Alice Paul (1885–1977) was a leader in the American women's suffrage movement who introduced the first equal rights amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Paul's activism included organizing marches, protests at the White House, and rallies. Her militant approach led to multiple imprisonments before the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, granting women the right to vote. After securing this victory, Paul earned law degrees and continued advocating for women's rights. In 1923, she drafted the first equal rights amendment to the Constitution. She also worked internationally, seeking support from the League of Nations for her cause. Paul founded the World Party for Equal Rights for Women in 1938. She believed that many global issues stemmed from women's lack of political power.

What was the women's suffrage movement?

The women's suffrage movement in the United States, which began in the early 19th century, fought to secure women's right to vote. The movement gained momentum through the work of various groups advocating for a constitutional amendment and changes to individual state constitutions. Alice Paul , a key figure in the movement, advocated for militant tactics, drawing inspiration from British activists, to publicize the need for a federal amendment. She organized marches, protests, and rallies, leading to her imprisonment on multiple occasions. Paul's efforts and those of other suffragists culminated in the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, granting women the right to vote.

How did Alice Paul contribute to women's right to vote?

Alice Paul was a key figure in the women's suffrage movement, employing militant tactics to push for a federal amendment granting women the right to vote. After witnessing the confrontational strategies of British suffragists, she brought similar methods to the United States. Paul organized large-scale demonstrations, parades, and pickets, directly challenging authorities and drawing attention to the cause. Her activism led to multiple imprisonments, further publicizing the suffragists' struggle. In 1913, she founded the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage, which later merged to become the National Woman’s Party in 1917, to advocate for a constitutional amendment. Paul’s efforts and those of other activists culminated in the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, marking a major victory for the feminist movement.

What methods did Alice Paul use to protest for women's suffrage?

Alice Paul, a key figure in the American women's suffrage movement, employed militant tactics to advocate for a federal women's suffrage amendment. She organized marches, rallies, and protests at the White House. As head of the National Woman's Party (NWP), Paul led the first picketing of the White House and organized acts of civil disobedience.

What was the significance of Alice Paul's efforts for the 19th Amendment?

Alice Paul was a key figure in the fight for women's suffrage, employing militant tactics such as marches and protests to push for a federal amendment. As chair of the National Woman's Party, she organized demonstrations and picketed the White House, leading to her imprisonment. Her activism and the efforts of other suffragists finally led to the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, granting women the right to vote. This marked a major victory for the feminist movement in the United States.

How did Alice Paul's activism influence later movements for women's rights?

Alice Paul's activism significantly influenced later movements for women's rights through her militant tactics and unwavering focus on gender equality. After witnessing the aggressive strategies of British suffragists, Paul adopted similar methods in the United States, organizing marches, protests, and rallies to publicize the need for a federal women’s suffrage amendment. Her dedication led to multiple imprisonments, but also contributed to the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920. Paul drafted the first equal rights amendment in 1923 and continued to advocate for women's rights internationally, insisting that many global issues resulted from women's lack of political power. Her work paved the way for later generations of feminists.

Alice Paul

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The journey to women's voting rights and the Nineteenth Amendment

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Born:: January 11, 1885, Mount Laurel, New Jersey, U.S.

Died:: July 9, 1977, Moorestown, New Jersey (aged 92)

Role In:: women’s rights movement

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Alice Paul

American suffragist

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Top Questions

Who was Alice Paul?
Alice Paul (1885–1977) was a leader in the American women's suffrage movement who introduced the first equal rights amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Paul's activism included organizing marches, protests at the White House, and rallies. Her militant approach led to multiple imprisonments before the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, granting women the right to vote.

After securing this victory, Paul earned law degrees and continued advocating for women's rights. In 1923, she drafted the first equal rights amendment to the Constitution. She also worked internationally, seeking support from the League of Nations for her cause. Paul founded the World Party for Equal Rights for Women in 1938. She believed that many global issues stemmed from women's lack of political power.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Alice Paul
2. feminism: The suffrage movement
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What was the women's suffrage movement?
The women's suffrage movement in the United States, which began in the early 19th century, fought to secure women's right to vote. The movement gained momentum through the work of various groups advocating for a constitutional amendment and changes to individual state constitutions.

