“IRON JAWED ANGELS”
PERMISSION FORM – DUE NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 18th
Dear Parents/Guardians:
As part of the 9th grade curriculum we study the exciting and long overdue time when the US ratified
the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote. As part of this area of study, we will be
viewing the film, ”IRON JAWED ANGELS,” which recounts the struggle of suffragists who fought
for the passage of the 19th Amendment. Focusing on two defiant women, Alice Paul (Hilary Swank)
and Lucy Burns (Frances O'Connor), the film shows how they broke from the mainstream women'srights movement and created a more radical wing, daring to push the boundaries of political protest to
secure women's voting rights in 1920.
While I did edit the film to extract any sexually explicit material, we will still view the part of the film
when the women are thrown in jail and begin a hunger strike. The women's resistance to being forcefed earns them the nickname "The Iron Jawed Angels." The force feeding scenes are graphic, but I feel
that they are crucial to understanding the impact of this cruelty and how it swayed public opinion. It
was public outrage to the treatment of these women that pressured President Wilson to urge Congress
to pass the 19th Amendment.
If you do not want your child to view all or part of this film, I will make alternative arrangements for
him/her during the class time.
Please fill out the form below to indicate your desires. This form is due to me no later than December
18th
Please check one:
______
My child has my permission to view all parts of the film shown in class.
______
My child has my permission to view all parts of the film shown in class, except for the
day the force-feeding scenes are shown.
______
My child does not have my permission to view any part of this film.
____________________________________
Parent/Guardian Signature
__________________________________
Student’s name