Women’s+Suffrage+Movement

The Women's Suffrage Movement was considered a national movement 1872 in a Parliament session in the United Kingdom. The movement is defined as the economic and political reform aiming at extending voting rights to women, not just men. Organizations such as the National Society for Women's Suffrage and the Union of Women's Suffrage Societies all were founded during this time.It wasn't until 1905 that these organizations were achieving some level of success.

Influential People
Emmeline Pankhurst- She is famous for her work she put into many different women's organizations. When her husband died in the late 1898, she founded the Women's Social and Political Union. This organization was made to further the progress of the suffrage movement. This is a unique organization because it was one of the more extreme ones. The members were imprisoned many times for assaulting police officers, smashing windows, and while in prison they staged hunger strikes to try to make the conditions better.

John Stuart Mill- He proposed to add voting rights for women into the reform bill. 1,500 signatures were collected on a petition to extend rights to women and John was the one that represented women and spoke for them during this parliament session.

Millicent Fawcett- She was the president of the Women's Social and Political Union and the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS). She ultimately made the deal with the government saying that they will have limited proposals if they have a section in the 1918 reformation act with voting rights for women.

Emily Davies- Emily was one of the main contributors to the petition Mill presented. She wrote the book //The Higher Education of Women// in 1866. This lead her to open the first college for women in Britain in 1869. She continued her work with the movement all the way until 1921 when she died.

Beginning
The event that started the movement was in 1866, when Parliament was thinking about granting voting rights to several million more men. Barbara Bodichon, Emily Davies, Elizabeth Garrett organized a petition to try to get women the right to vote. The women's suffrage movement wasn't considered a nation movement until 1872 when the National Society for Women's Suffrage was founded. Women were not formally banned from voting until the Reform Act of 1832. This was when voting rights for women became a political topic.

Goals
The goals that the women's suffrage movement was not only limited to gaining the right to vote. They also fought for: In Britain in the 1800's, when a woman got married under the common law doctrine of Coverture she had to give up all of her property and wages to her husband when they got married. During the suffrage movement the Married Women's Property Act that would protect a women's property from her husband and his family so it would still be under her ownership.
 * right to keep their property once they are married
 * right to be in public office and part of the government
 * fair pay to women

Effect of the War and on Families
When World War I broke out the progress of the campaign slowed drastically. The countries focus was no longer on trying to gain equal suffrage but to win the war that was declared on them in 1914. All of the violent protest stopped and this gave the government a chance to implement reform without pressure from all of the organizations. Most the organizations that were demonstrating were loyal to the war effort and worked with the government to help the war effort. The war also let women prove that they are equal to men. Women had to take over many of the jobs that men had before they went to war so they could now prove to the government that they are as strong as men and can work as hard.

This movement also had an effect on families. The typical mother during this time was at home cooking and cleaning but now they were on the streets protesting and giving speeches. This interrupted the normal at home life the children and husband have. Women would also get put in jail for riots or violence. This would take a huge toll on the family because the mother wouldn't be there to care to the children and do the needed housework. This also means that the husband is now a single parent and has to do twice the work.

Anti-Suffragists
Groups were formed in the late 1800's to early 1900's that opposed granting women the right to vote. Organizations like the Women's National Anti-Suffrage League that was formed in 1908 to fight the suffrage movement. In 1910 they ran out of funds and then joined forces with the Men's League for Opposing Women's Suffrage and that formed the National League for Opposing Women's Suffrage. Groups like this believed that women were too emotional, sway opinion too much, lacked the knowledge to vote, and that what they know best like cooking and cleaning have nothing to do with decision made in government. Another point this group made was the fact that voting usually took place in a pub with alcohol and fighting were present. They argued that this was no place for women because it is too dangerous and not where they belong. These groups used propaganda, influencing politicians, and wrote anti-suffrage journals and literature to spread their ideas.

Downsides to supporting this cause
Even though the women and organizations were fighting for a good cause, there were negatives to being a part of the protest. Many of the rallies and demonstrations got violent and deaths usually followed. Many of the protesters were put in prison or killed in the process. Many of they demonstrations included putting fire to post boxes, hunger strikes if you were put in jail, resisting arrest and force feeding.

Achievements
By the end of the movement women did achieve the right to vote. A new bill was coming through and the government made a agreement with the NUWSS to include some measure of of voting rights to women be added to the bill in exchange for limited proposal on the part of the protesters. In 1918, the Representation of the People Act allowed women over 30 to vote. It did not grant all women rights because as part of the deal, the number of men voting would outnumber the amount of women voting. Then when they Representation of People Act in 1928, all women over 21 could vote just like all men.

Time line of important events

 * 1865- Mill showed support for women suffrage
 * 1866- Mill represented women in Parliament and presented the petition
 * 1889- Women's Reform League established
 * 1897- National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies
 * 1914- WWI declared on Britain. Most protesting came to a halt for a while
 * 1918- Representation Act of 1918 states women over 30 can vote
 * 1928- Representation Act of 1928 changes the law so all women 21 and over can vote

Impact on Europe Thereafter
The women's suffrage movement had many impacts on Europe. After women got the right to vote this inspired women to branch out and try to gain more roles in government. Soon after the suffrage movement the first woman would run for a government position. Gaining the right to vote gave women of 19th century Europe the momentum to break the traditional pattern of women only working in the home. This was a departure from the past because it changed the role in the world and got away from the conventional definition of a women's job in the modern world.