Unmentionables were available in suffragette colours
This year marks the 100th anniversary of women getting the vote in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The long journey that allowed the Bill to be passed that would allow women to vote, was often a hostile one.
While doing my research I came across some very interesting facts. The colours of purple, white and green were the signature colours of the Women’s Social Political Union (WSPU). Why, you could even buy unmentionables at Selfridges in those colours. I can just imagine the look of shock on some husbands’ faces when he saw his missus in the revolutionary colours of the suffragettes standing at the end of the marital bed. Purple stood for the royal blood that runs through all our veins. White represented the purity of women, in private and public life. Green meant hope, as in the renewal process of spring. Women were encouraged to sport the colours of the WSPU, and many articles of clothing, housewares and jewelry were decorated with these colours. The battle for the vote started in about 1792 with the publication of a book by Mary Wollstonecraft called “Vindication of the Rights of Women”. In 1869, the women of the territory of Wyoming (USA) got the right to vote. In fact many countries gave the right to vote to women long before Canada and Great Britain. In 1893 New Zealand, 1902 Australia (convicts and lunatics were not given the right to vote, which was probably the greater amount of the population of Australia at that time, so the governing parties really needed women to vote), 1907 Finland, 1908 Norway, 1915 Denmark and Iceland. 1918 saw women in Canada, Germany and Poland earn the right to vote. Oddly enough that whenever a revolution took place, it worked in favour of women. Men came to realize that women actually had a better handle on the social issues that were paramount in the day. Beatrix Potter, best known for her Peter Rabbit stories, actually became a leader in the social questions of the day, seeking to abolish charity by changing the structure of society, becoming a leader in the British Socialist movement.
But what does this all mean today? Do women exercise their right to vote whenever there is an election? Do women have a fair say in the social policies of today? Just take a look at all the women in the new Trudeau cabinet, the women who lead our political parties. You can even look over the wall to the US and see that for the first time in American history a woman is in the running for President; and that woman (Hilary Clinton) is looking at having another woman to be on the ticket for Vice President. Just thumb through the history books and you will find many great women who have changed the face of society through fair and reasonable political strategies. There were times when these changes required some rather drastic and militant actions, but, somehow these actions got the attention of men much quicker than the peaceful marches. These brave women become radical by cutting telegraph wires, interrupting Liberal speakers, breaking the Prime Minister’s windows. Why, one woman even tried to attack Winston Churchill with a dog whip! The women who were arrested were put in prison, but not before they were rough handled by police officers and men who happened to be in the thick of the demonstrations. Many of these women went on to stage a hunger strike. In the past, law stated that any prisoner who went on a hunger strike had to be released; that law was changed and the women were force-fed via tubes shoved down their throats. Once word of this treatment was made public an outcry ensued and the practice was halted. It was because of these hunger strikes that a new law was passed. If a woman went on a hunger strike she was released from prison; then once she got her health back she would be arrested once again. This law was nicknamed the Cat and Mouse law, as it really was a game of cat-and-mouse. In June of 1913, Emily Davison threw herself in front of the King’s horse at the Derby. Her funeral was an immense procession in favour of votes for women. Meanwhile, back in America, Susan Anthony was working very hard to get the right for women to vote Bill passed through the House of Representatives (it did, two thirds of the house voted in favour for the women to vote) but was defeated in the Senate. In 1918, the vote for women was passed, but not in all states. The Southern states held back on allowing women to vote. The reason, Negro women; the Southern states feared that it would be impracticable to stop Negro women from voting by beating them like they beat Negro men who tried to exercise their right to vote.
One must remember that these actions were very brave for that time of the century. This was a time when even strolling through a park with a man who was not your husband or your intended was a notorious act. As the old cigarette advert used to say, “You’ve come a long way baby.”
Even in today’s world there are many women who never get the right to vote, get an education, own property in their own name or even have the opportunity to own their own business, however large or small it would be. Even on the farm I have to walk through the “man” door to access the feed for my livestock… But that is a whole other story.
So on this Canada Day, wear the colours of the WSPU and the red and white of the Canadian flag and remember all those men and women who have given us the freedom to vote and live our lives as our votes have chosen for us. Finally, just remember that behind every good man is an even better woman, and that is a vote you can count on.
