Emmeline Pankhurst Is Convicted of Inciting Supporters to Commit Arson
Emmeline Pankhurst, a prominent figure in the women's suffrage movement in the early 20th century, was convicted in April 1913 for inciting her supporters to commit arson, a significant moment in the history of women's rights activism. Leading the Woman's Social and Political Union (WSPU), Pankhurst advocated for women's voting rights and resorted to increasingly militant strategies when peaceful protests yielded little success. The incident that led to her conviction involved the bombing of the residence of David Lloyd George, a politician who was seen as sympathetic to the suffrage cause, highlighting the tension between the movement and its political allies. Pankhurst received a three-year prison sentence but was released early due to her hunger strike, a tactic employed by many suffragists to protest their treatment in prison.
This period marked a time of heightened activism and civil disobedience, as Pankhurst and her followers sought to draw attention to their cause through provocative actions. The government's response included the enactment of the Prisoners Act of 1913, known as "the Cat and Mouse Act," which aimed to prevent suffragists from becoming martyrs. Despite the challenges, Pankhurst's efforts contributed to the eventual passage of women's suffrage legislation after World War I. Her legacy as a leader in the fight for women's rights remains influential today, reflecting the broader struggle for gender equality.
Emmeline Pankhurst Is Convicted of Inciting Supporters to Commit Arson
Emmeline Pankhurst Is Convicted of Inciting Supporters to Commit Arson
In February 1913 members of Emmeline Pankhurst's Woman's Social and Political Union (WSPU) bombed the residence of British politician and future prime minister David Lloyd George. Ironically, Lloyd George was considered to be sympathetic toward the cause of women's suffrage (the right to vote) for which Pankhurst and her organization were fighting. He was not killed; but on April 3, 1913, Pankhurst was found guilty of encouraging her supporters to commit arson and sentenced to three years in prison. She served only a fraction of her term, securing an early release under the Prisoners Act of 1913 by going on a hunger strike. Suffragists often refused to eat when they were imprisoned, and after some disastrous attempts at force-feeding, the government decided it would be safer to release those who were starving and then re-arrest them after they recovered their health. This was allowed by the Prisoners Act of 1913, which was consequently nicknamed “the Cat and Mouse Act.” Its real purpose was to prevent women like Emmeline Pankhurst from becoming martyrs for the cause of woman's suffrage.
Pankhurst was born Emmeline Goulden on July 14, 1858, in Manchester, England. From 1873 until 1877 she studied at the École Normale in Paris, France. In 1879 she married Richard Marsden Pankhurst, a lawyer who had worked on early women's rights legislation, such as the first women's suffrage bill proposed in Britain and legislation that would allow married women to own property in their own names. The Pankhursts worked together for the suffrage movement, but she was the more public figure and certainly more active in organizing other women. In 1889 Pankhurst helped organize the Women's Franchise League, which in 1894 secured women the right to vote in local elections. However, the right to vote for delegates to the House of Commons, the representative body of the British parliament, was still reserved exclusively for men.
In 1903 Pankhurst founded the WSPU. She helped organize the suffragettes, as they were called, and held protest rallies and marches in London and before the House of Commons itself. In 1908, frustrated by the lack of progress, Pankhurst became increasingly militant. She encouraged her supporters to burn down vacant buildings and commit other acts of public disorder to gain attention for their cause. She was jailed for the first time in 1908 and many times thereafter, often using the hunger strike tactic to regain her freedom. The bombing of Lloyd George's residence was but one of many provocative actions taken by suffragists during the years between 1908 and 1914, when the outbreak of World War I caused Pankhurst and the WSPU to devote their energies to the war effort instead. The suffragettes worked in many capacities—as nurses in hospitals, for instance—and gained the respect and gratitude of both the government and the nation.
Shortly after the end of the war, the first woman's suffrage bill providing for the right to vote in national elections was passed. There were limitations on this right, but those limitations were gradually dropped over time. Pankhurst died on June 14, 1928, in London, having lived to see her dream come true.