Alice Paul

Alice Paul

Born on January 11, 1885, in Moorestown, New Jersey. She was a descendant of, the Quaker founder of Pennsylvania, William Penn. Paul developed a passion for social justice from her Quaker roots. She followed in the footsteps of her mother who was a member of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Finishing top of her class she went to Swarthmore College, witch was co-founded by her grandfather, then mastered in sociology at the University of Pennsylvania and later went on to get her law degree and doctorate.

Her involvement with the suffrage movement while living in England working for the Women’s Social and Political Union in Britain further fired her passion. Paul joined the WSPU and began participating in demonstrations and marches. Paul was arrested seven times and imprisoned three times, while associated with the WSPU. But that didn’t slow her down even in prison she continued fighting, by going on hunger strikes. It is in prison where she met Lucy Barns.

They accomplished and endured many things together, from not being protected by the police to the police literally beating them. After irrupting a banquet by throwing shoes and screaming vote for women she was once again prisoned. This time was by far the harshest after going on hunger strike Alice was force feed. By the end of her imprisonment Alice could not stand on her own and had to be carried out.

NAWSA's Congressional Committee and began a campaign for a new amendment for the equality of both women and men. So she didn’t need their support she had her eyes set on a bigger fish, president Woodrow Wilson.

One of her first big projects was organizing a parade in Washington the day before President Wilson's inauguration. What started as a peaceful parade soon became an uncontrollable riot. However the NAWSA managed to get a meeting with the president who simply asked for more time, in other words putting off the matter. Even though the parade was successful, NAWSA...