Force Feeding a Suffragette — The Trials and Tribulations of Alice Paul,Alice Paul was a lifel

Force Feeding a Suffragette — The Trials and Tribulations of Alice Paul,Alice Paul was a lifelong suffragette and advocate for women’s rights.  Along with Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Paul was one of the main players in the women’s suffrage movement, the movement to earn voting rights for women.  Unlike Stanton, Paul advocated more aggressive tactics such as civil disobedience.  Due to the rift between Paul and Stanton, Paul left Stanton’s group, called the National Women’s Suffrage Alliance, and formed her own groups called the National Women’s Party.  Unlike the NWSA, Paul’s group protested at times and places that were very controversial, such as during President Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration, or right in front of the White House gates.Alice Paul and her followers protested in front of the White House for months, but few took notice, calling them the “Silent Sentinels”.  However when the United States entered World War I President Wilson began a very heavy handed campaign to squelch all criticism of the Presidency, the government, and the war effort.  In July of 1917 Paul and her suffragettes were arrested for “obstructing traffic” and incarcerated at the Occuquan Workhouse.  The Occuquan Workhouse was essentially a sweatshop for convicted inmates.  There the women were forced to sew clothing for long hours with no breaks.  Living conditions were near squalor, but worst of all was the sadistic attitude of the guards against the suffragettes.  On November 14th, the guards randomly beat, choked, and abused several of the women, a night which would later be called The Night of Terror. Those who called for help were gagged and chained in their cells. Many of the women suffered broken ribs and lacerations, but received no medical attention.In protest of the terrible conditions at Occuquan, Alice Paul began a hunger strike.  With little tolerance for her disobedience, the guards transferred her to a psychiatric prison where she was forcibly fed.  This was done by forcing a tube directly through the nose, past the sinus and nasal cavity into the esophagus.  Today when such a procedure is perform on disabled patients an anesthetic and paralytic is used to suppress the pain and gag reflex, however no anesthetics were used on Alice Paul, making the procedure extremely painful and akin to torture.  Raw egg was then poured down the tube which would enter the stomach.  Many other women who went on hunger strike also suffered from forced feedings.Word of the abused women and force feedings hit the press and caused an outrage among the American people.  Wilson’s decision to incarcerate the suffragettes backfired, and tremendous political pressure was placed on the administration in regards to women’s suffrage.  Wilson pardoned all of the suffragettes and order them released from prison.  In 1918 he sponsored the 19th amendment to end gender discrimination in voting. The 19th amendment was passed in 1920.  Alice Paul passed away in 1977 at the old age of 92. -- source link

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