Alice Paul: The Trailblazing Suffragist Who Changed Women's Rights

Alice Paul was not just a name in the annals of American history; she was a powerful force that changed the landscape of women's rights in the United States. Born on January 11, 1885, in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, her Quaker upbringing instilled in her a strong sense of justice and equality. This upbringing, combined with her education at prestigious institutions, fueled her passion for advocating women's suffrage during a time when the voices of women were often suppressed.

After her time studying at Swarthmore College, Paul traveled to England, where she immersed herself in the women’s suffrage movement. There, she adopted the use of militant tactics, which included hunger strikes and picketing, to draw attention to the cause. Upon returning to America in 1910, she co-founded the National Woman’s Party and became instrumental in the passage of the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote.

Throughout her life, Alice Paul continued to champion women's rights and equality. Even after the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, she pushed for the introduction of the Equal Rights Amendment. Her relentless advocacy laid the groundwork for future generations of feminists. Alice Paul passed away on July 9, 1977, leaving behind a legacy that inspires countless individuals in their fight for equality.

Table of Contents

• Who Was Alice Paul?
• Family & Education
• Alice Paul's Accomplishments
• Death
• Quick Facts
• Citation Information

Who Was Alice Paul?

Alice Paul grew up with a Quaker background and attended Swarthmore College before living in England and pushing for women's voting rights. When she returned to America in 1910, she became a leader in the suffragist movement, eventually forming the National Woman's Party with Lucy Burns and becoming a key figure in the voices that led to the passage of the 19th Amendment. In later years, she advocated for the passage of an Equal Rights Amendment as well. She died in Moorestown on July 9, 1977.

Family & Education

Alice Paul was born on January 11, 1885, in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, and attended school in nearby Moorestown. She was the eldest child of William Mickle Paul I and Tacie Paul, who later provided her with three more siblings. Influenced by her Quaker family (she was related to William Penn who founded Pennsylvania), she studied at Swarthmore College in 1905 and went on to do graduate work in New York City and England.

While in London from 1906 to 1909, Paul became politically active and unafraid to use dramatic tactics in support of a cause. She joined the women's suffrage movement in Britain and was arrested on several occasions, serving time in jail and going on a hunger strike.

Alice Paul's Accomplishments

Activist for Women's Right to Vote

When she returned to the United States in 1910, Paul became involved in the women’s suffrage movement there as well. Driven also to change other laws that affected women, she earned a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1912.

Co-founder of Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage

At first, Paul was a member of the National American Woman Suffrage Association and served as the chair of its congressional committee. Out of frustration with NAWSA's policies, however, Paul left to form the more militant Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage with Lucy Burns. The group was later renamed the National Woman's Party with the goal of implementing change on a federal level.

Known for using provocative visual media to make their point, NWP members known as the "Silent Sentinels" picketed the White House under the Woodrow Wilson administration in 1917, making them the first group to take such action. Paul was jailed in October and November of that year as a result of the protests.

Pushing for an Equal Rights Amendment

After women won the right to vote with the 19th Amendment in 1920, Paul devoted herself to working on additional empowerment measures. In 1923, she introduced the first Equal Rights Amendment in Congress and in later decades worked on a civil rights bill and fair employment practices. Although she did not live to see the ERA added to the U.S. Constitution (to date it remains unratified), she did get an equal rights affirmation included in the preamble to the United Nations charter.

Death

Until she was debilitated by a stroke in 1974, Alice Paul continued her fight for women’s rights. She died on July 9, 1977, in Moorestown.

Quick Facts

Citation Information

• Article Title: Alice Paul Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: Alice Paul Biography
• Last Updated: June 29, 2021
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014