[Photo: Emmeline Pankhurst] Emmeline Pankhurst was a political activist and leader of the British suffragette movement. Although widely criticised for her militant tactics, her work is recognised as a crucial element in achieving women's suffrage in Britain. Historians disagree, however, about whether she did more to help or hinder public support for the cause. Born and raised in Manchester by politically active parents, Pankhurst was introduced at a young age to the movement for women's suffrage. Although her parents encouraged her to prepare herself for life as a wife and mother, she attended the École Normale de Neuilly in Paris. In 1878 she married Richard Pankhurst, a barrister known for supporting women's right to vote; they had five children over the next ten years. He a...more >>lso supported her activities outside the home, and she quickly became involved with the Women's Franchise League, which advocated suffrage for women. When that organisation broke apart, she joined the left-leaning Independent Labour Party through her friendship with socialist Keir Hardie. She also worked as a Poor Law Guardian, where she was startled by harsh conditions in Manchester workhouses.