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Explore the history of the suffrage movement in your area, including the tactics used, influential individuals, and the impact of the campaign. Compare the strategies of the NUWSS and WSPU and examine the role of men in the movement.
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Enquiry 6aWhat’s the story of ‘Votes for Women’ in my local area?
Enquiry overview Lesson 1: What can we discover about ‘Votes for Women’ in my area? Lesson 2: Who was important in my area? Lesson 3: Which was more influential in my area – NUWSS or WSPU? Lesson 4: What was the impact of the campaign in my area? Outcome activity: Consider how similar/different the local campaign was to the rest of the country and the impact that it had on the location itself.
Lesson 3Which was more influential in my area – NUWSS or WSPU?
Lesson 3 overview • Content covered in the lesson: • Comparing tactics of the NUWSS and WSPU in the local area • tactics • petitions • other actions • born out of desperation. • What part did men play?
What can we discover about ‘Votes for Women’ in my area? Recap • Recap: What’s the story so far? • Which individuals played a part? • What do we know about them? • What can we learn about‘Votes for Women’ in our area from studying the actions of individuals? • Are there any unknown stories to be told?
Tactics • Mary Wollstonecraft, 1792, ‘Vindication of the Rights of Women’. • Peterloo 1819 – lots of female support for adult suffrage – some female casualties. • Support for 1832 Reform Bill, including an amendment demanding ‘adult’ suffrage. • Chartists – 1830s and 1840s – many female Chartist supporters. • Petition, 1866 – 1,521 signatures in three weeks. • National Society for Women’s Suffrage, 1867 (became NUWSS in 1897). • WSPU, 1903. • Mostly – to begin with – middle-class women with quite limited demands. • Florence Nightingale (for example) – good idea in principle; will take a long time; but there are other more important short-term targets.
Petitions • 3 May 1832: Mary Smith, ‘Orator Hunt’, presented it to Parliament. • 1866: John Stuart Mill asked for 100 signatures to introduce an amendment to the 1867 Reform Bill – in a few weeks, he had 1,521 signatures. • 1871: 186,000 signatures. • 1873: 328,000 signatures. • 18 debates in Parliament between 1870 and 1904. Q:Why petitions? Q: Why so ineffective?
Other actions • public meetings • ask the candidate (many refuse to answer questions from women as they have no vote) • processions • newspapers, including Votes for Women • chalking • letters to newspapers • supporting candidates – whichever party – who are pro-female suffrage • songs • merchandise to raise funds • propaganda pamphlets • branches across the country • non-party Tactics like these were very effective for the anti-slavery and anti-Corn Laws campaigns. Q:Why were they so ineffective for female suffrage? Millicent Fawcett
Born out of desperation • chain themselves to railings • interrupt Parliament • break windows • riots • stone-throwing • deliberately getting arrested • hunger strike in prison • letter box bombs • digging up parts of golf courses • setting fire to stands at race courses • setting fire to houses of opponents of votes for women • slashing pictures in art galleries • stepping out in front of the King’s horse during a race • tins of treacle in letter boxes Q:How effective were these tactics? Q: Did support for suffragettes increase as militancy increased?
What can we discover about ‘Votes for Women’ in my area? Activity: What were their motives? • Tasks: • Discuss all the tactics used from 1832 onwards. How would you describe them? Can you sort them into categories? • Use the sources you have to decide which ones were used in your area. • Which ones would you describe as ‘suffragist’ tactics? • Which ones would you describe as ‘suffragette’ tactics? Your challenge is to sort the tactics used into categories: can you separate suffragist and suffragette activities?
What part did men play? • Don’t forget the men – either as supporters of the NUWSS or part of the anti-suffrage campaign. • A starting point for research on the national stage: • https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/henry-fawcett-forgotten-men-suffragette-movement/ • https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/electionsvoting/womenvote/overview/male-sympathisers/ • https://www.ool.co.uk/blog/men-supported-womens-suffrage/ Search the database. Q:Were there any men active in the suffrage campaign in your area?
What can we discover about ‘Votes for Women’ in my area? Plenary: • Decide whether suffragists or suffragettes were more active and therefore perhaps more influential in your local area. • It may not be quite so clear cut, of course, because ‘active’ and ‘influential’ are not necessarily the same thing.
