Alice Paul redirected the course of American political history. Raised by Quaker parents in Moorestown, New Jersey, she would become a passionate and outspoken leader of the woman suffrage movement. In 1913, she reinvigorated the American campaign for a constitutional suffrage amendment and, in the next seven years, dominated that campaign and drove it to victory with bold, controversial action-wedding courage with resourcefulness and self-mastery. This riveting account of Paul's early years and suffrage activism offers fresh insight into her private persona and public image, examining for the first time the sources of Paul's ambition and the growth of her political consciousness. Though many historians regard her Quaker upbringing as the greatest influence in her commitment to women's rights, J. D. Zahniser and Amelia R. Fry explore the ways in which her political zeal developed out of years of education, as well as from her early involvement with British suffragists Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst. These two women helped to hone Paul's instincts and skills, which equipped her for later dealings with two important political adversaries, Woodrow Wilson and rival suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt. Using oral history interviews and the rich trove of Paul's correspondence, Zahniser and Fry substantially revise our understanding Paul's role in the suffrage movement. This compelling biography analyzes Paul's charisma and leadership qualities, sheds new light on her life and work, and is essential reading for anyone interested in the woman suffrage movement, particularly as the American centennial of the women's vote approaches.

"Much has been written on Alice Paul, but this long-awaited and fascinating new biography based on years of research by Amelia Fry and years more by J. D. Zahniser, takes us from Paul's childhood through her years in England to the victory for woman suffrage in 1920 and accomplishes what the intensely private suffrage leader deliberately made difficult, introducing us to the fascinating individual behind the public image." - Marjorie J. Spruill, Professor of History, University of South Carolina

"Alice Paul: Claiming Power is an exhaustively researched and meticulously crafted work. Using previously untapped original sources, it is undoubtedly the definitive biography of Paul during the suffrage era. This book elevates Paul to the position she should command as one of the consummate political masters of the twentieth century. Paul's leadership genius made the suffrage movement one of the two most successful 'rights' movements in the nation's history-one that claimed political power for more than half the population in a bloodless political revolution." - Edith P. Mayo, Curator Emeritus of Political History, Smithsonian Institution

"The elegantly constructed narrative combines the filaments of Paul's precocious life into an incisive tale....This is not only the story of one person, but of her epoch and culture. Zahniser and Fry have done readers a profound service." - Publishers Weekly, starred review

"[A] carefully researched biography." - Louis Menand, The New Yorker

"[A] history of women's 72-year struggle to attain the vote....Highly recommended." - CHOICE