Exhibit: How Protests, Arrests and Imprisonments Helped in the Fight for Women’s Suffrage
By Genesee, Frances, Aya and Izzy
Many people know the suffrage movement as a boring history of dowdy, dour, and nagging spinsters. But that is not the case. The suffrage movement was a work of political genius orchestrated by incredible, revolutionary women. The movement that ended in the ratification of the 19th amendment can be traced back to the dramatic arrests, publicized imprisonments, and rowdy protests that turned the tide on women’s suffrage. The arrests and imprisonments of the suffrage movement showed the determination of the women involved and their willingness to do what needed to be done. These arrests helped bring attention to the suffrage movement, and the horrific conditions that these incarcerated women faced changed many people's minds. Protests also played a huge role in the fight for women's suffrage. These demonstrations were the stages on which these women demanded their rights be given to them. The protests proved that women’s suffrage had become a more mainstream issue, and that many lawmakers would benefit from the ratification of women's suffrage. Protests, arrests, and imprisonments were several strategies of the suffrage movement. Through these strategies, they demanded attention, displayed their capability, and showed their vulnerability. The suffrage movement would not be the same if it weren’t for the brave women who risked their jobs, reputation, and sometimes even life for their cause.
Here is a newspaper clipping written on November 6th, 1872 from the New York Times about the arrest of Susan B. Anthony. Anthony’s arrest opened the floodgates for more drastic actions and inspired many of the hunger strikes and arrests that the 1900s suffrage movement is famous for.
Even at that time, the New York Times showed that it believed that this arrest would be momentous in this clipping. The article reads, “this picket guard of nine is a tangible enough force to make people reflect on the future possibilities which it involves.” Clearly, this article by the New York Times seems to portray Susan B. Anthony as a brave woman whose arrest will warrant change..
The article also describes these actions as “leading… the advanced guard of the coming squadrons”. This strong phrase seems to suggest that the New York Times believes that much like an advanced guard in a military, these actions may be the first of their kind, but certainly not the last.
Although Ms. Anthony’s arrest did change some suffragettes' views on whether their strategy should be militant or more restrained, many U.S. suffragettes wanted to remain with their previous strategies of petitioning and giving speeches. However, many British suffragettes began to protest in more assertive ways.
In this propaganda poster, made by Albert Pearce, a British artist, in 1910, a woman wearing a yellow dress and white apron is force fed through her nose by a robed man. Several nurses and one other man look on, attempting to help the force-feeder.
Above the deluge of humans are the words “the Modern Inquisition: treatment of political prisoners under a Liberal Government'' next to a small, jail-like window. Below the scene, the words “Electors! Put a stop to this Torture by voting against the Prime Minister.” This poster describes the imprisonment and force-feeding of suffragists as “the Modern Inquisition”, a riff off of the Spanish Inquisition, an institution of the Spanish government that combated “heresy” through a combination of murder, oppression and spying. Suggesting that the response to hunger strikes is like the Spanish Inquisition might be a little bit of a stretch, but is nonetheless effective and shows how far British suffragettes are willing to go.
In this image, by Emily Jane Harding Andrews, a woman in a cap and gown who looks calm and collected is holding a lock to a gate.
In a poster leaned up against the gate that surrounds her, it says, “She. It is time I got out of this place. Where shall I find the key?” The men in the photo seem as though they are prisoners. Underneath the woman’s quote it says “Convicts lunatics and women! Have no vote.” This is showing how women shouldn’t be put in jail. However, the jail here is not a literal jail, but it symbolizes a trap that women can't escape from – along with “convicts” and “lunatics” – because they cannot vote.
This photograph, taken on January 26 of 1917, depicts women picketing outside of the White House. Behind them, men stand in gaggles, watching the scene. The picketing suffragettes are all wearing sashes with the suffrage colors on them and holding signs. Picketing was a common strategy used by women in their journey to enfranchisement, majorly in the later years of the movement.
One of the visible signs being held reads “Mr. President How Long Must Women Wait For Liberty,” this sign probably refers to the extremely long amount of time it took for American women to receive the right to vote. Because these women were still in the process of receiving it, this sign was just bringing attention to the many years they’d been protesting for.
The other legible sign says, “Mr. President You Say ‘Liberty is the Fundamental Demand of the Human Spirit’,” Like on the previous banner, this sentence begins with “Mr. President.” Along with picketing outside of his place of dwelling, beginning a phrase with addressing the president suggests that this message is to him more so than other various civilians. The quote they used, “Liberty is the fundamental demand of the human spirit,” is most likely pointing out that the protesting women don't have the liberty of voting, almost as if the president doesn’t want them or think them to have “human spirit.” Eventually, the vast amount of protesting suffragists made political leaders realize more people would vote for them if they supported the movement, ultimately leading to the enfranchisement of women.
This photo is captioned “National Woman's Party members being arrested as they picket with banners before the White House East Gate, in August 1917." In the photo, there are many women and men but all of the women in the photo are wearing white. Women in the suffrage movement would wear white to represent peace, femininity, and being humble. Women used this to show they were not criminals or animals, even though anti suffrage propaganda created a viewpoint in society that pro-suffrage women were this way. They were not only wearing white. but they had sashes and banners to show they were protesting. One of the men in the photo is wearing a police uniform with a badge. The other man is wearing everyday clothing. The woman in the middle seems to be wearing a badge which suggests she could be a police officer. The police may have had a woman arrest the picketers because a woman arresting a woman does not look as rough or aggressive as a man arresting a woman.
