Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters helped to get women the right to vote in Britain. Through their leadership and the actions of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) women were finally granted the same equal voting rights as men. Emmeline's militant tactics and radical ideas for the equality of women set an example for other suffragettes and change in countries around the world. Britain came after New Zealand, Norway, Austria, Finland, and other areas as one of the first countries to grant voting rights for women.

Emmeline Pankhurst was born in Manchester England during the height of the Industrial Revolution. Her mother and father were activists in reform movements and right from the start, it was known that Emmeline was going to change the world. In 1879 she married Richard Pankhurst. Richard was a member of Parliament. He, along with support from his colleague, philosopher, John Stuart Mill, drafted the first bill proposing giving women the vote. Richard and Emmeline had three children Christabel, Sylvia, and Adela. All three children supported their parents' causes and participated in the WSPU. Together Emmeline and Richard moved to London where Richard tried to set up a law practice. All of his efforts were denied because of his radical views. Emmeline was forced to open a fancy goods shop to supplement for their income.

This is a picture of Emmleline and Richard Pankhurst. The couple sought further rights for women in Great Britiain.

In 1893 New Zealand granted women's suffrage. Women in Great Britain were still far from achieving this goal. It was not until 1889 when Emmeline founded the Women's Franchise League that people in Great Britain seriously began to think about women's voting rights. 1894 marked a turning point in British history. It was in this year that married women were granted the right to vote in local but not national elections. Emmeline was proud of women's achievements but knew that the fight was not over yet, it was in fact just beginning. In 1898, Richard Pankhurst died. It was then that Emmeline took a job at the register of births and deaths. This increased her involvement with working and overburdened women and raised her awareness of the struggle of women.

This is an image of one of Emmeline's followers. She had strong support throughout the world by many women. People went to all extremes, from peaceful protests to violent demonstrations, to preach their ideas about women's suffrage.

The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was founded in 1903 by Emmeline. This group of women participated in democratic demonstrations and pubic acts of violence. By 1905 media organizations had lost interest in the women's suffrage movement. To regain the media's attention and gain that of the government's members of the WSPU began to take more violent approaches. In 1908 women suffragettes broke the windows of the Prime Minister's house. This act of breaking windows of government building became routine for suffragettes. In the same year a large demonstration took place in London in which WSPU women attempted to enter the House of Commons.

At this event the police arrested many women, including Emmeline. The new idea of violence adopted by many women appalled British citizens, never before had women taken charge and acted this way before. While in prison suffragettes followed the lead of Marion Dunlop, who refused to eat during her prison sentence in 1909. Marion was released because of her actions and prison authorities had to force feed hunger-striking women rather then set them all free. The practice of hunger-strikes became common with women of the WSPU who had been imprisoned. Over an eighteen month period of the women's suffrage movement in Great Britain, Emmeline went on total of ten hunger-strikes. Parliament was forced to pass the Cat and Mouse Act. This allowed hunger-striking women to be released from prison under the condition that they continue their sentence after they regained their strength.

This picture represents the force that the police used agains the militant actions of the WSPU. Their actions, which led to many of them being placed in jail, surprised and disgusted many British citizens.	This image is of Emmeline and her daughter, Christabel. The two suffragettes are in their prison clothes. It shows what the women would wear when they were sent to jail for their protests. The women endured great hardships to win the right to vote.

Despite the objections of various suffragettes the WSPU took their fights even further. In 1913 two houses of government employees against women's suffrage were attempted to be burned by some members of the WSPU. Also racecourse stands and golf club houses were burned by the group.

In 1918 Prime Minister, David Lloyd George granted women over age 30 the right to vote. In 1928 women were given the right to vote at the same age as men through the Representation of the People Act. Emmeline Pankhurst died three weeks after the bill's passing. Her goals were achieved and her dreams fulfilled just before her death.

By 1914 more than a thousand suffragettes, including all the leading members, had been imprisoned. Due to this and the start of WWI the fight for women's voting rights in Great Britain was put on hold. During this time Emmeline Pankhurst traveled to other countries to urge the industrial mobilization of their female populations. She along with other leading women of the WSPU negotiated with the British government. The WSPU forfeited their militant actions in exchange for a government release of all imprisoned suffragettes. The women demonstrated on busy London streets for an end to the war. The women gained public sympathy by stopping their campaign and supporting the war efforts.

