in the prison here at washington, d.c., and lorton, virginia, at the occoquan work house. they weren't treated like political prisoners. they were treated like any other prisoners, often thrown into their cells. at times, their hands were handcuffed above them. so these women began protesting that treatment, and they went on hunger strikes and were force fed. because of their activities, there was a lot of press around what was happening to them which ended up garnering a lot of public sympathy for their cause. in 1919, thanks to not only the work of the national woman's party but also other suffrage organizations that were working for similar goals, the federal amendment of passed by both houses of congress and sent to the states for ratification. in 1920, it was ratified by all 36 states and became law. by 1921 and 1922, the national woman's party believing that suffrage was only the first step in a many-step process to achieve full women's equality began working on the equal rights amendment. alice paul and a woman named crystal eastman wrote the equal rights amendment