Source O The arrest and imprisonment of women who peacefully picketed the White House gates has shocked many who previously gave little thought to the suffr...

This question asks how far you agree that militant tactics between 1913 and 1920 were the main reason women won the right to vote. The source describes the arrest and mistreatment of the Silent Sentinels in 1917. This is a 10-mark question requiring balanced analysis.

What the source tells us: The source is a newspaper editorial from November 1917 describing the White House picketing campaign. It reports that over one hundred women were arrested for "obstructing traffic" since June 1917, and describes forced feeding of hunger strikers and the "Night of Terror" on November 14 at the Occoquan Workhouse. The editorial notes that "whatever one's view on suffrage, the treatment of these women is difficult to defend," suggesting the government's response generated sympathy for the cause.

Arguments that militant tactics were the main reason:

• Alice Paul's National Woman's Party organised dramatic protests from 1913 onward, including a massive parade in Washington the day before Wilson's inauguration.
• The White House picketing campaign (from January 1917) was unprecedented and kept suffrage in public attention.
• The Night of Terror and forced feeding of hunger strikers created a public relations crisis for Wilson's administration.
• The picketers' banners highlighting the contradiction between fighting World War I for democracy abroad while denying women democracy at home was a powerful rhetorical weapon.
• Wilson finally endorsed a federal suffrage amendment in January 1918, shortly after the public outcry over the prisoners' treatment.

Arguments that other factors were equally or more important:

• The mainstream National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), led by Carrie Chapman Catt, pursued a "Winning Plan" combining state campaigns with lobbying for a federal amendment. This steady organisational work built the political infrastructure needed for ratification.
• By 1917, women already had full suffrage in twelve states, proving that women's voting did not cause social disruption.
• Women's contributions during World War I (working in factories, serving as nurses, supporting the war effort) strengthened their claim to full citizenship.
• The Progressive Era's broader emphasis on democratic reform created a favourable climate for expanding suffrage.
• Some historians argue militant tactics actually delayed progress by alienating moderate supporters and giving opponents ammunition.

How to reach the highest marks:

• Level 1 (1-3 marks): Simple statements about tactics.
• Level 2 (4-6 marks): Uses source details and some own knowledge, but argument is one-sided.
• Level 3 (7-8 marks): Balanced argument weighing militant tactics against other factors.
• Level 4 (9-10 marks): Sustained analysis recognising that the Nineteenth Amendment (passed Congress June 1919, ratified August 1920) resulted from a combination of militant protest, mainstream lobbying, state-level victories, wartime contributions, and broader political trends. A top answer would evaluate the source as evidence of how government repression could generate sympathy, while noting that the editorial itself does not necessarily endorse suffrage - it criticises the treatment of prisoners.