White Feather Campaign

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The White Feather Campaign was a prominent enlistment campaign and shaming ritual in Britain during the First World War, in which women gave white feathers to non-enlisting men, symbolising cowardice and shaming them into signing up. Although the campaign was unpopular among the public, with reports of it causing mental suffering and suicides among men, it was seen as a success by the government, with figures such as Christabel Pankhurst receiving praise, monetary grants, as well as political endorsement. The campaign, noted for the participation of many suffragettes and early feminists in its leadership, such as Baroness Orczy, Christabel Pankhurst and Emmeline Pankhurst, is also interpreted as one of the reasons behind the passing of the Representation of the People Act 1918, which first granted franchise to land-owning women.

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