NWP Occupies the White House for passage of Constitutional Amendment:

[Zorra]

And wins...


...the NWP put its priority on the passage of a constitutional amendment ensuring women's suffrage. Alice Paul and Lucy Burns founded the organization originally under the name the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage in 1913; by 1917, the name had been changed to the National Women's Party. After the Nineteenth Amendment gave women the vote in 1920, the NWP turned its attention to passage of an Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)to the Constitution. Congress passed such an Amendment and most states ratified it, but at the last minute in 1960 it was stopped by a coalition of conservative women led by Phyllis Schlafly and ERA never passed. However the NWP in 1964 did succeed, with the support of conservatives and over the opposition of liberals, blacks and labor unions, to have "sex" added to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, thus achieving most of the goals sought by the NWP.

During the group's first meeting, Paul clarified that the party would not be a political party and therefore would not name a candidate for United States president during elections...

Women associated with the party staged a suffrage parade on March 3, 1913, the day before Wilson's inauguration.<1> They also became the first women to picket for women's rights in front of the White House. The picketers were tolerated at first, but when they continued to picket after the United States declared war in 1917, they were arrested by police for obstructing traffic. Many of the NWP's members, upon arrest, went on hunger strikes; some, including Paul, were force-fed by jail personnel as a consequence. The resulting scandal and its negative impact on the country's international reputation at a time when Wilson was trying to build a reputation for himself and the nation as an international leader in human rights may have contributed to Wilson's decision to publicly call for the United States Congress to pass the Suffrage Amendment.<2>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Woman%27s_Party

Pretty awesome. The original Occupy Movement.

[Rhiannon12866]

1. K&R! And you are absolutely right.

Thanks for pointing this out. I've always voted, figured it was my duty and I did owe that to the women who made this possible, but I really had no idea. Did you ever see the movie "Iron Jawed Angels?" I managed to catch that one night on TV and it was a real wake up call for me. It wasn't just a matter of women speaking up or chaining themselves to lamp posts, as we commonly hear. These women actually put their lives on the line, were imprisoned and some died, all so we could have the right to vote now. We really do owe them everything... :patriot:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338139/

[truedelphi]

2. Yeah, it is really sad that although most of us learn about the

Suffragette Movement, the situation the women were faced with was never fully reported in our history books.

Women were mistreated by their jailers; and some even died. I haven't seen the Movie you mention, but will try to find it online to purchase, or see if the library has a copy.

[Rhiannon12866]

4. I just happened on it when I was watching TV one night and I couldn't miss a minute.

Seems like they'd be showing it again this time of year... I had no idea that it was this brutal and that they'd endured so much for me... ;( :hi:

[Zorra]

3. "Iron Jawed Angels" is so inspiring.

Tears were flowing during the Amendment passage scene.

These women were amazing - smart, tough, and dedicated.

I agree, we owe them everything.

I'm so hoping that Elizabeth Warren will be our first "Iron Jawed Angel" Commander in Chief!
:bounce::patriot:

[Rhiannon12866]

5. I wish so much that I could ask my grandmother about this, but I lost her in 1998.

She remembers crying when she went to get the mail and read the newspaper headlines about the sinking of the Titanic, so she must remember this. She was born in 1900, so had some fascinating stories that I cherish. I often think of things I wish I could ask her, though. ;( :hi:

[Tsiyu]

6. Thank you to all those beautiful women

Can't rec but definitely can kick :kick: