THE SUFFRAGE

CAMPAIGN
Week 20
Overview
■ The early campaign
■ Suffrage reinvigorated
■ Campaign methods
■ Anti Suffragism
■ Men in the suffrage movement
■ Gaining the vote
■ Historiographical debates
THE EARLY CAMPAIGN
 19th century origins.
■ William Thompson, Appeal of One Half of the Human Race, Women,
Against the Pretensions of the Other Half, Men, to Retain them in
Political, and Hence in Civil and Domestic, Slavery. (1825)
■ Henry Hunt MP: 1st petition to House of Commons (1832) – rejected.
■ Chartists drop female suffrage from final charter. (1830s)
■ Association for Female Franchise est. Sheffield by Anne Knight (1851)
■ Knight persuaded Lord Carlisle to present another petition – rejected.
■ 1860s: TURNING POINT
 Escalating calls for female suffrage

■ J.S. Mill inspired by Harriet Taylor to write The

Subjection of Women (1861) arguing that enslavement
of women prohibits progress of mankind.
■ 1867 Reform Act – enfranchised more working-class
men (and again in 1884)
■ Mill hands petition signed by 1,500 women to the H of
C for women to be included – fails.
 The first official organisations…
■ Consequently, organised suffrage campaign starts initially: The London
Society for Women’s Suffrage and the Manchester Society for Women’s
Suffrage.
■ London had Mill as president. Most member were law abiding middle-
class liberals. Many (including Millicent Garrett Fawcett) went on to
become Suffragists.
■ Manchester sought to develop nationwide campaign inspired. Lydia
Becker did much to inspire this by travelling and speaking up and down
the country. The Society had links with the working class and industrial
politics of the north. Many(including Pankhurst) went on to become
Suffragettes.
 SUFFRAGE
REINVIGORATED
 Suffrage Reinvigorated: Est WSPU
■ Suffragists: National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS)
est. in 1897 led by Fawcett.
■ Suffragettes: break away from NUWSS to form militant Women’s
Social and Political Union WSPU in 1903.
■ WSPU bring attention, publicity and renewed support which benefitted
both organisations.
■ WSPU attract more diverse range of support: Liddington and Norris
among 1st to show greater level of working class involvement than
previously thought: Annie Kenney and Hannah Mitchell high profile
examples.
 Suffrage Reinvigorated: ILP

■ However: from 1912 - Labour Party announces support for

female suffrage with prominent politicians driving forward call
for female suffrage e.g. Kier Hardy.
■ This caused NUWSS to believe that Labour Party offered best
prospect for women’s suffrage and formed an influential alliance.
■ Meanwhile, Sylvia Pankhurst split from the WSPU, mother and
sister to form the East London Federation of Suffragettes (ELF)
which was also aligned to the Labour Party.
CAMPAIGN METHODS
Methods: WSPU Militancy

■ Perception of division between militant suffragettes and

constitutional suffragists.
■ False divide: members belonged to both groups.
■ Definition of militancy fluid: confrontational/ radical/ violent/
assertive/ aggressive.
■ ‘mild militancy’ starts 1905 with more extreme militancy starting
in 1912.
■ Unladylike behaviour attracted public and political attention.
■ The cause was given its first martyr in 1913 when Emily
Wilding Davidson ‘threw’ herself under the King's horse on
Derby Day, 1913.

■ A martyr and hero to some, Emily represented to others why

women shouldn’t get the vote. If this was what educated
women could do what would less educated women be capable
of if they did get the franchise?
 Methods: National Union of Women’s Suffrage
Societies

■ Largest women’s suffrage organisation. 1907-1910 number of societies affiliated with

NUWSS increased by 400, total membership increased by 50,000.
■ Law abiding methods: lobbying and petitioning government. Publicised activities
through official paper the Common Cause.
■ Tactics and work with ILP now recognised key to achieving vote (Jane Robinson).
■ Other go further claiming violence hindered cause (Julia Bush).
■ Severely doubted by some historians who still place emphasis on militancy (Paula
Bartley).
ANTI SUFFRAGE
CAMPAIGN
 Anti suffrage campaign

■Drew on notions of separate spheres.

■Most famous anti suffragist was the novelist Mary Humphrey Ward. She
supported ‘forward policy’ which encouraged women’s involvement in
local politics

■Women’s National Anti-Suffrage League est. in 1908 later joined with the
men’s league to become the National League for opposing Women’s
Suffrage.

■By 1910 they had over 100 branches, 16,000 members and 400,000
signatures on petitions.
Men’s arguments for women’s
exclusion from franchise also drew
on women’s:
• lack of common sense
• tendency to be ruled by emotion
or physiological shortcomings
due to menstruation or child
bearing
• neglect of the home and children
• women’s questionable mental
capacity compared to men.
MEN IN THE SUFFRAGE
MOVEMENT
Men in the Suffrage Movement.

■ Female suffrage never exclusively female movement.

■ High profile writers, philosophers, politicians and trade unionists
supported cause.
■ Frederick Pethwick Lawrence - Liberal candidate who moved
to left and WSPU after marrying.
■ William Ball - working class man and trade unionist. Arrested for
window smashing in 1911, prisoned with hard labour. Force fed
repeatedly and eventually suffered temporary mental breakdown.
 Men in the Suffrage Movement
■ Men’s organised suffrage groups began to form in the mid 1900’s as
auxiliaries to women’s suffrage groups.
■ The Men’s League for Women’s Suffrage formed by a group of largely
middle class, left wing radicals (10 branches est. by 1910).
■ This was followed by the Men’s Political Union – a male wing of the
WSPU that carried out militant tactics and acted as WSPU
bodyguards.
■ Men’s position in the movement was difficult. Most work carried out
‘behind the scenes’ to avoid usurping or interfering with the women’s
actions.
CONCLUSION
 Gaining the Vote
• 1917 Representation of the People Act: only women over the age of 30
were given the vote.
• This enfranchised some 7 million British women but left another 5
million still without the suffrage. (Equal Franchise in 1928)
• No celebration as country deep in war.
• Hard to argue that women’s war work resulted in the suffrage as most
young, female munitions workers were excluded.
• Historians now argue the threat of campaigning resuming influenced the
all-party committee to include women in the franchise legislation.
 Historiography: The debates continue…
■ Why did women want the vote?
■ Why didn’t women want the vote?
■ Was it a white middle-class movement?
■ Did violence help or hinder the cause?
■ Has the significance of the Pankhurst’s been exaggerated?
■ Why were women finally granted the vote?
■ Did the ability to vote make any real difference to women’s
lives?
 Further Reading
■ Joyce Marlow, Suffragettes, (2000) SOURCEBOOK
■ June Purvis/Maroula Joannou, The Women’s Suffrage Movement: New Feminist
Perspectives (2009)
■ Julia Bush, Women Against the Vote: Female Anti Suffragism in Britain (2007)
■ Diane Atkinson, Rise up Women (2018)
■ Sarah Ridley, Suffragettes and the Fight for the Vote (2018)
■ Melanie Philips, The Ascent Of Woman (2004)
■ Cheryl R. Jorgensen-Earp, Speeches and Trials of the Militant Suffragettes (1999)
SOURCEBOOK
■ Harold L Smith, The British Women's Suffrage Campaign (2009)