Alice Paul's Suffrage Movement Analysis

Words: 1008
Pages: 5
Open Document
1915, the CU was renamed the National Women’s Party (NWP) with Alice Paul as their leader. (Alexander 18).
As the head of the NWP, Alice Paul believed that “electoral survival determines political behavior” (Graham 666). She assumed that politicians could be persuaded of the political usefulness of suffrage in a shorter amount of time than converting each congressman to the cause. Fundamental to Paul’s campaign was publicity and public opinion. The NWP used publicity in order to sell suffrage to the American community and persuade politicians to back the federal amendment (666). Paul also believed that the president’s support was vital to the suffrage movement and that political pressure was the only method to achieve said support (667). Paul’s idea was referred to top-down, which entailed that once the president supported the movement, he would rally his party to support the movement as well (Dodd 379).
In 1917, Alice Paul devised a plan to gain the president’s support for the …show more content…
On the night before the vote, President Wilson offered his first public endorsement of the federal woman suffrage amendment and attempted to convince southern Democrats who had previously opposed the amendment (Dodd 415). On the day of the vote, the amendment passed the House and moved to the Senate, and faced even greater opposition. Wilson lived up to his “bargain” with Paul and worked to get other Democrats to support the amendment. Despite his efforts, the vote was short of two. The fight for the amendment to be passed lasted two years. During that time Alice Paul found ways to protest and gain votes for the amendment, such burning an urn in front of the White House and burning Wilson’s effigy. The NWP worked alongside other state-level organizations to lobby state legislators in order to ratify the amendment
Show More

Related Documents: Alice Paul's Suffrage Movement Analysis

How Did Ida B. Wells Play In The Civil Rights Movement?

discrimination and inequality, catalyzing significant legal and societal transformations in the struggle for civil rights. Ida B. Wells worked in the civil rights movement and used her platform as a journalist to advocate for social justice on topics such as lynching and segregation. Wells also played a large role in the suffrage movement, and bridged the gap between African American and White suffragists. Several times throughout her career, Wells criticized other social reformers on how they worked…

Words 1952 - Pages 8

Mary Beard: The Rise Of American Civilization

activist Mary Ritter Beard (1876-1958) has been regarded by many as one of the most significant predecessors and advocate for women’s history in the United States during the Progressive era. Throughout her life, she campaigned in support of women’s suffrage, advocated for the improved conditions of the working class, and critiqued women’s education. In collaboration with her husband Charles Austin Beard, she co-wrote seven books regarding history including The Rise of American Civilization volumes,…

Words 2052 - Pages 9