Many people disapproved of the militant actions of the WSPU. Although some men supported the cause of women's suffrage, many men did not agree because they felt that they were superior to women and women were not capable of becoming involved with governmental issues. Some men formed anti-suffrage groups. For example, a main group against women's suffrage was the Anti-Suffrage League. This group was lead by a woman, Mary Humphrey Ward. Ward believed that women's suffrage was "a more dangerous leap in the dark than it was in the 1860's." The British government was against the women's movement because of the violent actions they had taken against members of the government. There were some women, such as Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence, a WSPU leader and Elizabeth Robbins who disliked the militant actions of the group. Pethick-Lawrence was removed from the group because of her opinion and Robbins resigned. Although many were against the actions of the women in the end the women overcame the diversities and won the struggle to vote.

This is an original postcard created by the leaders of the Anti-Suffrage League in 1908. This image shows how other people thought of women voting.

The WSPU's ideas spread to American women and Americans used the actions of British suffragettes as an example for their own movement. Emmeline inspired Alice Paul to start the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). She also began an American/English Women's Franchise League with Elizabeth Cady Santon in 1887. The United States granted women the right to vote in 1920, shortly after Great Britain.

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Castle, Barbara. Sylvia and Christabel Pankhurst. Middlesex, England: Penguin Books, 1987.

"Historik suffragetter." URL: http://www.jamstalldhet.nu/jmst/rostr/historia/s_emmelp.htm/ (10 Dec. 2000).

Iavarons, Mike."Thumbnail Bio, Mrs. Emmeline Pankhurst."1996-2000 URL:http://www.worldwar1.com/biocpank.htm (11 Dec. 2000).

Lewis, Jone Johnson. "Women's History: Emmeline Pankhurst." About the Human Internet. URL: http://womenshistory.abou.com/homework/womenshistory/library /qu/blqupank.htm (16 Oct. 2000).

Marjorie Spruill Wheeler ed. One Woman, One Vote. Troutdale, Oregon: NewSage Press, 1995. 237, 277, 281.

McFadden, Kathleen."Women's Stories, The Week's Famouse and Infamous Women." 1999-2000. URL: http://writetools.com/women/stories/pankhurst_emmeline.html (10 Dec. 2000).

McIntyre, Laura. "History Investigation Project. Emmeline Pankhurst~Instrumental in leading women to the vote." 1998. http://www./excite.zetnet.co.uk/emmeline.htm (22 Oct. 2000).

McKenna, Virginia, Michelle Pfeiffer. The Grolier Library of Women's Biographies. Danbury, Connecticut: Grolier Educational, 1998. 158-159.

"Pankhurst, Emmeline." 2000. http://www.fwkc.com/encyclopedia/low/articles/p/p0/9000326f.html (22 Oct. 2000).

"Pankhurst, Emmeline." Encyclopedia America. 1999 ed.

"Pankhurst, Emmeline Goulden." Encyclopedia Americana Online. 2000 ed.

"Pankhurst, Emmeline Goulden." World Book Online. 2000 ed.

Pankhurst, Emmeline. My Own Story. London: Source Book Press, 1914.

This primary source was particulary helpful due to the fact that it was written by Emmeline Pankhurst herself. It portrayed the hardships she was faced with on a daily basis due to her beliefs and actions. This book gave us a better of what it was like to be a suffragette during a time when women had few rights.

Pankhurst, Sylvia. The Life of Emmeline Pankhurst: The Suffragette Struggle for Women's Citizenship. London: T. Werner Laurie LTD., 1935.

This primary source was written by Emmeline Pankhurst's daughter, Sylvia Pankhurst. This book was written as a memoir for her mother, Emmeline. Sylvia expressed her mother's struggles, hard work, and perseverence through this book. It was useful because it gave us a second opinion on the actions of Emmeline and the WSPU.

Warner, Marina. "Emmeline Pankhurst." Time100. URL: http://www.time.com/time100/heroes/profile/pankhurst01.html (16 Oct. 2000).

"Women's Suffrage." Grolier's Electronic Encyclopedia. 2000 ed.