Write a blog post addressing the following:
FILM METADATA: List the basic information (metadata) about the film, including title, year, producer, and how you accessed the film. If this film is based on primary or secondary sources, mention that as well.
BIG THEMES: Think carefully about the big themes related to this topic. How does the film portray those themes? What is historically accurate and what is historically inaccurate?
KEY MOMENTS: Describe 2 key moments in the film [up to 5 minutes per moment] that either addressed the larger themes or were especially important in the representation of the historical moment or event. Include the time stamp for the two moments.
TEACHING AND LEARNING: Having evaluated (or reevaluated) this film, would you use it in your history education context? How would you introduce the film and issues of historical accuracy? What questions would you pose? What questions would you want learners to ask?
Iron Jawed Angels (TV Movie 2004) – IMDb
Film Metadata: Iron Jawed Angels: Lead, Follow, Or Get Out of the Way
2004
Director Katja Von Garnier
Playing on HBO MAX June 2022.
Primary Sources: Jailed for Freedom by Doris Stevens and multiple images on Library of Congress.
Big Themes: The film portrays women in the National Women’s Party with a biographical focus on Alice Paul. The themes are the suffragist’s protests, the arrests and the women at the Occoquan Workhouse when jailed, and hunger strikes with Alice Paul being force-fed. The movie ends with the passage of the 19th amendment, and it comes across that this occurs totally due to these protests with Woodrow Wilson being against the suffragists the entire movie. Historically, hunger strikes did occur, and suffragists were sent to jail from their silent sentinel for the fake charge of obstructing traffic. The charges were considered harsh and arrests at first led to women being let go to actual imprisonment during their protests in World War I. In an early scene for one of the suffragist’s parades and the violence to the suffragists, did occur. The parade route at the beginning of the movie did get violent, in fact, Congress had a hearing to investigate the DC Police for not protecting the suffragists in the parade. Big Theme is violence and arrests to peaceful protestors.
Key Moments: Several key moments in the movie included that convey what the women of the National Women’s Party went through to push for the vote for women include: the parade where the suffragists are attacked by the crowd, arrests of the suffragists continuing the silent sentinel efforts during World War I, and when Alice Paul is being questioned by a doctor for her sanity since she is on hunger strike in jail and he stated that she is not insane Time Stamp : For the parade and violence against them 21:10 to 25:50, which leads to the newly inaugurated President to meet with them. Then the violence against the women during World War I and the arrests is at 1:17-1:23 with prison and putting on prison clothes. (The women later took those prison clothes and went across the country to bring awareness on the issues and how they were jailed for protesting nonviolently). Watchfire/bonfire is at time stamp 1:30. Alice Paul being questioned by doctor on insanity and his report to Woodrow Wilson that she is not insane and was like Patrick Henry. “Give me liberty or give me death.” ends at 1:38
Teaching and Learning: I would use this film for history education as the women in the National Women’s Party did do these protests. In fact, this movie has a long lesson plan and evaluation on a website called Teach with Movies. This movie did show one watchfire scene (which is the focus for my lesson plan) and they get arrested and sent to jail. While in jail, Alice Paul is separated from the other suffragists and goes on hunger strike until she was forcefully fed. Questions I would hope from students. Did this really occur? What really happened to the protestors? Who was Alice Paul? What was her importance? Was Woodrow Wilson truly that obstructionist to suffrage?
My questions would be: Did their efforts help or hinder the suffrage cause? Assignments could be to support either stance based on primary sources. The movie makes it seem that the National Women’s Party efforts are what achieved success and leaves out the significant work done and made by NAWSA in Congress. There is a full lesson plan for this movie done very well on a website. Other questions could lead a student to analyze how protests from the past are similar or dissimilar to today? How did these white women treat native American women and black women who wanted the vote? The politics of each individual senator and lobbyist efforts by the NAWSA is not delved into like the primary documents. In Congress there was a significant overlap in prohibition and anti-prohibition, “states’ rights” and that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee the right to vote and that each state should decide on women’s suffrage. What recent Supreme Court brief touches on these same themes that were against a federal amendment for a woman’s right to vote?
