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Timespan
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Marriage
Emmeline married her husband Richard Pankhurst in 1879. In addition to being an advocate for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, her husband was also an activist for women's suffrage. This event was important for Emmeline as marrying someone supportive of her beliefs and also being a known activist would only empower her to continue work in politics for women. -
Death of Husband
The death of Richard left Emmeline with a great deal of responsibilities, grief, and needs to support her family. Emmeline ended up getting a job at the Registrar of Births and Deaths. The new job gave Emmeline the ability to interact with the women in the suburban area of Chorlton in England. She wrote in her autobiography that the experiences these women had were dreadful. Seeing and hearing about these experiences from other women only pushed her to continue fighting for equality for women. -
Cat and Mouse Act
Suffragettes were getting imprisoned at the time of the suffrage movement in the early 20th century. To protest being imprisoned, they began having hunger strikes leading to being forcefed and later gaining public attention. This led to the parliament passing the Cat and Mouse in 1913, releasing those imprisoned who got too weak from starving themselves, but the imprisoned would later being put back in when they recovered. Emmeline and her daughter Christabel both participated in these protests. -
World War I
Emmeline and her eldest daughter Christabel saw the first world war as an opportunity for women to participate in the aid of the military. Men were generally shamed for not enlisting into the military, and Emmeline and her daughter saw the symbol being able to be extended to women needing to also participate in the war. This participation greatly aided in the suffrage movement and women were finally being allowed to gain voting rights. -
Works Cited
Russell, Gerry. “The Interesting Life of Manchester Mason Richard Pankhurst.” East Lancashire Freemasons, 8 Feb. 2018, www.pglel.co.uk/the-interesting-life-of-manchester-mason-richard-pankhurst/. Robin, Donald. “White Feather Feminism.” Itech.fgcu.edu, itech.fgcu.edu/. “History - Emmeline Pankhurst.” BBC, BBC, www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/pankhurst_emmeline.shtml. Pankhurst, Emmeline. My Own Story: the Autobiography of Emmeline Pankhurst. Virago Press, 1979.
