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Christabel Pankhurst
Christabel Pankurst, the eldest daughter of well known women’s rights activists, Richard and Emmeline Pankhurst. Christabel was born in Manchester England in 1880. Christabel was educated at Manchester High School until the death of her father in 1898.
After the death of her father, Christabel stayed heavily active in politics. In 1901, Christabel met a National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) member, Eva Gora-Booth and was persuaded into joining the organization. However in 1903 Christabel became frustrated with the organizations lack of success. With the help of her sister Sylvia and mother Emmeline, she organized the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU).
Christabel, a law student attending Owens College in Manchester, and began using her knowledge to fight against country’s laws. After meeting up with mill woman Annie Kenny, the two of them attempted to disrupt a Liberal rally on October 13th, 1905, at the Free Trade hall in Manchester. The two women made a white manner on which they painted “VOTES FOR WOMEN.” Knowing that they would likely be arrested, Annie proudly raised her hand, when the public was asked if there were any questions, “Will the Liberal government give votes to women?” Although she was ignored she held up the banner and repeated the question, again there were no responses. With pure determination Annie stood up on her chair and repeated the question once again. The crowd became angry and started pushing the two women. Police arrived and led Christabel and Annie outside where they were arrested. The women refused to pay their fine and were sent to prison, Christabel for a week and Annie for 3 days.
When both Christabel and Annie were let out of prison Keir Hardie, the Labour Party Leader, gave an unexpected speech of welcome, and presented the two women with bouquets of flowers. Hardie acknowledgment of the WSPU, gave a sudden rush of new members. The Women’s Suffrage movement had gained more publicity from this one event than they had in all the previous years put together.
The type of campaigning that Christabel led was unlike anything that had ever been done. During important politician’s speeches women were shouting out, “Votes for Women,” or “Give Votes to Women.” Women began to make speeches, heckle politicians, and hand out leaflets in the streets.
In 1907, Christabel left Manchester to join the Women’s Suffrage in London. Christabel disagreed with the way her sister Sylvia Pankhurst was running the WSPU, in London. With the support of her mother Emmeline, Christabel took forceful control over the organization; changing their passive resistant tactics into more militant actions, in 1910.
In 1917, after the war with Germany, Christabel and Emmeline abandoned their socialist beliefs, creating the Women’s Party. The Women’s Party fought for, equal pay for equal work, equal marriage and divorce laws, the same rights over children for both parents, system of maternity benefits.
In 1918, the Qualification of Women Act was passed and Christabel became on of seventeen female candidates that stood in the post war-election.
Through the remainder of her years Christabel was back and forth from Britain and the United States of America; died unmarried in 1958 while in the US.
