Of the most famous suffragettes, Alice Paul, was among the most militant. After completing her master’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania, she moved to England, becoming involved with Women’s Social and Political Union. She was arrested and jailed numerous times for her civil disobedience while in England.

After a meeting in 1917 with President Woodrow Wilson during which he showed little interest in supporting the women’s suffrage cause, Paul formed the “Silent Sentinel,” a group of over 1,000 women that would spend the next 2-1/2 years protesting silently six days a week in front of the White House or in Lafayette Park. During this time, Paul was imprisoned on numerous occasions to bring attention to women’s suffrage. None was more important than her incarceration in November 1917, which became known as the Night of Terror.

Paul was arrested and sent to the Occoquan Workhouse. While there, she was subject to horrendous abuse by prison authorities. The National Woman’s Party went to court to protest her treatment. As public pressure mounted, Paul and her fellow suffragette inmates were released on November 27th & 28th. Within two months, Woodrow Wilson announced support for a bill on women’s right to vote.

>> Click here to learn more about Alice Paul from the National Women’s History Museum