Which suffrage activist was sent to the Occoquan Workhouse?

Suffragist Lucy Burns
Suffragist Lucy Burns in a cell at the Occoquan Workhouse after women’s rights protests in November 1917.

What was Occoquan?

The Occoquan Workhouse (later Lorton Reformatory and Lorton Correctional Complex) in Lorton, Virginia was a jail facility used by the District of Columbia. It was built in 1910. At first, it housed prisoners serving short sentences for offenses like disorderly conduct.

What happened to suffragettes in prison?

As more Suffragettes were imprisoned, they fought with prison authorities more and more. When the leading lights of the suffrage campaign arrived at Holloway they would be put in the prison hospital, to keep them away from the hundreds of other Suffragettes already imprisoned.

What was significant about the women’s suffrage movement?

The woman’s suffrage movement is important because it resulted in passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which finally allowed women the right to vote.

When did Wyoming allow women’s suffrage?

On September 30, 1889, the Wyoming state convention approves a constitution that includes a provision granting women the right to vote. Formally admitted into the union the following year, Wyoming thus became the first state in the history of the nation to allow its female citizens to vote.

Were suffragettes killed?

The death of one suffragette, Emily Davison, when she ran in front of the king’s horse at the 1913 Epsom Derby, made headlines around the world. The suffragette campaign was suspended when World War I broke out in 1914.

What bad things did the suffragettes do?

By 1912, the suffragettes were banned from attending Liberal Party meetings and banned from holding their own. Denied legitimate means of protest, a minority of the women engaged in damage to private and public property – mass window smashing, firing empty buildings or destroying mail in postboxes.

How long were the suffragettes in prison?

The Suffragettes Charlotte Marsh, Laura Ainsworth and Mary Leigh were arrested in September 1909 for disrupting a meeting attended by the Prime Minister Herbet Asquith. All three were sentenced to two weeks’ imprisonment in Winson Green prison, Birmingham.

What were some of the arguments against women’s suffrage?

Anti-suffragists argued that most women did not want the vote. Because they took care of the home and children, they said women did not have time to vote or stay updated on politics. Some argued women lacked the expertise or mental capacity to offer a useful opinion about political issues.

What did the inmates do at Occoquan Workhouse?

Inmates were put to work in agriculture and factory production. Occoquan is also notable as a site of women’s suffrage history. In 1917, dozens of suffragists served time there after being arrested picketing the White House.

Why did the suffragists go to the women’s workhouse?

The indignities and pain suffered by the suffragists in the Women’s Workhouse built up sympathy for the cause. If women could be arrested and treated like political prisoners, they had the right to be political actors.

Who was arrested at Occoquan Workhouse in 1917?

Lucy Branham was arrested for picketing in September 1917 and sentenced to sixty days in Occoquan Workhouse. Alice Paul, a cornerstone in the women’s suffrage movement and organizer of the Silent Sentinels, entered the Women’s Workhouse as a protester charged with “obstructing traffic.”

What did the women of the Lorton workhouse do?

The women housed there were poor women of color, imprisoned for crimes such as disorderly conduct and prostitution. The women of the workhouse did laundry for the facility, while others worked in the gardens. In this way, inmates contributed to and sculpted their surroundings, a visible and felt presence ’til this day.