in the language of the private sphere. Often, anti-suffrage arguments centred around fears that women's involvement in politics would lead to the neglect of their female

This gave birth to a new dawn of hope to women the length and breadth

From an early age, Sylvia and her sister Christabel adopted a participative role as it can be seen in the following quote “My sister Christabel and I [...] already took a lively interest in all the proceedings and tried as hard as we could to make ourselves useful, writing out notice in big” (Pankhurst, 1991; 5). Moreover, In words of Sylvia Pankhurst, she and her sister Christabel tended to attend, with certain frequency, to Women’s suffrage meetings acting as journalist creating reportes in little manuscript magazine, which they both wrote and illustrate (Pankhurst, 1991; 5). In 1906, Sylvia focused completely into the W.S.P.U. an activity that she combined with her association and participation in the Labour Party. During 1908, when the W.S.P.U. switched to violent actions, suffragettes suffered one of their very early imprisonments in the Holloway Prison, as in many other future occasions, due to their tactic of braking glasses in public buildings. During their imprisonment it is known that suffragettes often tend to start hunger strikes, the origin of this protest is related to the suffragette Marion Wallace-Dunlop imprisoned in 1909 becoming the first women on acting in such way, and why later on would be followed by other militants as it can be seen in the following