I started researching about Emmeline Pankhurst this week and the extraordinary life she led. I thought I'd put a timeline together to provide a brief biography of her life.
14th July, 1858 - Emmeline Pankhurst was born in England. Her father was heavily involved in politics, as was her mother who took her along to suffrage meetings.
1879 - Emmeline married Richard Pankhurst to whom she later had three daughters with. Richard was Emmeline's main source of support as he too was passionate about women's rights.
1st January, 1889 - Women's Franchise League was established, an organisation founded by Emmeline and her husband.
1st January, 1894 - The right for married women to vote! This was a big step which is said to have 'truly changed the world'. However, they could only vote in elections for local offices and not in the House of Commons.
1898 - Richard Pankhurst died.
16th March, 1903 - Women's social and Political Union was established, which was later changed to simply, 'The Women's Party' in 1917. From this point, the suffrage movement attracted more widespread attention.
1905 - Emmeline's daughter Christabel as well as Annie Kenney were arrested and taken to jail as a result of being thrown out of a liberal election for demanding women's rights and then technically assaulting police (threatening them) and not paying their fines. Emmeline became a supporter of the 'jail' idea, encouraging members of the suffragette movement to attract attention and make a more dominant stand by being arrested for a worthwhile cause.
1908-09 - Emmeline Pankhurst is jailed three times.
1912 - The WSPU becomes militant in their actions. This included arson attacks, window smashing and hunger strikes. Emmeline is arrested and released 12 times during the year.
1913 - The Cat and Mouse, or Prisoner's, Act meant that prisoner's who were on hunger-strike could be freed and then reimprisoned without it affecting the duration of their sentence.
1914 - World war I begins so Emmeline calls off the suffragette campaign in order to help the war effort.
February 1918 - Representation of People Act is passed, giving the right to vote to women over 30.
14th June, 1928 - Emmeline Pankhurst died at the age of 69, having achieved what she desired most- the right for women to vote.
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