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Alice Paul As recently as 1920, women were denied specific rights such as the right to vote. Suffragettes such as Alice Paul fought hard for women to earn their rights, even going so far as to starve themselves to make their point. How did the actions of Alice Paul influence America in regards to women’s rights?
Alice Paul was one of the leading advocates of women’s rights in the early twentieth century. Pictured here with a flag for the National Women’s Party, Paul represented the more radical segment of the national movement for gender equality. Harris & Ewing. (1920). [Alice Paul, full-length portrait, standing, facing left, raising glass with right hand]. Library of Congress: American Memory, By Popular Demand: "Votes for Women" Suffrage Pictures, 1850-1920.
Paul’s protests and the public’s reaction to them often got international attention. This British article describes a time when she was arrested and put in prison for protesting. While in prison, Paul went on a hunger strike, which upset the prison guards. They force-fed her through tubes. In this article, Paul claims that similar methods had been used before, both in America and in England. There she worked with British activists to spread the cause of women’s rights across the Atlantic. Unknown. (1909). Alice Paul Describes Force Feeding. Library of Congress: American Memory, Miller NAWSA Suffrage Scrapbooks, 1897-1911.
Paul was active in both America and England for most her career. This article describes some of her activities abroad, including a vocal protest in front of British Prime Minister Herbert Asquith. Unknown. (n.d.). [Alice Paul talks ....] (page 2). Library of Congress: American Memory, Votes for Women: Selections from the National American Woman Suffrage Association Collection, 1848-1921.
Paul’s protest strategy involved large public demonstrations in prominent areas of cities. Here, the National Women’s Party, a group co-founded by Paul, protested along a busy street in Chicago. Unknown. (1916). [Suffragists demonstrating against Woodrow Wilson in Chicago, 1916]. Library of Congress: American Memory, Women of Protest: Photographs from the Records of the National Woman's Party.
Some of the largest women’s rights protests in the country were organized by Paul’s groups. Here is a scene from a famous 1914 protest in which Paul led National Women’s Party members onto the steps of the U.S. Capitol to advocate for women’s suffrage. Harris & Ewing. (1914). Nation-wide demonstrations were held on May 2nd in support of Federal Amendment. Envoys from these demonstrations brought petitions to Washington on May 9th and carried them in procession to Congress from Lafayette Square. Five thousand women massed on and about the East Steps of the Capitol singing Ethel Smyth's Hymn of the Women before entering the Rotunda to deliver the petitions. Library of Congress: American Memory, Women of Protest: Photographs from the Records of the National Woman's Party.
