Jailed for Freedom

Jailed for Freedom, by Doris
Stevens

Prepared by: Samuel R. Brown [email protected]

Page numbers for scholarly reference are shown in curled brackets thus
{45} throughout the text. The page number is placed at the start of the
text of the printed page. Footnotes are shown in square brackets thus [1]
and are placed at the bottom of the page.
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Jailed for Freedom
By Doris Stevens

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To Alice Paul
Through Whose Brilliant and Devoted Leadership the Women of
America Have Been Able to Consummate with Gladness and Gallant
Courage Their Long Struggle for Political Liberty, This Book is
Affectionately Dedicated

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Preface
This book deals with the intensive campaign of the militant suffragists
of America [1913-1919] to win a solitary thing-the passage by
Congress of the national suffrage amendment enfranchising women. It
is the story of the first organized militant ,political action in America to
this end. The militants differed from the pure propagandists in the
woman suffrage movement chiefly in that they had a clear
comprehension of the forces which prevail in politics. They appreciated
the necessity of the propaganda stage and the beautiful heroism of those
who had led in the pioneer agitation, but they knew that this stage
belonged to the past; these methods were no longer necessary or
effective.
For convenience sake I have called Part II "Political Action," and Part
III "Militancy," although it will be perceived that the entire campaign
was one of militant political action. The emphasis, however, in Part II
is upon political action, although certainly with a militant mood. In Part
III dramatic acts of protest, such as are now commonly called militancy,
are given emphasis as they acquired a greater importance during the
latter part of the campaign. This does not mean that all militant deeds
were not committed for a specific political purpose. They were. But
militancy is as much a state of mind, an approach to a task, as it is the
commission of deeds of protest. It is the state of mind of those who is
their fiery idealism do not lose sight of the real springs of human
action.
There are two ways in which this story might be told. It might be told
as a tragic and harrowing tale of martyrdom. Or it might be told as a
ruthless enterprise of compelling a hostile administration to subject
women to martyrdom in order to hasten its surrender. The truth is, it
has elements of both ruthlessness and martyrdom. And I have tried to

make them appear in a true proportion. It is my sincere hope that you
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will understand and appreciate the martyrdom involved, for it was the
conscious voluntary gift of beautiful, strong and young hearts. But it
was never martyrdom for its own sake. It was martyrdom used for a
practical purpose.
The narrative ends with the passage of the amendment by Congress.
The campaign for ratification, which extended over fourteen months, is
a story in itself. The ratification of the amendment by the 36th and last
state legislature proved as difficult to secure from political leaders as
the 64th and last vote in the United States Senate.
This book contains my interpretations, which are of course arguable.
But it is a true record of events.
Doris Stevens. New York, August, 1920.
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Contents
Preface {vii}

Part I
Leadership

Chapter 1
A Militant Pioneer-Susan B. Anthony {3} 2 A Militant General-Alice
Paul {10}

Part II
Political Action
1 Women Invade the Capital {21} 2 Women Voters Organize {35} 3
The Last Deputation to—President Wilson {48}

Part III
Militancy
1 Picketing a President {63} 2 The Suffrage War Policy {80} 3 The
First Arrests {91} 4 Occoquan Workhouse {99} 5 August Riots {122}
6 Prison Episodes {141} 7 An Administration Protest-Dudley Field
Malone Resigns {158} 8 The Administration Yields {171} 9 Political
Prisoners {175} 10 The Hunger Strike-A Weapon {184} 11
Administration Terrorism {192} 12 Alice Paul in Prison {210}
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13 Administration-Lawlessness Exposed {229} 14 The Administration
Outwitted {241} 15 Political Results {248} 16 An Interlude (Seven
Months) {259} 17 New Attacks on the President {271} 18 The
President Appeals to the Senate Too Late {280} 19 More Pressure {295}
20 The President Sails Away {301} 21 Watchfires of Freedom {305}
22 Burned in Effigy {314} 23 Boston Militants Welcome the President
{319} 24 Democratic Congress Ends {326} 25 A Farewell to President
Wilson {330} 26 President Wilson Wins the 64th Vote in Paris {336}
27 Republican Congress Passes Amendment {341} Appendices {347}
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Illustrations

[Note: The photographs and illustrations appearing in this book are
available on the Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium website
www.ctdlc.org Follow the link to the Connecticut TALENT Program]
Alice Paul Mrs. O.H.P. Belmont Democrats Attempt to Counteract
Woman’s Party Campaign Inez