Suffragette Manifestos

by Various

Bringing together the voices of women who fought for equal rights and representation - from aristocrats and actresses to mill workers and trade unionists - these speeches, pamphlets, letters and articles form an inspiring testament to the power of a movement. GREAT IDEAS. Throughout history, some books have changed the world.

They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted.

They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, History, Philosophy, Politics, Classics, Essays

139 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 24, 2020

About the author

Various is the correct author for any book with multiple unknown authors, and is acceptable for books with multiple known authors, especially if not all are known or the list is very long (over 50).

If an editor is known, however, Various is not necessary. List the name of the editor as the primary author (with role "editor"). Contributing authors' names follow it.

Note: WorldCat is an excellent resource for finding author information and contents of anthologies.

Reviews

[emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

welcome to: THE PENGUIN GREAT IDEAS PROJECT!

as you all know, i'm:
a) addicted to projects (and my book club, my long classics project, and my genius project are all on pause)
b) mildly behind on my reading challenge (see: months-long reading slump and corresponding existential crisis)
c) very into short books that make me look smart (much like the penguin great ideas collection).

i have acquired a couple dozen penguin great ideas installments, and i will be attempting to read one a day until i get bored, catch up, or reach spiritual fulfillment!

find past books here:
WHAT IS EXISTENTIALISM?
REFLECTIONS ON THE GUILLOTINE
THREE JAPANESE BUDDHIST MONKS

let's do this!

immediately this ALSO took longer than a day, and in fact was closer to 3, but to be honest i found this to vary a lot. and not in a fun way.

each manifesto was kind of a surprise...also not in a fun way? they vacillated wildly in terms of quality, modern relevance, readability...etc etc.

i love you, penguin great ideas, but i don't always LIKE you!

[madison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm intrigued by the Penguin Classics "Great Ideas" series and have requested to read/review a handful of them. Each slim title covers essays, speeches, and other writings that surround a particular idea, movement, or individual that changed the way the world thinks or operates. The series seem to focus very much on Euro-centric ideas, the ideas of white people, and the ideas of men. That said, I'm excited to explore the series and evaluate whether these books are digestible introductions to the topics covered. I'm not sure about the other books yet, but this one was 130 pages, so it's a very quick read.

This title features speeches and writings from various UK suffragettes. I found some of the speeches to be surprisingly dry as a reader in 2020, especially given my love and interest in the history of women's suffrage. This collection only covers ideas about white women's suffrage in the UK (I wasn't aware of that going in - I hadn't read the description, only read the title, so that's on me). Many of the essays remain powerful and some of the ideas mentioned STILL have yet to be realized. I did enjoy several of the essays very much and the collection was worth reading because of it.

Don't expect contextualization or contemporary commentary on any of the speeches or writings collected here. These are purely the texts of exact speeches or opinion pieces written at the time of women's suffrage, so you can't expect anything beyond that. This is a very narrow view of the history of suffrage. I don't believe there are any speeches featured by people of color, and the topic of suffrage isn't covered in any kind of intersectional way. I assume this is partially due to the curation on behalf of Penguin, and because many women's movements that get published about were, and remain, very white.

Many of the showcased works are sexist, some ableist, some classist. I cringed at times the lack of awareness or solidarity expressed. This is a collection that very much represents "white feminism" at the time the works were published, and illustrates how little some things have changed in that regard. It's a shame about the lack of solidarity across race, class, etc at the time (and it continues), but that does not mean there weren't people from other marginalized groups working toward suffrage. I did appreciate that the curators chose speeches from working class women and women working in different occupations. I was very interested in the couple of speeches that touched on women's suffrage as it relates to, or was ignored by, the union labor movement.

I would have appreciated more commentary, or reflections of these works from a contemporary standpoint. But, that's not what these titles are trying to do, and I understand that. They're meant to be brief and show purely the text as spoken or written. Still, those responsible for curating these works decide what to include and exclude, who to include or exclude from the collection.

Suffragette Manifestos represents more of the same as we've seen in history books since, well... forever. I get it's called Penguin Classics for a reason, you kind of know what to expect. Regardless, I would love to see Penguin broaden its coverage within the Great Idea series to topics, countries, and individuals that haven't already been exhaustively published about by American and European scholars and historians. There are a couple of those in the series that do, but not many. Penguin has the resources and clout to be doing so much more with it. This book felt a bit lazy to me.

