Working Together

A particular point that stands out when researching suffragists campaign methods, is the emphasis on how it was not one method, nor one woman, that achieved equal franchise but the overall impact of the persistence and hard work of multiple women, in multiple locations using multiple peaceful methods.

This is demonstrated in this NUWSS poster that states the organisation consists of 449 Societies united into 16 federations. The allegory of the tree shows that although there are many branches that produce differing amounts of leaves they are all part of the same tree, working towards the same cause.

This was especially the case in the North West. From these archives from the Demonstration programme, the Bazaar Handbook and the records of where women’s suffrage meetings were being held, we can see how active areas around Manchester were in the campaign for women’s suffrage.

We sought to also demonstrate this point through each Game Changer group creating a giant jigsaw piece in the shape of their respective borough. This was then decorated with the young women’s research of significant suffragists from their local area and how they campaigned for suffrage. These were all put together at the Bazaar event making one giant map of Greater Manchester.

This demonstrated to the young women that it will not be one borough, one campaigner or one Game Changer that will bring about change but through all of us working together collectively to achieve the transformations we want to see in society.