Main Facts

She was born on January 11^th, 1885, in Moorestown, New Jersey. She was influenced by her Quaker upbringing and studied at Swarthmore College before residing in England. When she came back to America in 1920, she became a prominent figure in the suffragist movement. In particular, she played an instrumental role in the passage of the 19^th Amendment. She died on July 9th, 1977.

Studies and Beginnings of Activism

She was a top student at the Moorestown Friends School. She continued her studies at Swarthmore College, and was awarded a B.A. in Biology. She went to do graduate work in New York City and England. During her stay in London from 1906 to 1909, she met Emmelin and Christabel Pankhurst and joined them in militant actions. She also met Lucy Burns, with whom she collaborated during the suffrage fight, both in England and in the United States. Paul was imprisoned and went on hunger strikes repeatedly.

Return to the United States

She came back to the United States and in January 1910 and joined the women’s rights movement. She was awarded a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania; she thought that this would help her change other laws that affected women. Initially, she joined the National American Woman Suffrage Association and became the chair of its committee. Nevertheless, due to her dissatisfaction with the Association’s policies, she quit and founded the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage with Lucy Burns. This organization’s name was changed to National Woman’s Party; its aim was to achieve transformations on a federal level. She participated in demonstrations in 1917, during the Woodrow Wilson administration; then, members of the NWP, who became known as ‘the Silent Sentinels’, picketed the White House while holding banners. In October and November of that same year, Paul was put in prison as a result of her participation.

Consistent Efforts

After the right to vote was granted to women with the 19^th Amendment in 1920, Paul continued to fight for further measures in favor of women. In 1923, she presented the first Equal Rights Amendment; later, she continued her efforts for promoting civil rights and just employment practices. She remained devoted to her mission until she suffered a stroke in 1974. She passed away in her town of birth in 1977. In 1979, she was inducted in the National Women’s Hall of Fame, an institution for honoring important women in the United States.

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