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Itzel Lara
5/2/16
Prompt: Who was the most influential American in the history of the United States? Why?
Alice Paul: The Most Influential American
The actions of an individual can be described as influential to the public for being the
cause of a change. Alice Paul was a Civil Rights activist and a Womens Rights activist. She is
most notorious for having been a womens right activist. Alice Paul began fighting for equal
rights among women in 1910. She formed the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage, which
became later to be known as the National Womans Party, with Lucy Burns in 1916. To bring
attention to the movement, Paul led protests in front of the White House with the NWP. After the
19th Amendment was passed, Paul did not stop fighting for womens right. She continued with
fighting for equal rights among women and men. Alice Paul is the most influential American
because she fought for womens right to vote, she continued to stand up for women to be treated
equal to me (that wasnt just being able to vote), and today she has left an impact in the
movement seeing as people are still arguing for men and women to be treated equal in all
aspects.
Alice Paul is one of the many women responsible for the womens suffrage movement.
There were women like Florence Kelley and Susan B. Anthony that came together to fight for
the womens right to vote. Alice Paul and the National Womans Party went lengths to bring
attention to the issue of women not being involved with politics. Paul did not only work in the
States for women to have the ability to vote, she brought attention to the issue in other places like
England. Paul, herself, stated how she was able to bring up the attention of women having the
inability to vote in England. Miss Paul, who seems not to mind going without food for any

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length of time, got into the hall the night before, disguised as scrub women, and secreted herself
until the meeting began. (Alice Paul Talks) Alice Paul finding a way to sneak into a meeting
that was limited to certain people shows that she wasnt going to back down until something was
done about women voting. Paul did not care for the consequences that shed receive as
punishment for interrupting an important meeting. It meant that she would have brought attention
to the issue that women are faced with everyday. In the States, Alice Paul also proved that she
wouldnt back down until the issue was addressed. The National Womans Party was known for
its tactics of bringing attention to themselves including at the White House. And because he has
failed to exercise his powerpreferring, instead a more and more insufferable lip servicethe
womens cry is, Mr. President, how long must women wait for liberty? (Jailed for Freedom 9)
The National Womans Party were known for protesting in front of the White House. For
protesting in front of the White House, Alice Paul and other women were arrested on several
occasions. Some women were arrested on the spot when protesting in front of the White House,
whereas Alice Paul was arrested at a later time. Despite the consequences that women like Alice
Paul faced, their tactics pulled through to the people. In an image, a group of NWP member are
seen surrounding Paul as she is sewing on an additional star for ratifying the 19th Amendment.
Alice Pauls fight for women to vote shows that she was a determined American and that she
would continue fighting for what she believed in.
After the 19th Amendment was passed, the National Womans Party and Alice Paul did
not stop there. Alice Paul did not see the point in disbanding the group when women were still
faced with injustices. Its always been known to some extent that women have not been treated
entirely equal to men. Many people mistakenly believe that women do possess all the same
rights before the law as men, because the right to vote has been incorporated into the

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Constitution. (Armstrong 2) Alice Paul and the National Womans Party acknowledged that
women werent equal to men. They were only equal in voting. With the pamphlet created by
Florence Armstrong, NWP was bringing in new and old recruits to continue fighting for women
to be treated equal in all aspects. Paul got together with groups of people for the vote of gaining
equal rights. She said the womens joint legislative committee for equal rights will lay plans
next month on how to point out to individual voters in both parties which candidates are friend or
enemies.. (Los Angeles Times) Alice Paul is showing that she, alongside with the National
Womans Party, is determined to have the equal rights amendment passed. With the help of the
NWP, Paul was able to gain the attention of President Eisenhower. I believe that the Congress
should make certain that women are not denied equal rights with men. (The New York Times)
Since the President was brought up on the issue and Paul reintroduced the amendment, Paul was
able to achieve eight people to receive the majority. Unfortunately, Paul did not live to see the
Equal Rights Amendment being potentially passed for all women and men to be equal. Since she
passed away, the Equal Rights Amendment remains in the state that it was left it. Despite the
amendment, women to this day remain unequal to men.
In retrospect, women were given their rightful opportunities as a normal human being.
Yet, women still feel unequal to men. The issue about the gap of the pay between men and
women has been brought up on several occasion. Several groups in regards to the womens
suffrage movement continue to this day to fight for the gap to be equal among women and men.
In a two Buzzfeed videos, there were several examples of the gap that exist among men and
women. Women actually spend about $1351 more than men when buying products. Another
video is a satire of the wage gap between women and men. The gap issue between men and
women has been protested, like the National Womans Party and Alice Paul protested, and

