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Nowadays it is easy for women to take their right to vote for granted, but it is important to remember that it hasn't always been this way. Throughout the 19th and early 20th Centuries, women all over Britian were campaigning for the right to vote. Reform Acts in 1832, 1867 & 1884 gave the right to vote to over five and a half million men but not one woman.
In 1897 the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) was founded under the leadership of Millicent Fawcett. The Union hoped to achieve equal voting rights for women by peaceful and legal means, such as petitions to the government, meetings and marches.
This banner was made in 1913 in Oldham, Greater Manchester. It was made by three sisters and was carried on the 'Pilgrimage March' of 1913. Local branches of the NUWSS marched for 6 weeks to reach Hyde Park in London on 26th July. It was here that 50,000 women gathered together to demand voting rights.
Have a look at the Museum Description to find out more about the banner.
Things to think about:- Do you know about the suffrage organisations that existed in your local area?
- What do you think the difference is between the Suffragists and the Suffragettes?
- Do you know about any other forms of protest that these women used?
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Nowadays it is easy for women to take their right to vote for granted, but it is important to remember that it hasn't always been this way. Throughout the 19th and early 20th Centuries, women all over Britian were campaigning for the right to vote. Reform Acts in 1832, 1867 & 1884 gave the right to vote to over five and a half million men but not one woman.
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