What did the suffragettes mean to you?
Author: Zoe Stavri
Published on Oct 10, 2012
109 years ago today, a movement was born. The Women’s Social and Political Union was founded. More commonly known as the suffragettes, the group campaigned, lobbied and later adopted militant tactics in a bid to win the right to vote for women.
The legacy of the suffragettes is enshrined in the public consciousness, but there’s many faces to their memory. Some people think about their tactics--their famously bold, provocative direct action and the debate it raises about whether their methods are still relevant today. Others think of the suffragettes as they vote, taking a moment to remember the sacrifices of their sisters before them.
The suffragettes mean different things to different people, but one thing is clear: there’s a general feeling that they contributed positively to the world.
Today we’re celebrating the achievements of the WSPU, and we’d love to hear what they mean to you. So please comment on this post with your feelings, or if you’re on Twitter, use the hashtag #celebratingWSPU. We’ve saved some of our favourite tweets so far here.
Take a minute today to think about the rich history of democracy in the UK, and the role the suffragettes played.