Emily Wilding Davison

Script – The Death of Emily Davison

First Slide,, Who – Naomi

There are many reasons why Emily Davison had jumped in front of the Kings horse. Many people thought that she was courageous and she proved to be an appeal infinitely more eloquent than all the words of all the speeches could be. She taught the nation, that there are women who care so passionately, for the vote and means that they are willing to die for it.

Second Slide,, When And What– Krishna.

When - This incident happened on the 5th of June 1913, which was the day of the world famous Horse Race – The Derby At Epson Race Course. It was at the time when the Suffragettes and Suffragists were fighting for the votes for women, this shows that it was done to draw even more attention, and to raise an issue.

What – Emily Davison threw herself over the barriers and onto the racecourse, interfering with the race, nearly killing

Demii

Others thought that, it was a ridiculous idea, and unlikely to increase the popularity of the women’s cause. This meant that people thought that women where being inconsiderate and taking to extreme levels that was not necessary. By doing this many people such as the government and MP’S thought that if women were acting so irrational and unladylike then why should they give them the vote?

Third Slide,

, Source Explaining. – Kasera.

First Source ‘Greater Love Hath, No Man Then This, That He Laid Down, His Life For His Friends’. This Source means that the Suffragettes which she was fighting with, believed that she laid down her life to create a bigger issue, to get votes for women. This made the public realise, how important the vote meant to her, and how noble she was to give up her life for the nation. This poster made all women look up to her, to help their cause.

“Emily Davison clung to her conviction that ...

This is a preview of the whole essay

Third Slide,

, Source Explaining. – Kasera.

“Emily Davison clung to her conviction that one great tragedy, the deliberate throwing into the breach of a human life, would put an end to the intolerable torture of women.”

This could mean that Emmiline Pankhurst and others thought that Emily was trying to end how men treated women by not giving them the vote, and that she was trying to create an even bigger issue of concern to show how hard and far women will go to be noticed and heard.

Naomi

“A deed of this kind is unlikely to increase the popularity of the women’s cause”

This could mean that the government may think that by women acting stupid by going to extreme lengths they shouldn’t give them the vote as its making the women’s cause seem needy instead of actually looking like they want the vote.

Slide 4

Demi

Read from the slide

Slide 5

Krishna

On the eve of the Derby Emily Davison went with two friends to a wspu event in the Empress rooms, Kensington. With a fellow militant in whose flat she lived, she planned a Derby protest without tragedy – a mere waving of the purple, white and green at Tattenham Corner, which was hoped to stop the race.

Kasera

Whether from the first her purpose was more serious, or whether a final impulse, altered her resolve. I know not. Her friend declares that she would not have thus died without writing a farewell message to her mother. Yet she sewed the wspu colours inside her coat as though to ensure that no mistake could be made as her motive when her dead body should be examined.

Source by Sylvia Pankhurst from the night before evidence

Naomi

This evidence shows that Emily Davison had not intended to die. All she was to do as planned was to wave the mere flag at the corner as a form of protest. This shows that to Emily Davison the wspu was her pride and joy to show everybody who she was – like a form of identity. A suffragette fighting for her cause without tragedy. However tragedy happened as her friend says she did not know if Emily changed her mind to a more dramatic protest of bravery and heroism.

Demi

When she died, Emily was carrying a little sovereign purse. Init was a ticket to Epsom and a diary, showing her appointments for the next week, so it suggests that she had not intended to die.

This also shows that she had not intended to die by the numerous schedules held for her.

Slide 6

Krishna

Maybe because of how appalled she was at the lack of real opportunities women had in late Victorian society but she was especially angered by the stigma attached to all women by being denied the right to vote.

Kasera

Davison's purpose in attending the Derby of June 4, 1913 is unclear. Much has been made of the fact that she purchased a return rail ticket and also a ticket to a Suffragette dance later that day, suggesting that suicide was not her intention.
A possibility for her reason for entering the race track was that she was trying to attach a flag to the King's horse, so when the horse crossed the finishing line it would quite literally be flying the suffragettes flag. Evidence for this was that she had supposedly been seen in the weeks before stopping horses in the lane outside her house, however this is only one of many theories of why she was on the race track.

Naomi

Women who were fighting for suffrage were already viewed as deviant in so many ways, so this one act probably did more to unite those women involved in the cause, as for those against, it took a few more years and a world war to convince them.

Demi

On the whole we can see that Emily Davison fought in what she believed in. However we can also see that she had non intention whatsoever to die. Many people looked up to her e.g the women mostly the suffragettes. Except others like some mp’s thought that it was another suffragette act of harm as that was what they were known for. Furthermore we can see from this that Emily Davison was a middleclass woman who intended to do whatever to get women the vote.

All:thanku