Thanks to #NetGalley and Penguin for sharing a copy of this book with me in exchange for an honest review.

[Annisa Erou · Rating 3 out of 5]

• This book is quite focused on the suffrage itself so it’s quite political. However, we can still learn about the context of gender equality and women empowerment in general. If we dive deeper, main reason behind the suffrage is this urge to make women be heard – isn’t that the core of our movement? For us to be heard and to be seen as human beings.

• The fact: “Give some women votes, and it will tend to make all women think seriously of the concerns of the nation at large, and their interest having once been fairly roused, they will take pains, by reading and by consultation with persons better informed than themselves, to form sound opinions.” (pg 6)

• The logic: “But, it is said, women have other duties. The function of women is different to that of men, and their function is not politics. It is very true that women have other duties – many and various. But so have men. No citizen lives for his citizen duties only. He is a professional man, a tradesman, a family man, a club man, a thousand things as well as a voter. Of course these occupations sometimes interfere with a man’s duties as a citizen, and when he cannot vote, he cannot. So with women; when they cannot vote, they cannot.” (pg 10)

• The most important thing: “It makes me very happy to see what a few years ago I thought I should never live to see. They said ‘You will never rouse women’. Well, we have done what they thought, and what they hoped impossible – we women are roused. Perhaps it is difficult to rouse women, and they are longsuffering and patient, now that we are roused, we will never be quiet again.” (pg 42)

• The sad truth: “The second argument is, that it is unnecessary for the woman to have a voice; the man is the head of the household, and is quite competent of deciding for his household.” (pg 72) – sadly up until now many men (and women) still think this way :(

• Women as human beings: “We women, in trying to make our case clear, always have to make as part of our argument, and urge upon men in our audience the fact – a very simple fact – that women are human beings.” (pg 103)

[Françoise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a collection of speeches, short essays or articles from Suffragettes.
At first I was quite excited to read it, but what disappointed me was that it was only focused on Britain and it's movement. I wish they had made it clearer. I would have read it anyway!
I feel that they could have made this so much more educational. Instead it just feels like a lazy collection put together and at the end a short summary about women portrayed.
I would love to see a world collection. The suffragette movement was not only in the UK. New Zealand was first to give women the vote, Ecuador was the first in South America and in some countries, white women were given the vote before aboriginal women (Australia), and others, women and men got it at the same time (India I believe).

I'm still glad I read this, and I'd definitely recommend it! It's a good first step to learn about suffragettes. I'm just a bit disappointed at the publishing company.

[Amy Hazelton]

Really interesting articles and speeches from suffragettes during the suffragette movement. My favourite was ‘The civic rights of the Married Woman’ by Constance Smedley. So well written and persuasive. I also thought ‘Freedom or Death’ by Emmeline Pankhurst was such a powerful speech delivered in America. Particularly as there are still now rights being taken away from women at the moment, these speeches feel even more relevant. To think we are STILL battling this very subject in so many places is so sad!

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

“We women are roused. Perhaps it is difficult to rouse women, and they are longsuffering and patient, now that we are roused, we will never be quiet again.”

Het mooiste dat ik op de vooravond van mijn tweede verkiezingen kon lezen.

(De reviews die kwaad zijn omdat de essaykeuzes, of erger nog, de inhoud vd speeches en opiniestukken zelf, niet intersectional genoeg is 🤣 goed gelachen.)

[sarina! · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fight for suffrage was less about gaining and more about equalizing rights for all citizens who abide by the law. The suffrage movement didn't just end with women getting the vote, it was an ongoing process that went on to include advocating for equal pay, equal guardianship of children, and allowing women into the legal profession.

[Maria Senatore · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most important movements in Women's history is well documented by this book: manifestos, public speeches, written ones... Thanks Penguin edition!

[yangkhama · Rating 3 out of 5]

The voices of women, from artists & aristocrats to mill workers & trade unionists, is brought together in this powerful collection of speeches, pamphlets, letters, articles amongst others.
Utterly atmospheric as one can't help but feel themselves in the crowds surging with urgency for women's rights.
This read was a moving reminder of the very many years of struggle it took to rouse women from complacent idleness to being the force the patriarchy could not ignore.
A testament to the consistency of the movement & the inspiring passion of the women that were behind it.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful gem full of wisdom, indignation and passion. Truly inspiring!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This slim volume covers a wide range of essays and speeches surrounding Women’s Suffrage in the UK and the battles that were fought in order to give women the vote.

