Who was Emmeline Pankhurst? The suffragette leader who was born in Manchester and fought for women’s right to vote
SHE was the Suffragette known for militant tactics and hunger strikes in her quest for women's rights.
But who was Emmeline Pankhurst and how did she help revolutionise the lives of women and gain them the vote...
Who was Emmeline Pankhurst?
Emmeline Pankhurst was a political activist and leader of the British suffragette movement who is known for helping women win the right to vote.
Emmeline, whose maiden name was Goulden, was born in Moss Side, Manchester, in 1858 to politically active parents.
In 1879, she married barrister Richard Pankhurst – who was well-known for supporting women’s rights.
In 1889, Emmeline founded the Women’s Franchise League – which fought to allow married women to vote in local elections.
In 1903 she later went on to help found the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) - a more militant organisation that gained notoriety for its activities.
The WSPU was christened the “suffragettes”.
Emmeline was arrested on numerous occasions while fighting for women’s suffrage and, like many other suffragettes, went on hunger strike - resulting in violent force-feeding.
The WSPU’s period of militancy was ended when WWI broke out in 1914 and Emmeline turned her energies to supporting the war effort.
Finally, in 1918, the Representation of the People Act gave women aged over 30 the right to vote.
Emmeline died aged 69 on June 14, 1928 - shortly after women were granted equal voting rights with men (at 21).
In mid-December 2018, she was recognised in her home town by a statue - only the second of a woman in Manchester City.
The erection of the station drew crowds of thousands.
What is the This Is The Place poem?
The poem This Is The Place pays tribute to Emmeline in the line: "And this is the place where a Manchester girl named Emmeline Pankhurst from the streets of Moss Side led a suffragette city with sisterhood pride."
Tony Walsh was asked to read his 2013 tribute to Manchester at a terror attack vigil in Albert Square following the Manchester bombing last year.
The local poet, who performs using the pseudonym Longfella, penned the poem to celebrate the greatness and grit of his city.
His voice cracking with emotion, he had to pause a number of times to compose himself before he finished the rousing performance.
The wordsmith was greeted with supportive cheers at various parts of his reading, before everyone paid tribute to the victims of the vile tragedy with a minute's silence.
Crowds of people watched his moving performance live and hundreds and thousands have since listened to the poignant verses online.
What are the words to This Is The Place?
This is the place
In the north-west of England. It’s ace, it’s the best
And the songs that we sing from the stands, from our bands
Set the whole planet shaking.
Our inventions are legends. There’s nowt we can’t make, and so we make brilliant music
We make brilliant bands
We make goals that make souls leap from seats in the stands
And we make things from steel
And we make things from cotton
And we make people laugh, take the mick summat rotten
And we make you at home
And we make you feel welcome and we make summat happen
And we can’t seem to help it
And if you’re looking from history, then yeah we’ve a wealth
But the Manchester way is to make it yourself.
And make us a record, a new number one
And make us a brew while you’re up, love, go on
And make us feel proud that you’re winning the league
And make us sing louder and make us believe that this is the place that has helped shape the world
And this is the place where a Manchester girl named Emmeline Pankhurst from the streets of Moss Side led a suffragette city with sisterhood pride
And this is the place with appliance of science, we’re on it, atomic, we struck with defiance, and in the face of a challenge, we always stand tall, Mancunians, in union, delivered it all
Such as housing and libraries and health, education and unions and co-ops and first railway stations
So we’re sorry, bear with us, we invented commuters. But we hope you forgive us, we invented computers.
And this is the place Henry Royce strolled with Rolls, and we’ve rocked and we’ve rolled with our own northern soul
And so this is the place to do business then dance, where go-getters and goal-setters know they’ve a chance
And this is the place where we first played as kids. And me mum, lived and died here, she loved it, she did.
And this is the place where our folks came to work, where they struggled in puddles, they hurt in the dirt and they built us a city, they built us these towns and they coughed on the cobbles to the deafening sound to the steaming machines and the screaming of slaves, they were scheming for greatness, they dreamed to their graves.
And they left us a spirit. They left us a vibe. That Mancunian way to survive and to thrive and to work and to build, to connect, and create and Greater Manchester’s greatness is keeping it great.
And so this is the place now with kids of our own. Some are born here, some drawn here, but they all call it home.
And they’ve covered the cobbles, but they’ll never defeat, all the dreamers and schemers who still teem through these streets.
Because this is a place that has been through some hard times: oppressions, recessions, depressions, and dark times.
But we keep fighting back with Greater Manchester spirit. Northern grit, Northern wit, and Greater Manchester’s lyrics.
And these hard times again, in these streets of our city, but we won’t take defeat and we don’t want your pity.
Because this is a place where we stand strong together, with a smile on our face, greater Manchester forever.
And we’ve got this place where a team with a dream can get funding and something to help with a scheme.
Because this is a place that understands your grand plans. We don’t do “no can do” we just stress “yes we can”
Forever Manchester’s a charity for people round here, you can fundraise, donate, you can be a volunteer.
MORE ON THE MANCHESTER ATTACK
You can live local, give local, we can honestly say, we do charity different, that Mancunian way.
And we fund local kids, and we fund local teams. We support local dreamers to work for their dreams. We support local groups and the great work they do. So can you help us. help local people like you?
Because this is the place in our hearts, in our homes, because this is the place that’s a part of our bones.
Because Greater Manchester gives us such strength from the fact that this is the place, we should give something back.
Always remember, never forget, forever Manchester.