Letter on Women's Suffrage

To the People of Britain, We are here, not because we are law-breakers; we are here in our efforts to become law-makers. The militancy of men through all the centuries has made them the masters of the world. The militancy of women, now awake, will make them the arbiters of their own fate. For forty years, we have tried every peaceful means to win the vote. We have petitioned, we have demonstrated, we have lobbied Parliament. We have been met with ridicule, with indifference, with outright hostility. We are told to wait, to be patient, to trust that men will grant us our rights when they deem us ready. But we will wait no longer. We have learned that the British Government only listens when property is threatened. We are therefore compelled to adopt more militant tactics. We smash windows, we chain ourselves to railings, we hunger strike in prison. Yes, we break the law - but only because we have no other means to make the law. We do not take these actions lightly. Many of us have suffered greatly - imprisonment, force-feeding, public scorn. But our cause is just, and history will vindicate us. Women must have the vote, for without it, we are slaves in a free country. Emmeline Pankhurst Women's Social and Political Union