A woman, wearing a brimmed hat and heavy fur-lined coat, stands in an outside environment, picketing. She is supporting a large poled sign reading, “Kaiser Wilson / Have you forgotten your sympathy with the poor Germans because they were not self-governed? / 20,000,000 American Women are not self-governed / Take the beam out of your own eye,” The beginning title of “Kaiser Wilson” is large and in bold, immediately drawing one’s eye towards it.
The use of the title “Kaiser'' (the word for the German emperor) in relation to the then-president Woodrow Wilson would be considered very provocative, considering at the time this photograph was taken, the US was at war with Germany.
So by making this comparison to the leader of a country viewed so negatively and anti-democratically, it can be interpreted that the woman is calling out the “un-democraticness” of not allowing women to vote. The “20,000,000 American women are not self-governed” may be showing that even though the USA was (and still is) considered a democracy, 20,000,000 of its citizens didn’t have a say in the democratic election.
Ernestine Hara Kettler describes the prison experience in this quotation. She spoke of their struggle of being counted as a political prisoner. Many suffragettes felt that being in jail for a traffic obstruction (what they were initially arrested for) was a disgrace, and that they should be counted as political prisoners and valued for their actual struggle. Many prominent suffragettes knew that this demand was important for their political strategy. Demanding that they be honored for their actual arrest made these women’s imprisonments worthy and valuable. Kettler also describes a more practical reason. “We were not guilty of the sentence as charged. And, therefore, we did not owe any kind of work in the workhouse.”
In this image from 1910 taken in England, two women are standing in front of a cell door. On the top part of the image, it says “2nd Division Cell Alloted to Suffragettes.” This implies that they have separate cells for suffragettes, instead of putting them in with all the other prisoners.
One reason for this may be because they don't want the suffragists to spread ideas to other prisoners. Another reason might be that there are so many suffragettes being arrested that they need separate cells for them. The woman on the left seems to be in nicer clothing, and has keys hanging from a chain, suggesting that she is the prison guard, and the woman on the right, wearing dirty informal clothing, is the prisoner.
This article was written in 1910 by Philadelphia Tribune on January 10th. This article titled “Alice Paul Talks” is an interview with Alice Paul, an American suffragist, where she talks about her experience when she went to England. She called the force feeding she endured in the Holloway jail “Revolting” She talks about how when she refused to eat, she was force-fed and how she wouldn't wear the terrible clothes and had to lay in bed instead of doing labor. Alice Paul got arrested because she “threw words” at the prime minister.
This photograph from 1910 shows the outside of part of Holloway Prison in London, with women suffragettes reaching out the window waving objects that look similar to signs. These women are in jail, but they are still protesting, which demonstrates how much they want women's rights. These prisoners must have been getting media attention, because a photographer took this photo. If they got media attention then there were probably more than these few prisoners protesting from their cells, also they want attention to their fight for women's voting rights. When they get arrested they get a lot of media attention, because they are women being taken to jail.
This image depicts a woman wrapped in a blanket with her hair down and messy being semi-cradled, semi-carried by another woman, she having her hair up and wearing a long skirt with a coat atop that. In the background, a man who appears to be a chauffeur is standing next to an open car door. This scene can be interpreted many ways, but most notable is the thought that the well-dressed woman is welcoming her friend back from prison for pro-suffrage-related activities, and the car in the back is what had brought her home. An explanation for this would be that the blanketed woman looks shaken and worried, and the other is holding her in a way that suggests fondness and caring. The photo has been included in many pieces of literature positively regarding women's suffrage, so again, it would make sense that she went to prison for a pro-suffrage reason. Finally, one last notable thing about this photograph is that a photographer was even there to take it. This points to the kind of light reporters wanted to show suffragists in - here it may be that they wanted the world to see the terrible things suffragists were enduring and feel sympathy for them. This would add support to the suffrage cause by bringing to light what women endured for their enfranchisement.
This image, taken circa November 19th, 1917, depicts a woman holding a banner that says, “To ask freedom for women is not a crime, suffrage prisoners should not be treated as criminals.” In other words, the banner seems to make the point that asking for a right that someone should already have should not be a crime.
Imprisoned women wanted to be treated as political prisoners rather than criminals. The woman seems very calm in the photograph. Many women in the suffrage movement used a strategy of standing calmly to show that they were refined and respectable, and not the crazy unhinged people that anti-suffragists said they were.
Sources:
N.a., History Matters, The U.S. survey course on the web, n.d, Web, n.d., 3 May, 2021
Maya Salaman, The New York Times, The New York Times, Web, 5 November, 2017, 3 May, 2021
Jeanne Rathbone, sheelanagig comedienne wordpress, n.p., Web, n.d., 3 May, 2021
Fred Lewsey, University of Cambridge, University of Cambridge, Web, n.d., 3 May, 2021
Sarah Pruitt, History.com, n.p., Web, 4 April, 2020, 3 May, 2021
Catherine Epstein, Google Docs, Catherine Epstein, Web, n.d., 3 May 2021