suffragettes

a womans organisation, from the early 20th century who fought for the right to vote in public elections. The movement was founded by Emmeline Pankhurst. The movement gained their name from a Daily Telegraph writer, who wanted to belittle the women who were protesting for this change. The women took the name and made it the name of their newspaper and their movements. Pankhurst decided that women were to gain the right to vote by protesting themselves, after many other countries had allowed women to vote in the late 19th century. The Suffragettes did many things to try to gain the vote such as chaining themselves to railings, smashing windows and going on hunger strike in prison. Emily Davison died after running infront of the kings horse at Epson Derby in 1913. The Suffragette movement was suspended after the breakout of the WW1 in 1914. After the war an act in 1918 gave women over 30 the right to vote and 10 years later all women over 21, gained the right to vote.