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brought up to the White Houses attention. Since taking office, President Obama has made
equal pay a top priority and has taken a number of steps to fight for the pay equity. (The White
House) Alice Paul is proving to be the most influential American for having inspired movements
today in using similar tactics that would get the attention of others on a certain issue.

Others

would disagree and say that Susan B. Anthony is most influential American. Susan B. Anthony
could be considered the most influential American. After all, she was one of the very first woman
to fight for women to vote. People often associate the womens suffragist movement with Susan
B. Anthony. We will not achieve our dream or the dream of Susan B. Anthony until we have
equal rights under the Constitution. (Congressional Record) Since Susan B. Anthony is always
the first advocate that people think of when they think of the womens suffragist movement, it is
showing that her work will always prove her to be the most influential American. However, with
the work that Alice Paul has done, others would beg differently on who is most influential
American.
Alice Paul is the most influential American in comparison to Susan B. Anthony. Alice
Paul did more than Susan B. Anthony in the womens suffragist movement. Yes Susan B.
Anthony began the movement to fight for womens right to vote, but Alice Paul did more than
just fight for women to have the ability to vote. She went to extreme lengths that would get
attention from people to bring attention to the injustices that women were faced with. Also, she
did not stop fighting for women after the 19th Amendment was granted. Alice Paul continued to
fight for women to have equal rights. She wanted women to be equal to men and not just have
the ability to vote. However, both Alice Paul and Susan B. Anthony both did set up a path for
women to continue fighting for equal rights to this day. Today people are still protesting that

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women are still not treated equal to men. There are many movements that form protests that
would lead them to getting what they want.
Alice Paul is the most influential American because of her work. She fought for womens
right to vote. She continued to fight for an Equal Rights Amendment that would grant women the
ability to be equal to men and not just have the ability to vote. Her work with the womens
suffragist movement has left an impact to the current century. Alice Pauls tactics to gaining
attention on the issue at hand leaves an impact for people today. People have learned to protest
and go to extreme lengths so that they can succeed in winning their argument. Her work with the
Equal Rights Amendment and 19th Amendment meant that women would be considered equal to
men, and it would not be taken away from them. Women wouldnt be paid a percentage of what
men get paid. Theyd be fully paid for their hard work. Women would not have to pay more for
basic health and body care products. Women would also not have to pay more for clothing items.
There would not be a wage gap between men and women. Women would be treated equally in all
aspects had Alice Paul not chosen the tactics she went with. Had she not inspired groups today
with her tactics in getting people to agree with her, people would still struggle with getting
attention to fight for equality among both gender.

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Works Cited
Armstrong, Florence A. Women as Persons Under the Constitution. National Womans Party
Document. 1993. Print. 12 May 2016.
Summary: The source provided information to the public about their desire to continue
fighting for womens equal rights. It provided information on how the public can help.
Explanation: The source helped me as evidence for how Alice Paul and NWP wanted to
Continue fighting for womens equality. The source helped provide information about
what can be done and why it should be done.
Alice Paul. History.com. A&E Television Networks. 2009. Web. 23 Apr. 2016.
Summary: The website provides information about Alice Paul and her life as a whole.
There is
information about her work with the womens suffragist movement.
Explanation: The source helps me provide background information. It could also help
me build
up my claim about her contributions to the womens equality and right to vote movement.
Alice Paul Biography. Bio.com. A&E Television Networks. Web. 23 Apr. 2016.
Summary: The website provides information about Alice Paul and her early life. There is
also
information about her contribution to the 19th Amendment and Equal Rights
Amendment.
Explanation: The source helps me with background information. It could also help me
build

