Suffrage in 60 Seconds: Jail Door Pin

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Transcript

Oh hello! I'm Ranger Lauren. Welcome to another segment of Suffrage in 60 Seconds.

Did you know that the first organization to ever picket the White House was the National Woman's Party?

Starting in January of 1917, women started to picket the White House and did so for several months. And in April that same year, the U.S entered the First World War. The suffragists, also referred to as Silent Sentinels, carried banners criticizing President Woodrow Wilson and they were seen as a threat to the administration. The public was shocked that they would continue to picket at such a time and were seen as unpatriotic.

The women were attacked for their peaceful protests and clashed with bystanders, resulting in the arrests of the women. They were arrested for obstructing traffic who actually were well within their first amendment right and on public property.

Over 150 women would receive this pin after being arrested as a badge of honor and a symbol of sacrifice for willing to be jailed for fighting for the civil right to vote. For more information on women's suffrage history and artifacts like this, please check out our Facebook and see you next time on another episode of Suffrage in 60 Seconds.

Duration:

1 minute, 8 seconds

The women who faced arrest for protesting at the White House in support of women's right to vote were not ashamed that they had been to jail. In fact, they wore it as a badge of honor. Ranger Lauren tells the story of the Jail Door Pin, awarded to more than one hundred women by the National Woman's Party in appreciation for their sacrifice. What treasured item reminds you of something that makes you proud?

Alice Paul designed the Jail Door Pin based on the Holloway Brooch, which was given to British women who had been imprisoned for suffrage demonstrations.