We are celebrating Emmeline Pankhurst Day on July 14. It is a day to commemorate the life of Emmeline Pankhurst and her fight for equal rights for women suffragettes. Pankhurst was an English political activist. Her actions directly resulted in women gaining voting rights in July 1928. She is often criticized by historians for her militant actions. She died in June 1928 before seeing her lifelong dream come to fruition. Her massive political campaigns resulted in the overall empowerment of women in the United Kingdom.
History of Emmeline Pankhurst Day
The right to vote was once only a dream for most women. But the situation has changed, and now society understands the importance of women’s voting rights. But this political transition did not come easily. It came as a result of large-scale political campaigns led by various people.
Emmeline Pankhurst was a prominent figure in the history of the U.K. She was born in Manchester, England, on July 14, 1858. There is some confusion regarding her date of birth as she claims she was born on July 14, but her birth certificate records show July 15. She married Richard Pankhurst on December 18, 1879. Pankhurst and her husband started the Women’s Franchise League in 1889 with the sole intention of attaining voting rights for all women. But the organization was accused of being radical since it also supported equal rights for women in matters of inheritance and divorce.
In 1903, Pankhurst founded the Women’s Social and Political Union (W.S.P.U.). It is a women-only organization that focuses on direct action to win the vote. It was made under the understanding that more direct action, rather than words, was needed to win their voting rights. After the creation of the organization, they started to advocate for the right strongly. Pankhurst and her daughters were arrested a few times during their activities.
In 1908, she was arrested for trying to forcibly enter parliament to deliver her protest directly to H. H. Asquith, the Prime Minister of the nation. Throughout the rest of her life, she led various campaigns, which included hunger strikes, physical action, and open-air rallies. But she halted her militant activities during World War I for the greater good. She died on June 14, 1928, and the movement she started paved the way for modern-day society to take its shape.
Emmeline Pankhurst Day timeline
Emmeline Goulden is born on July 14, 1858.
In 1879, Emmeline Goulden marries Richard Marsden Pankhurst.
Emmeline Pankhurst starts the organization, Women’s Social and Political Union (W.S.P.U.).
In June 1928, Pankhurst dies at the age of 69, weeks before her campaigns achieve suffrage for women on the same terms as men in the U.K in July of the same year.
Emmeline Pankhurst Day FAQs
Why is Emmeline Pankhurst so important?
Emmeline Pankhurst is important because she founded the Women’s Social and Political Union, a British organization that fought for women’s right to vote.
What was Emmeline Pankhurst's cause of death?
Impairment of well-being.
What punishments did the suffragettes get?
The Suffragettes endured imprisonment, hunger strikes, and force-feeding. Many of them carried the scars, both physical and mental, for the rest of their lives and some of them died because of them.
How to Observe Emmeline Pankhurst Day
Spread information about Emmeline Pankhurst
Emmeline Pankhurst is a historical personality known throughout the world. However, some young people are unaware of her. Find them and try to educate them about her and the influential things she did.
Share about Emmeline Pankhurst with a young girl
Emmeline Pankhurst is an important person for the women's movements and the equal right to vote movements. Teach a young girl about Pankhurst’s history and inspire her to appreciate her impact.
Draw a portrait of Emmeline Pankhurst
Show your recognition of Pankhurst’s efforts by painting a portrait of the heroic lady. Make sure to mark her important political campaigns in the painting so that people can easily understand her. If you can't paint, find someone who can.
5 Facts About Emmeline Pankhurst
Finland and the right to vote
Finland is the first European country to give women the right to vote and the women there have been voting since 1906.
U.N. and women's suffrage
The U.N. only explicitly named women’s suffrage as a human right in 1979.
U.S. and Wyoming
Wyoming was the first U.S. state to give it’s women the right to vote in elections.
Saudi Arabia and the Vatican
The Vatican City is the only place where women's suffrage is still denied after Saudi Arabia gave women the right to vote in 2015.
Early Days in Democracies
Even in early democracies like Greece and the Roman Republic, women did not have the right to vote.
Why Emmeline Pankhurst Day is Important
It celebrates a hero
Emmeline Pankhurst is a hero in the women's fight for the right to vote. She showed us that history is not made by sitting idle, but by acting and committing to a cause that you believe in.
It advocates for equality
Emmeline Pankhurst is the finest example of someone who truly cared about equality. She understood the injustice faced by women in terms of political representation, and she committed her life to changing the system.
Selfless over selfish
Emmeline Pankhurst recognized the importance of setting aside differences in times of great need. This is evident in the way she stopped hostilities during the World War and directed her energy and time to support the war efforts of her nation. That is a quality so rare to find.
Emmeline Pankhurst Day dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | July 14 | Sunday |
| 2025 | July 14 | Monday |
| 2026 | July 14 | Tuesday |
| 2027 | July 14 | Wednesday |
| 2028 | July 14 | Friday |
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