07/16/2025
A critical and important part of our American history - not always told or understood. Well done here and in the references at the end of this post.
Sixteen of the "Silent Sentinels," the group of suffragists who picketed in front of the White House for two and a half years for women's suffrage, were arrested on this day in 1917. The women were charged with “obstructing traffic” and sentenced to 60 days in jail at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia. The Silent Sentinels were organized by the National Woman's Party, led by suffrage leaders Alice Paul and Lucy Burns. The vigil began on January 10, 1917 and continued every day and night, except Sunday, until June 1919 when the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution passed both the House and the Senate.
Many of the nearly 2,000 different women who participated in the vigil were arrested at various times. Although President Woodrow Wilson pardoned the 16 arrested on July 14 after three days, Alice Paul and others were famously arrested in October of that year. Paul was sentenced to seven months in prison. When she returned to the Occoquan Workhouse with a group of 32 suffrage prisoners, they endured what became known as the "Night of Terror" when they were brutalized by nearly 40 guards. In protest of the abuse and dreadful conditions at the Occoquan Workhouse, Burns and Paul joined other suffragists in a hunger strike.
Fearing that one of the women would die and lead to more negative press attention, the warden ordered the women be force fed. Historian Eleanor Clift recounts that the force feeding of Lucy Burns required "five people to hold her down, and when she refused to open her mouth, they shoved the feeding tube up her nostril" -- a dangerous and extremely painful feeding method. Widespread press coverage of these abuses, along with on-going protests, strongly influenced the Wilson Administration who declared, in January 1918, that women's suffrage was urgently needed as a "war measure" and asked Congress to act.
The suffragists' dedicated efforts brought the attention of the world to the struggle for women’s rights in America, and led to the ratification of the 19th amendment in 1920. This marked the victorious end of a 72-year long struggle to achieve equal voting rights for women which had begun at the first women's right conference organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848.
To read the harrowing story of the "Night of Terror" and how it galvanized support for women's suffrage across the U.S. during the final push for the passage of the 19th Amendment, visit https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=16987
For an excellent children's book about this final critical stage of the Suffrage Movement, we highly recommend "Alice Paul, Lucy Burns, and Their Big Idea" for ages 7 to 12 at https://www.amightygirl.com/how-women-won-the-vote
There is also a fantastic picture book about Alice Paul and her leadership during this critical period in the fight for women's rights: "Fight of the Century
Alice Paul Battles Woodrow Wilson for the Vote" for ages 5 to 9 at https://www.amightygirl.com/fight-of-the-century
For a fascinating book for adult readers about the final fight for the ratification of the 19th Amendment during the summer of 1920, we also recommend "The Woman's Hour" at https://www.amightygirl.com/the-woman-s-hour
To learn more about Alice Paul and Lucy Burns' fascinating story and their important legacy in securing women's right to vote, the film "Iron Jawed Angels" is highly recommended for viewers 13 and up at https://www.amightygirl.com/iron-jawed-angels
For more books for children, teens, and adults about the heroic women of the Suffrage Movement, visit our blog post, "The Best Books About the U.S. Suffrage Movement For Kids and Adults, ” at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=11827
And for our favorite t-shirt honoring women throughout history who were willing to shake up the system, check out the "Well behaved women seldom make history" t-shirt -- available in a variety of styles and colors for all ages -- at https://www.amightygirl.com/well-behaved-women-history-shirt