Alice Paul, a key figure in the movement, advocated for militant tactics, drawing inspiration from British activists, to publicize the need for a federal amendment. She organized marches, protests, and rallies, leading to her imprisonment on multiple occasions. Paul's efforts and those of other suffragists culminated in the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, granting women the right to vote.
5 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How did Alice Paul contribute to women's right to vote?
Alice Paul was a key figure in the women's suffrage movement, employing militant tactics to push for a federal amendment granting women the right to vote. After witnessing the confrontational strategies of British suffragists, she brought similar methods to the United States. Paul organized large-scale demonstrations, parades, and pickets, directly challenging authorities and drawing attention to the cause. Her activism led to multiple imprisonments, further publicizing the suffragists' struggle. In 1913, she founded the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage, which later merged to become the National Woman’s Party in 1917, to advocate for a constitutional amendment. Paul’s efforts and those of other activists culminated in the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, marking a major victory for the feminist movement.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Alice Paul
2. feminism: The suffrage movement
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What methods did Alice Paul use to protest for women's suffrage?
Alice Paul, a key figure in the American women's suffrage movement, employed militant tactics to advocate for a federal women's suffrage amendment. She organized marches, rallies, and protests at the White House. As head of the National Woman's Party (NWP), Paul led the first picketing of the White House and organized acts of civil disobedience.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What was the significance of Alice Paul's efforts for the 19th Amendment?
Alice Paul was a key figure in the fight for women's suffrage, employing militant tactics such as marches and protests to push for a federal amendment. As chair of the National Woman's Party, she organized demonstrations and picketed the White House, leading to her imprisonment. Her activism and the efforts of other suffragists finally led to the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, granting women the right to vote. This marked a major victory for the feminist movement in the United States.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How did Alice Paul's activism influence later movements for women's rights?
Alice Paul's activism significantly influenced later movements for women's rights through her militant tactics and unwavering focus on gender equality. After witnessing the aggressive strategies of British suffragists, Paul adopted similar methods in the United States, organizing marches, protests, and rallies to publicize the need for a federal women’s suffrage amendment.

Her dedication led to multiple imprisonments, but also contributed to the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920. Paul drafted the first equal rights amendment in 1923 and continued to advocate for women's rights internationally, insisting that many global issues resulted from women's lack of political power. Her work paved the way for later generations of feminists.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Alice Paul
2. feminism: The suffrage movement
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Alice Paul (born January 11, 1885, Mount Laurel, New Jersey, U.S.—died July 9, 1977, Moorestown, New Jersey) was an American women’s suffrage leader who first proposed an equal rights amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Paul was reared in a Quaker home. She graduated from Swarthmore College (1905) and pursued postgraduate studies at the New York School of Social Work. She then went to England to do settlement work (1906–09), and during her stay there she was jailed three times for suffragist agitation. She also continued to do postgraduate work at the Universities of Birmingham and London and received degrees from the University of Pennsylvania (M.A., 1907, in absentia; Ph.D., 1912). Returning to the United States, she advocated the use of militant tactics to publicize the need for a federal women’s suffrage amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In 1912 she became chairman of the congressional committee of the National American Woman Suffrage Association but soon differed with what she considered its timid policies; in 1913 Paul and a group of like-minded militants withdrew to found the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage, which in 1917 merged with the Woman’s Party to form the National Woman’s Party.

Paul organized marches, White House protests, and rallies. Her militancy in the fight for women’s suffrage led to her imprisonment on three more occasions before the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920. Thereafter Paul took a law degree from the Washington College of Law (1922) and master’s and doctor’s degrees from American University (1927 and 1928); she also continued her activities on behalf of equal rights for women. She drafted and had introduced into Congress in 1923 the first equal rights amendment to the Constitution. When it failed to pass, Paul turned her attention to an international forum, concentrating with considerable success during the 1920s and ’30s on obtaining support for her crusade from the League of Nations. She was chairman of the Woman’s Research Foundation (1927–37), and in 1938 she founded and represented at League headquarters in Geneva the World Party for Equal Rights for Women, known as the World Women’s Party. Paul insisted that many of the troubles of the world resulted from women’s lack of political power, and she reiterated this view when World War II broke out: it need not have occurred, she declared, and probably would not have if women had been able to have their say at the Paris Peace Conference at the end of World War I.

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Elected chairman of the National Woman’s Party in 1942, Paul continued thereafter to work for women’s rights in general and for an equal rights amendment to the Constitution in particular. In the interim she successfully lobbied for references to gender equality in the preamble to the United Nations charter and in the 1964 U.S. Civil Rights Act. Paul was long considered the elder stateswoman of the feminist movement.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Alice Paul

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