Women's Social and Political Union

Women's Social and Political Union
	Annie Kenney (left) and Christabel Pankhurst, c. 1908
Abbreviation	WSPU
Formation	10 October 1903
Founders	Emmeline Pankhurst ; Christabel Pankhurst
Founded at	62 Nelson Street, Manchester, England
Dissolved	1918
Type	Women-only political movement
Purpose	Votes for women
Motto	"Deeds, not words"
Headquarters	4 Clement's Inn, Strand, London;; Lincoln's Inn House, Kingsway, London;
Methods	Demonstrations, marches, direct action, hunger strikes

The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was a political movement for women. They campaigned for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom (allowing women to vote) from 1903 to 1918.^[1] They are sometimes called suffragettes.

The Women's Social and Political Union were known for civil disobedience. They held marches, set fire to post boxes, smashed windows and broke the law to get into prison. When they were in prison, they would go on hunger strikes, meaning they would refuse to eat. The government would force-feed prisoners who went on hunger strikes. The government created the Prisoners (Temporary Discharge for Ill Health) Act 1913, or the Cat and Mouse Act, so suffragettes who were close to starving to death could be released.^[2]

Notable members

References

↑ "Start of the suffragette movement". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
↑ Mary Davis, Sylvia Pankhurst (Pluto Press, 1999) ISBN 0-7453-1518-6

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[1] "Start of the suffragette movement". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2020-06-01.

[Davis-2] Mary Davis, Sylvia Pankhurst (Pluto Press, 1999) ISBN 0-7453-1518-6

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