What surprised me the most about the movie was how very long it actually took women to get the vote. I knew in theory that women got the vote in 1920, but watching the women in the film suffer day in and day out for something they believed in was heartbreaking. I literally cried when they were dragged to prison.
However, I was disappointed to see how much racial tensions played a part in the movie. Just the thought that suffragists would exclude any women from participating, much less women of color, was ridiculous. I understood Alice Paul perspective--that she couldn't get support from some of the women's groups--but the whole idea of being prejudiced while trying to get rid of prejudice really struck me as stupid and pointless.
But, all in all, the film made me prouder to be a woman and more appreciative of the rights I have. After watching it, I want to become more politically active.
As for the readings, I'm not sure that I agree with the author of FIFE that the feminist movement has lagged because of women's studies being taught in universities, although I agree that it makes the message of feminism seem more geared toward people with higher education. I think the more people who know about feminism, the better and a university is an excellent place to filter large numbers of men and women through a w s class. I'm not sure why we don't have a strong feminist movement today, but it's not colleges' fault.
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