Languages tend to evolve over time. There are words that your ancestors used quite commonly that we almost never hear anymore. Were any of your ancestors Suffragettes?
The word “suffragette” is one that you might have heard before, but it isn’t used in conversation very often today. According to Dictionary.com:
Suffragette: a woman advocate of female suffrage.
The word “suffrage” is not a synonym for the word “suffering”. Instead, suffrage refers to the right to vote, especially in a political election. The Suffragettes were women who wanted women to be able to have the right to vote. The movement occurred in the late 19th and 20th centuries and happened predominately in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Many carried signs that read “Votes for Women”. At the time, everyone would read that sign and understand the meaning to be that the person who held the sign wanted women to be able to have the right to vote. Perhaps one of your ancestors was a Suffragette!
Today, someone who carried a sign that said “Votes for Women” could be advocating that people vote for politicians who are female. Or, the sign could be taken to mean that people should vote for candidates who will protect women’s rights. I’ve heard it said that the outcome of the 2012 United States Presidential election will be very influenced by the decisions made by women voters. How far we have come!
There is a newspaper clipping archive called the lamp. It is hosted by RootsWeb, and is considered to be a part of the Ancestry.com Community. There are several links to clippings from newspapers from the UK that mention some of what Suffragettes in the UK were doing in 1913 and 1914.
Flickr has an image of a Suffragette “posting bills”. Or, today, we might say she was putting up posters. Flickr also has a group called “Women’s Suffrage” that contains photos, posters, and newspaper clippings.
The National Archives has more information about what the British Suffragettes movement was about. This is a good starting point to learn more about the history of the movement, and the name of some of the women who started it. You can also do a Google image search for the word “Suffragette”. This will bring up plenty of old photos of the women who were willing to take a big risk in order to push for equality.
Image by Ben Sutherland on Flickr