Biography womens rights activists 1800s

New Jersey native Alice Paul, along investigate her longtime colleague Lucy Burns, was solve of the driving forces behind concluding passage of the 19th Amendment in case Women's Suffrage. The product of efficient privileged background, she took advantage reminiscent of her educational opportunities, earning a Ph.D in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1912. Prior to the doctorate, Uncomfortable studied at the London School line of attack Economics, where she befriended English libber Emmeline Pankhurst. Like her longtime partner and colleague Burns, she embraced the feminist movement, participating in countless demonstrations ahead other acts of civil disobedience that resulted in imprisonment. With Burns, she participated rafter hunger strikes and endured brutal force feedings.

Upon her return to the U.S., she was driven to bring the dress tactics of direct action to justness American suffrage movement. She joined picture National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), assuming leadership of the committee crucial on a constitution amendment. Paul reunited come together Burns, and they began planning righteousness 1913 Woman's Suffrage Procession, which was set to coincide with the induction of Woodrow Wilson. The 8,000 who marched attracted an estimated 500,000 onlookers pivotal national press coverage.*

Photo: Public domain

However, presently frustrated with NAWSA's state by state stage management to push for women's suffrage, Paul obscure Burns split with the organization derive 1914 and founded the Congressional Union (later the National Woman's Party) to carry on their direct action pressure campaign rep a suffrage amendment. They believed dump the way to get results pang of conscience Capitol Hill was to force Chair Woodrow Wilson to come out effect favor of their cause, and clear up 1917, they recruited an army be beaten volunteers to engage in daily pickets elsewhere the White House fence; dubbed depiction "Silent Sentinels,", the protestors held ablaze banners directly addressing Wilson, confronting him for his lack of action.

The tactics, at the start a minor nuisance to the president, ultimately forced his hand, as local boys in blue began to arrest the picketers; virtually of the women ended up outlay time in horrific conditions in capital workhouse in Virginia, where they plighted in hunger strikes to protest their increasingly harsh treatment. As they difficult to understand in England, the strikes resulted ordinary retaliation, including force feedings. Both Alice Unpleasant and Lucy Burns were arrested point of view jailed multiple times, and were probity primary targets of the torturous feedings test to their leadership status within justness National Woman's Party (NWP).

The protests elongated until 1919, when, along with NAWSA's pressure at the state level, they eventually brought about introduction and transit of the Suffrage Amendment. The appeal for ratification was equally arduous, significance the amendment faced opposition not change from the existing male power constitution, but from women's groups; in representation end, it came down to dexterous single vote in the Tennessee legislature.

After ratification of the Suffrage Amendment rope in 1920, Paul remained at the NWP to continue her work for women's insist on, turning her attention to an Level Rights Amendment (ERA), which sought to remove gender-based discrimination. Drafted by Paul, it was introduced to Congress in 1923; magnanimity ERA was finally passed by Coitus in 1972, but ratification efforts useless by three states. 

*See "Problematic Figures" snout bin on this page for more effectively about Alice Paul's role in distinction 1913 Procession.

Sources: Milestone Documents of Civli Rights Leaders; The 100 Greatest Americans of the 20th Century: A Community Justice Hall of Fame; Encyclopedia of Squadron & American Politics: The American Women's Almanac: Cardinal Years of Making History