The Suffragettes

At the end of 19^th century British women wanted the vote. It was the only way to change their lives. In 1897 a group called the Suffragists tried to get the vote. They believed in peaceful methods but they achieved very little and did not get the vote.

In 1903 the Pankhursts started the

Suffragettes. They were Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters Christabel and Sylvia. The Suffragettes used more violent methods, like hurling rocks at the windows of the Prime Minister's home, so they soon got arrested. In prison the women went on hungerstrike. At first they were forcefed. But the government were accused of harming them. When the women were near death they were let out of prison, but when they were better they were re-arrested. The Suffragettes fought on. Then on Derby Day June 1913 Emily Wilding Davison threw herself in front of the king's horse. She died and became a Suffragette martyr. In spite of all this they still got no votes for women.

Then in 1914 came World War I. Women took over the jobs that men have left behind and proved that they could do just as well as men. In 1918 after the war finished women over 30 years old were given the vote. Then in 1927 all women over 21 years old got the vote. Success at last!

In 1919 Nancy Astor was the first woman MP in Britain. In 1979 Margaret Thatcher became the first and only woman Prime Minister – so far!

1- Questions:

a) Who were the Suffragists?

b) Did they achieve their objective? Why?

c) When were the Suffragettes started and by whom?

d) Who were Christabel and Sylvia Pankhurst?

e) Did they use the same methods as the Suffragists?

f) What was the immediate consequence of their methods?

g) Did they stop fighting?

2- Match dates and events:

1913	World War I started.
1914	Nancy Astor was the first woman MP in Britain.
1918	Margaret Thatcher became the first and only woman Prime Minister so far.
1919	Emily Wilding Davison threw herself in front of the king's horse on Derby Day and died.
1927	World War I finished and women over 30 years old were given the vote.
1979	All women over 21 years old got the vote.

3- Check the new vocabulary and form sentences:

to vote/vote: votar, voto

peaceful: pacífico,-a

hungerstrike: huelga de hambre

to forcefeed/forcefed: alimentar a la fuerza/alimentado,-a a la fuerza

martyr: mártir

in spite of: a pesar de

MP(Member of Parliament): diputado,-a

Information taken from hawthornhistory (YouTube) and wikipedia.