Thread by @rednikki

Many Americans think that women got the vote by asking nicely. They didn't.

After 50 yrs of little progress how did they finally get action? They protested in ways that enraged Americans. For a time, they were reviled.

History thread incoming! (Photo: @librarycongress ) 1/10

On March 3, 1913, during Woodrow Wilson's Presidential inauguration, the National Women's Party held a protest march in DC. Imagine if the Women's March in 2017 had been on Inauguration Day. Imagine the anger at women's incivility and lack of respect. It was like that. 2/10

Here's a photo of the mobs that showed up to block the protest march. (Source: @librarycongress ) Imagine fighting against that crowd to make your voice heard. Imagine the commitment it took to stand up to all these people, enraged at your incivility. 3/10

The suffragists protested against Wilson because he felt women's suffrage was a state's rights issue. The National Women's Party wanted a Constitutional amendment to protect their rights at the federal level. 4/10

The amendment had been introduced in Congress in 1878. It had lingered there for 35 years. As you can see by the photo of that mob, opposition was high. Nevertheless, they persisted. The suffragists had started fighting decades before that, and they weren't giving up. 5/10

In 1917, the National Women's Party began picketing the White House, continually, for months. It had never been done before. Some members of the public were furious, some were curious, some were supportive.

And then the US entered WWI. 6/10

(Photo: @librarycongress )

The women continued protesting. During wartime. Sentiment turned against them. The public were furious at how unpatriotic these women were. But the suffragists wouldn't stop. So they were arrested. And their enraged jailers tortured these women for what they saw as sedition. 7/10

The women were beaten, some chained to the ceiling. Alice Cosu had a heart attack that night; jailers waited until morning to bring her medical help. Their cells were infested with rats and their food was infested with maggots.

Newspapers publicized their brutal treatment. 8/10

Until then, only 8 states had been willing to give women the vote. The suffrage amendment had been lingering in Congress since 1878(!).

The brutal treatment of the women got public sympathy. In 2 yrs the 19th Amendment was sent to the states for ratification. 9/10

Women gained the right to vote in 1920. And with their newfound power, women were able to achieve a goal that had driven their efforts to get the vote. They got the US to ban alcohol.

But that's a story for another Tweetstorm. 10/10