Torture of Suffragists in 1917; Curriculum Materials with the Film 'Iron Jawed Angels' – Publication Announced by TeachWithMovies.com

Behind the iconic photographs of the suffragist ladies in their long white dresses picketing the White House in 1917, there is a tale of attempted suppression by the government, employing false arrest, unfair trials, imprisonment, and torture. These events are accurately portrayed in the movie “Iron Jawed Angels”. TeachWithMovies.com announces the publication of curriculum materials that include oral history interviews with two suffragists, historical background, a description of what is and is not accurate in the movie, discussion questions, and assignments. Learning about the nonviolent protests, their brutal suppression, and the public outrage that helped pass the 19th Amendment will add interest to any class in U.S. March 30, 2012

TeachWithMovies.com announces publication of curriculum materials to assist American History teachers who are developing lesson plans on the suffrage movement in the U.S. Classes in World History or on nonviolent mass action as a world-wide method for causing social change, will also derive great benefit from showing the film. The materials are centered around the HBO movie, “Iron Jawed Angels”, a film which accurately portrays the false imprisonment and torture suffered by militant suffragists who refused to stop picketing the White House during the First World War. The classroom materials offered by TWM include oral history interviews with two suffragists, detailed historical background that includes an examination of both original and secondary sources, a description of what is and is not accurate in the movie, discussion questions, and writing assignments.

A full description of this important story is left out of most history textbooks.

American students who study the women’s suffrage movement are shown pictures of ladies in long white gowns peacefully holding picket signs at the gates of the White House. In fact, when America entered the First World War in June of 1917, the public, including most suffragists, demanded that in the name of national unity, the “Silent Sentinels” put away their signs and join the war effort. A militant minority, led by Alice Paul, a mild mannered Quaker, refused to stop the protests. Their argument was that they had not been permitted to vote for the public officials who declared War on Germany and therefor they had no obligation to support the war.

President Wilson was in favor of women’s suffrage but insisted that change come only on a state-by-state basis. This was a slow process that would leave women in the conservative American South without the vote for the foreseeable future. Alice Paul and her militant suffragists insisted that only a federal constitutional amendment would provide the vote for all American women. When the War came, in order to keep the pressure on President Wilson to support a constitutional amendment, the picketers stayed at their posts. Most Americans wanted them to stop. The more moderate suffragists thought the picketers were hurting the cause of suffrage. The public was so angry that crowds of men assaulted the picketers as the police looked on.

When the Silent Sentinels persevered, the federal government took action. The police falsely arrested the women for blocking the sidewalk. Lesson Plans Based on Movies and Film">TeachWithMovies.com is the premier site on the Internet showing teachers how to use feature films and other video resources to enhance the classroom experience. The site offers thousands of pages of lesson plans and curriculum materials on more than 350 feature films. The price for access to all TWM curriculum materials is $11.99 per year per teacher. Discounts are available for bulk purchases.

Sources:
Adams, Katherine H. and Keane, Michael L, Alice Paul and the American Suffrage Campaign, University of Illinois Press, Chicago & Urbana, 2008;
Lunardini, Christine A., From Equal Suffrage to Equal Rights -- Alice Paul and the National Women's Party, 1910 - 1928, toExcel, San Jose, 1986;
Stevens, Doris, Jailed for Freedom, 1920, available online at Project Gutenberg;

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/3/prweb9333560.htm