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up my claim in how and what she did as a womens suffragist leader.
Alice Paul Talks. Philadelphia Tribune. Jan. 1910. Print. 12 May 2016.
Summary: The source is about Alice Pauls experience in England. She explains how
she got the Prime Ministers attention on women voting.
Explanation: The source helps me by showing how dedicated Alice Paul was. It also
shows how Alice Paul worked in different countries for women to getting voting rights.
Alice Paul and the Womens Suffrage Movement. HistoryWired: A Few of Our Favorite
Things.
Web. 15 May 2016.
Summary: The source provided information about Alice Paul as an overall. The source
also
mentioned a bit of Susan B. Anthony.
Explanation: The source helped me a rebuttal to the counterclaim. It helped me show
that Alice Paul was more influential than Susan B. Anthony.
Equal Rights Mentioned in Message First Time. The New York Times. 17 Jan. 1957. Print. 12
May
2016.
Summary: The source provided information about how Eisenhower supported the Equal
Rights Amendment. It also provided information about Alice Paul.
Explanation: The source helped me as supporting evidence that Alice Paul did more
than
just fight for the right to vote. It helped me see a different perspective that isnt Alice
Paul.

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Jailed for Freedom: Some Phases in the Front Line of a War for Democracy Not Quite Won.
National Womans Party Document. 1919. 12 May 2016.
Summary: The source provided many images of women protesting for womens rights.
The
source mentioned Alice Paul protesting,
Explanation: The source helps me in having evidence about women protesting against
the
President. It helps me with quotes to analyze and images to use for my argument.
National Photo Co., Washington, D.C. National Womans Party Activists Watch Alice Paul Sew
a
Star onto the NWP Ratification Flag, Representing Another States Ratification of the
19th
Amendment. 1919-1920. Records of the National Womans Party, Washington D.C. 13
May
2016.
Summary: The image shows members of NWP including Alice Paul sewing on a new
star as a
symbol of support from another state. The image shows how NWP work together.
Explanation: The source helps me with information about where NWP was in the
process of
gaining support for the 19th Amendment. It also shows how hard NWP worked.
Office of the Press Secretary. Fact Sheet: On Equal Pay Day, President Obama to Designate
National Monument Honoring Womens Equality. The White House. The White House,

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11 Apr. 2016. Web. 13 May 2016.
Summary: This source provides information about honoring the womens movement. It
also
provides information about what the President and others are trying to do.
Explanation: This source helps me build the argument for how Alice Paul has inspired
and left
an impact today. It gives me reliable information since it is from the White House.
Roll of Honor. Congressional Record. 1956. Print. 13 May 2016.
Summary: The source provides information about the Equal Rights Amendment. It also
shows
that it was honoring Susan B. Anthony.
Explanation: The sources helped me as evidence for a counter argument. It was showing
that
Susan B. Anthony was the main one honored with the womans suffragist movement.
Who was Alice Paul? Alicepaul.org. Alice Paul Institute, Inc. Web. 23 Apr. 2016.
Summary: The website provides information about Alice Paul and her early life. There is
also
information about her work with the 19th Amendment and Equal Rights Amendment.
Explanation: The source helps me with background information. It could also help me
build
up my claim she was able to do as a womens suffragist leader.
Womens Planks Raised. Los Angeles Times. 31 Aug. 1956. Print. 13 May 2016.

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Summary: It provided information about the stand on the Equal Rights Amendment. It
also
provided information about who supported the amendment and who did not.
Explanation: The source helped me as evidence for how Alice Paul chose to continue
with the
National Womans Party. It also helped me with information about who was opposed and
who
wasnt.