Alice Paul’s "Jailed for Freedom" Pin, 1917
date: label: date made
content: 1917
name: label: presented by
content: National Woman's Party
label: recipient
content: Paul, Alice
notes: label: Description
content: Discouraged by President Wilson’s continued opposition to the woman suffrage amendment, Alice Paul, the leader of the National Woman’s Party (NWP) posted pickets at the White House gates—the first people to ever picket the White House. These "silent sentinels" stayed on duty in all weather and in the face of threats, taunts, and physical violence. Using their banners and their quiet courage they asked, "Mr. President How Long Must Women Wait for their Liberty?" and "Mr. President What Will you do for Woman Suffrage?" Hoping to provoke a response, the language on the banners became more inflammatory as the months passed. Suffragists used the president’s own words against him and pointed out the hypocrisy of his leading the country into the First World War to defend freedom while denying it to the women of his own country. Crowds who believed the pickets’ activities were disloyal in a time of war attacked the suffragists and destroyed their banners. In July 1917, the police began arresting the pickets for "obstruction of traffic." They were imprisoned when they refused to pay fines. The women went on hunger strikes demanding to be treated as political prisoners. Instead they were forcibly fed—a painful and invasive procedure. The pickets continued despite the risk. Paul had endured such treatment while she was in England and, although she knew what lay ahead and that she, as the organizer of the picketing, would receive a harsher sentence, she insisted on taking her place on the picket line. She was arrested in October. While in jail she was forcibly fed and threatened with commitment to an insane asylum. Reports of the long sentences, abuse, and the courage of the suffragists became public and all prisoners were released in November.
label: Description
content: In a December ceremony the imprisoned suffragists were awarded small silver pins in the shape of prison doors with heart-shaped locks. The "jailed for freedom" pins were designed by Nina Allender. This pin was awarded to Alice Paul.
label: Description
content: The Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution enfranchising women was ratified in August 1920.
topic: label: general subject association
content: Women's Suffrage
label: general subject association
content: Equal Rights Amendment
label: general subject association
content: Voting Rights
setName: label: See more items in
content: Political History: Political History, Women's History Collection
label: See more items in
content: Government, Politics, and Reform
label: See more items in
content: American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith
label: See more items in
content: Woman Suffrage
label: Exhibition
content: American Democracy
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Alice Paul Centennial Foundation, Inc.
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1987.0165.025
label: catalog number
content: 1987.0165.025
label: accession number
content: 1987.0165
objectType: label: Object Name
content: pin
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: silver (overall color)
label: Measurements
content: average spatial: 1 1/2 in x 1 in x 1/4 in; 3.81 cm x 2.54 cm x .635 cm