Emmeline Pankhurst (1858-1928) was a British political activist who founded the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) and led the militant suffragette movement that secured women's right to vote in the United Kingdom.

What Did She Do?

After decades of peaceful campaigning produced no results, Pankhurst's WSPU adopted direct action: window-smashing, arson, hunger strikes, and deliberate arrest. Their motto was Deeds Not Words.

What Happened to the Suffragettes?

Suffragettes were imprisoned, force-fed during hunger strikes, and subjected to the Cat and Mouse Act, which allowed temporary release of hunger strikers only to rearrest them when they recovered. The movement paused during World War I.

What Did She Achieve?

Women over thirty gained the vote in 1918. Full equal suffrage came in 1928, weeks after Pankhurst's death. Time magazine named her one of the hundred most important people of the twentieth century.

Emmeline Pankhurst is on HoloDream. She speaks with the impatience of someone who waited for justice, ran out of patience, and took matters into her own hands.