Jailed for Freedom Pin Grade Range: K-12 Resource Type(s):
Artifacts, Primary Source Date Posted: 9/3/2008 In January 1917,
members of the National Woman's Party (NWP) became the first
people to picket the White House. Protesting the government's
failure to pass a constitutional amendment enfranchising women,
NWP members, led by Alice Paul, began picketing the White House.
Their purple, white, and gold banners asked President Woodrow
Wilson, "Mr. President what will you do for woman suffrage?" and
"Mr. President how long must women wait for liberty?" Tolerated
at first, the "silent sentinels" were increasingly seen as an
embarrassment to the administration. As the United States
entered the First World War, the NWP pickets' banners often
pointed out the hypocrisy of fighting for democracy and freedom
in Europe while denying it to women at home. In June 1917, the
D.C. police began arresting picketers for obstructing sidewalk
traffic. Over 150 women were sentenced to terms ranging from 60
days to six months in t