There are a wide range of different speeches and essays included here, from both Suffragettes and Suffragists, and covering a wide range of opinions. It’s interesting to see the arguments of the time and how they haven’t actually changed in the intervening years.

The differing opinions included in this volume mean that you do approach the topic of Women’s Suffrage from as many different points of view as possible and you encounter a number of women that you may not have heard of before, broadening your experience of the Suffrage movement.

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an informative read! It gives you a real snapshot of what the suffragette movement was up against, the kind of arguments they needed to make and to whom.

It took a special kind of strength of mind to do what these women did; they were asking for something that had never existed before, without posing any sort of violent threat, fighting not their enemies but their own friends and family. It’s extremely difficult to advocate for something that makes the people around you think less of you.

I especially liked the essay asking “idle women” to stop being silly and actually help out their sisters who have to work for a living.

[James Kinsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shameful to think that, 100 years after these texts were originally written, there still exists a pay gap. This renders this more topical than one might hope. That said, while the suffragette biographies at the end of the book are a welcome addition to what, in this series, would usually be just the texts themselves, there's still an argument for further context. But then, maybe the point of these books is to pique the reader's interest and encourage them to go digging further for themselves. Regardless, it remains a fascinating and important series.

[Eleanor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great little snippet into the writings and speeches of Suffragettes. I especially loved the speech that Emmeline Pankhurst gave in the Royal Albert Hall on 19 March 1908. I did find a couple of the speeches to be mildly inscrutable, but I think that is an effect of the time difference, cultural context and just general political speech forms. It's nice to read these now and see where we've gotten to but it's also slightly saddening to think about where we aren't yet.

[Lianda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such an important read. It really taught me new things that I didn’t know. I really appreciated the little bio’s of the women in the back. There is some amazingly strong phrases that inspire and awe. I did wish there was a little bit more information on the status of the suffragette movement at the start of the different pieces, for some context. Also, as always, there were stronger pieces and less impactful ones. Overall, 3.75 stars.

[Or Lowi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a conglomerate of essays, news coverage, and letters of the British Suffragette movement's leaders. The book goes chronologically - from the beginning of the movement up until women got the franchise. I enjoyed most of the bits I read.
MUST-READ: "Freedom or Death" by Emmeline Pankhurst. Truly heartbreaking.

[The Adventures of Isabelle Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a compilation of essays, rather than a novel on the suffragette movements. It was really interesting to see how the things we take for granted today in western countries where once real struggles in the past. It was really insightful to read the ideas of the great activists of the past and this topic is a part of history that is not discussed nearly enough!

[Fishface · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting selection

A sprinkling of speeches and writings of a variety of women in the suffrage movement, showing how the anti-tax movement dovetailed with the effort to get women the vote. It takes the reader a little past what I assumed at first was their only goal to see what they started working on after they won the right to vote. Inspiring stuff.

[Ceraphina Malone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every book I own in this penguin great ideas collection is annotated beyond belief. I loved this one through and through and it was so great reading the speeches that helped make the change for woman during that time.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's interesting to read essays from a long dead debate about the right's of women. It's sobering to think that there were people who argued against what we would consider common sense and decency, it makes you wonder how the debates of our day will be viewed in fifty or one hundred years.

[Kesta Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well worth reading. What a lot was done by so many committed women that we might have the vote and be regarded as citizens in our own right. What a fight! I wish I could thank them and tell them how grateful I am.

[Leilani · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good brief collection of writings, probably a good introduction to the suffragette movement

[Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good little snippets

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of speeches/letters/news articles to show the suffragette movement.

[✰matthew✰ · Rating 3 out of 5]

while this was a very interesting reading experience in some ways, it was also flat and quite repetitive. some of the pieces were difficult to read and less well written than others.

[Anna Fritschi]

I decided not to rate this book since it's a piece of contemporary testimony

[Wouter van der Hoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Het is eigenlijk best ernstig hoe relevant dit nog steeds is.

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring and informative.
I only wish there had been more context to each essay.

[Ruby · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[onion crl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool book made me understand the way of thinking back then men had about women
Which is awful btw