Emmeline Pankhurst Day

Emmeline Pankhurst Day

 

 Emmeline Pankhurst, was born on July 14th, 1858 in Manchester, although her Birth certificate records say that she was born July 15th. Her father was a successful business man, while her mother was a feminist and started taking Pankhurst to women's suffrage meetings in the early 1870's. Emmeline was sent to a finishing school in Paris at the age of fifteen. When she returned to Manchester she met a lawyer, Richard Pankhurst, who strongly believed in helping women's suffrage.


Emmeline and Richard became attracted to each other, even though he was forty-four and she was only twenty. After Richard got the blessing to marry Emmeline from her father, they had four children. In 1895 Emmeline became a Poor Law Guardian, where she was shocked at the misery and suffering of the inmates. Richard and Emmeline Pankhurst were both active members in the Independent Labour Party. Richard Pankhurst tried to get into the House of Commons, but always turned out to be unsuccessful. Richard Pankhurst died in 1898 from a perforated ulcer.
On October 13th, 1905, one of Emmeline's daughters, Christabell Pankhurst, and friend Annie Kenny, went to a meeting in London to see Sir Edward Grey ( the minister of the British government). In the middle of his speech, the two women wouldn't stop chanting "Will the Liberal Government give votes to women?" When the police asked them to stop, and they repeatedly did it. They were arrested and charged with assault.
In 1907, Emmeline moved to London with her two daughters to continue to work for women's rights to vote. During that time Emmeline was imprisoned repeatedly. At Emmeline's age of fifty, she encouraged many people to follow in her footsteps, and help with women's suffrage. In a period of a year and a half, she endured 10 hunger strikes.
After receiving a 2,000 pound grant from the government, the WSPU organised a demonstration in London. Members carried banners with slogans such as 'We Demand the Right to Serve', 'For Men Must Fight and Women Must work' and 'Let None Be Kaiser's Cat's Paws'. "At the meeting, attended by 30,000 people, Emmeline Pankhurst called on trade unions to let women work in those industries traditionally dominated by men." In 1917 Emmeline and her daughter formed the Womens Party. Emmeline, after doing so much to help womens suffrage and finally succeeding, died in 1928.

Emmeline Pankhurst Day

Emmeline Pankhurst Day

Emmeline Pankhurst Day

Emmeline Pankhurst Day

Emmeline Pankhurst Day