DOZ Inspirational Biography
Mercy James
S
ilence would only make
things worse than they
should be. If you wish
to bring about a change,
do something about the
situation rather than keep
quiet or complain without
actions. Alice Stokes Paul
lived by this philosophy.
A feminist, suffragist, and
women’s rights activist, she
was one of the
women whose
voice and
struggle
became the source of the
liberty most women are
enjoying today.
January 11, 1885,
marked the birth of this
unique woman at Mount
Laurel, New Jersey. She
was a smart woman
from her early days with
the mindset to increase
the significance of women
in making decisions with a
general effect on the nation.
Alice attended Moorestown Friends
School and graduated as the best in
her class before proceeding to Swarthmore
College where her journey to fame for bringing
more relevance to women began. She became part
of the student government and got inspired to take
part in political activism.
Knowledge has been a powerful tool right from
the beginning, and it remains a powerful tool to
this day. Alice was a woman that recognized the
importance and power of knowledge in making
a significant change to already existing laws.
Although she had learned about women’s suffrage
from her mother, Alice, never took a substantial
step until after acquiring a master’s degree from
the University of Pennsylvania. She moved to
England where she became part of the movement
DOZ Magazine | March 2019
by selling suffragist magazine and later got fully
involved in the demonstrations and marches of
the women’s social and political union. However,
everything has a price. The protests and active
involvement of Alice in the movement became the
source of criminal records for her. She was arrested
and jailed three times before leaving England
in 1910 where she acquired more educational
knowledge by pursuing a Ph.D. in Sociology.
Despite the stigma of being imprisoned and the
pain she went through, Alice did what most of the
women of this present generation would
not have done. She proceeded with
her campaign and involvement
with the National American
Woman Suffrage Association
in a more profound way.
She advanced to getting
involved with the women
suffrage procession in
1913, National Woman’s
Party and Silent
Sentinels in 1916.
For the sake of becoming
victorious, she took a
step when she was locked
up in the Occoquan/
District Jail. She embraced
a hunger strike due to the
poor condition of the prison
environment and the food being
served. This action led to her transfer
to the psycho ward where she was made to
feed on raw eggs. Rather than give up because
of the pain, Alice continued her fight until there
was an amendment of the constitution permitting
women to vote. Her steadfastness earned her a
place in history and the heart of many women even
after her death on 9 July 1977. The amendment
was named after her as Alice Paul Amendment.
Through the pain, endurance, and sacrifice of
this great woman, the constitution was amended
to allow women to vote. If you genuinely want
to make a difference in the world and the lives
of women as she did, pain should never be an
obstacle. Instead, it should be a motivation to do
more.
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Alice Stokes Paul