Quick facts
Famous for: leading the British suffragette movement, which eventually won women the right to vote Born: July15, 1858, Manchester, Britain Died: June 18, 1928, London Married: Richard Pankhurst Profession: political activist
Little revolutionary
Find words that mean: promised, enthusiastic, an unmarried man, manners, defining moment
Emmeline Pankhurst was born Emmeline Goulden. Both her parents came from politically active families. Her father, Robert, ser ved on a local town council. Her mother, Sofia, was an avid supporter of suffrage - the right to vote - for women. Pankhurst said she became a supporter herself when she was just eight. But the turning point came when she attended a speech on women?s rights when she was 14.
Even though her parents were politically active and believed women should be able to vote, they did not have strong opinions about women?s education. They believed women should just learn practical things that would make them useful wives. Pankhurst attended a school in Manchester for some time. When she was 15, she went to a ?finishing school? in Paris, where she learned etiquette, and practical skills which would help her find a husband.