Historical Marker: Suffragists and a Courtroom Decision in Alexandria

This historical marker commemorates an important event in the history of women's suffrage in the United States. It is located where the U.S. District Courthouse for the Eastern District, which was built in 1858, once stood. Here, on November 27, 1917, U.S. District Court Judge Edmund Waddill ruled that the suffragists who were imprisoned at the Occuquan Workhouse in Lorton, Virginia could be paroled pending appeal. They had been arrested for protesting at the White House and were accused of blocking traffic on Pennsylvania Avenue. The ruling occurred after the harsh treatment the women suffered at Occuquan became public, particularly the "Night of Terror" of November 14, 1917 during which many of the prisoners were beaten and thrown against the walls. The political fallout of the women's experience at Occuquan was enormous and a significant event that led to the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 1920, which grants any citizen the right to vote regardless of gender.

The road to the 19th amendment was a long one, beginning in the mid-1800s when western states began to grant women the right to vote. Other states followed suit and many suffragists began to call for an amendment to enshrine the right in the Constitution. When Woodrow Wilson was elected president in 1913, women had high hopes he would support their demand for an amendment. This is not surprising given that during his campaign Wilson stated "...freedom cannot come until women as well as men are given the right to vote." He declined to work toward this goal, however, during his first term (he, in fact, privately opposed it).

On January 9, 1917, before Wilson's second inauguration in March, suffragist leaders gathered in Washington D.C. and devised a plan to silently protest at the White House every day. The first protest occurred the next day when a group of about a dozen "Silent Sentinels" marched to the White House wearing warm clothes and donning purple, white, and gold sashes. They held signs saying "Mr. President, what will you do for women's suffrage" and "How long must women wait for liberty?" President Wilson saw the women but ignored them as his car entered the White House grounds. This was the first time a protest of this kind had occurred at the White House. Not all suffragists supported the Silent Sentinels, arguing that protesting this way was too brazen. Nevertheless, the Silent Sentinels continued in all types of weather.

The U.S. entrance into World War I in April changed the dynamic between the Silent Sentinels and the public and law enforcement. Some considered any protest as a sign of disloyalty to the country. People came to watch the protesters; some took and destroyed their banners, and others physically attacked the women. Police began to arrest them on charges including unlawful assembly, blocking traffic, and disorderly conduct. The jail time and fines they faced became harsher as time went on, and some chose jail sentences over paying fines. The women were taken to the Washington District Jail at first but eventually were sent to Occuquan. By September, 24 women were imprisoned at Occuquan and more would be taken there in November including suffragist leader Alice Paul.

They were treated harshly and Paul began a hunger strike shortly after she arrived. After refusing food for three days, she was strapped down and force fed milk and raw eggs. Another suffragist sent to Occuquan around this time was Lucy Burns, who had been arrested previously on a number of occasions but was sentenced to six months at Occuquan (she spent the most time in jail out of all the suffragists). On the evening of November 14, the "Night of Terror," Burns was forced to stand all night with her hands shackled to the ceiling after she refused to stop a roll call to check on the other prisoners. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, suffered a heart attack and threw up all night. The guards struck, dragged, and kicked the women as well. The next day, 16 other women began hunger strikes in protest.

On the 17, Judge Waddill ordered a writ of habeas corpus to release the women and set the hearing for the 27. They attended the hearing but many had become so weak that they had to lie on the courtroom benches. Waddill ruled in their favor and most were released that day or the next; however, some requested they finish their sentences at the Washington District Jail. Six of the women appealed their sentences and in March the next year, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals overturned their convictions.

The treatment of the women had been widely discussed in the press for months and Night of Terror angered many and galvanized support for women's suffrage. President Wilson, recognizing that his anti-suffrage views might cost him seats in Congress, had softened his stance on the issue. It appears that the news of the Night of Terror changed his opinion entirely and made him a supporter of the suffrage movement. In December during an annual address to Congress, he argued for the women's right to vote saying “the least tribute we can pay them is to make them the equals of men in political rights as they have proved themselves their equals in every field of practical work they have entered, whether for themselves or for their country.” The next day, Wilson voiced his support for a constitutional amendment granting women the right to vote.

It would take until 1919, however, for Congress to pass the Susan B. Anthony Amendment, as it was called. Suffragists continued to protest and pressure states to ratify it (three-fourths of the states are required to ratify a constitutional amendment). On August 18, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment, which was officially certified on August 26. Virginia did not ratify the amendment until 1952.

Cassidy, Tina. "Arrested and tortured, the Silent Sentinels suffered for suffrage." August 13, 2020. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/history-magazine/article/silent-sentinels-womens-suffrage?loggedin=true&rnd=1678551262864.

Costello, Matthew. "Picketing the White House." The White House Historical Association. April 14, 2017. https://www.whitehousehistory.org/picketing-the-white-house.

"Suffragists and a Courtroom Decision in Alexandria." The Historical Marker Database. Accessed March 11, 2023. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=182671.