Emmeline Pankhurst- endured 13 imprisonments, founded the Women’s Social and Political Union to campaign for the parliamentary vote for women

In 1903, the social reformer Emmeline Pankhurst founded the Women’s Social and Political Union to campaign for the parliamentary vote for women in Edwardian Britain, ‘Deeds, not words’ being its motto. A charismatic leader and powerful orator, Pankhurst roused thousands of women to demand, rather than ask politely, for their democratic right in a mass movement that has been unparalleled in British history. Always in the thick of the struggle, she endured 13 imprisonments, her name and cause becoming known throughout the world. Emmeline Pankhurst's work with the Women's Social and Political Union ultimately facilitated the success of the Representation of the People Act in 1928, which granted British women the same voting rights as men.