Votes for Women and the Long Fight

History · Britain Through Time · ages 12-13

Name ______________________ Date ____________

Which pair shows one peaceful and one militant tactic?
- Petitions and window breaking
- Napping and picnics
- Cheering at games
Who could vote in Britain around 1830?
- Nearly every adult
- A small group of wealthy men
- No one at all
Campaigners answered that women paid taxes and obeyed laws.
Circle one: True False
Why did some campaigners turn militant?
- They disliked calm weather
- They loved loud noises
- Polite asks had failed for decades
By 1930, who could vote?
- Only rich men
- Only soldiers
- Nearly every adult
All suffrage campaigners agreed on the same tactics.
Circle one: True False
A town widens its club vote from ten members to all. What lesson from Britain fits?
- Widenings come free if you wait
- Each widening must be campaigned for
- Votes shrink on their own
An opponent says politics will harm homes. Which reply answers him?
- Women already run homes well, and laws touch homes daily
- Homes will vanish entirely
- Politics happens only on the moon

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Petitions and window breaking · Petitions asked calmly while window breaking forced attention.
A small group of wealthy men · The vote belonged to a small minority of men with property.
True · Taxpayers who obey laws deserve a say in making them.
Polite asks had failed for decades · Fifty years of petitions brought little, so some broke windows to be heard.
Nearly every adult · A century of campaigns widened the vote to nearly all adults.
False · The drive split between peaceful petitioners and militant fighters.
Each widening must be campaigned for · No stage was given freely; each gain needed pushing.
Women already run homes well, and laws touch homes daily · Laws shape home life, so homemakers deserve a voice in them.