Votes for Women - Historical Issue Coursework

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Elliot Mateus

History Coursework – Votes for Women

Q1. Study Source A - What can you learn from Source A about the reasons given by the suffragettes for demanding votes for women?

A1.    It is observable in this source that the suffragettes were pointing out the positives about women themselves, while commenting that they still don’t have the vote. The suffragettes also show men in the worst, most disliked positions and stating that the men, even of this kind, still have the vote. The fact that the women are located above the men, infers the suffragettes considered they superior, and more deserving of prominence.

        The producer of the source clearly thought this was unfair as they (women) were working hard and contributing greatly to society, and yet the vote was given to those who the producer clearly deemed less worthy: the lunatics, the convicts and the alcoholics. The poster produced, emphasises the inequality of the position of the women in society, in direct comparison to those men who have a higher political standing (the power to vote) and yet in the suffragette opinion, don’t deserve it.

        The poster is entirely from the suffragette point of view. As is commonly known, not all men were ill, crazy or drunk, and not all women were educated, eloquent or approachable. The suffragette author was conveying to the audience that the concept of  hard working women not having the vote next to slobbish men who do, to be one of ridicule and stupidity. They consider it completely unjust. They consider it a slanderous insult towards womankind because they believe that women should have the vote; that they deserve it and that it’s their entitlement.

Q2. Study Sources B and C. Does Source B support the evidence of Source C about the suffragette campaign?

A2     Source B is written by a woman called Marie Corelli. The book is called ‘Woman or Suffragette’ and this title sets the tone for the extract. The use of the word ‘or’ means that if you are female you are either woman or suffragette – not both. The two positions are mutually exclusive.

        Source C is a cartoon created by a man called Bernard Partridge. It depicts two women outside a great liberal meeting. We know the woman on the left is a suffragist as she is calm and peaceful, not bawling and screaming. In sharp contrast to this, the person on the right is raging and shaking a fist violently – inferring that this is a suffragette.

        The caption is The Shrieking Sister. This tells us that although they were connected by the same cause and objectives, the nature of the methods in achieving them were very different. The sensible woman, upright and dignified says that the suffragettes were harming all arguments of suffrage. This was the view of the creator of Source C; that the suffragettes were making it even harder for the peaceful suffragists to make progress. In fighting for women’s rights, they were fast harming there own campaign and that of those out to get the same result.

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        There are similarities between the language used in both sources. Source B uses the word shrill, which is generally negative. It was used in context about the loud protesting of the suffragette movement. Source C uses the word shrieking which is synonymic of the word shrill. It implies that the shrieking is uncontrolled and unmonitored – that not much thought is going into the argument so shouting is the best means the suffragettes have to drive their message home.

        There are differences between the sources also. Source B is definitely outright against the vote for women – Corelli is ...

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