Good morning today I am going to explore a documentary on Christabel and Sylvia Pankhurst, who were two sisters who shaped the history of Women’s Suffrage. The run time for this documentary is 43:51 and is called Christabel and Sylvia: A Tale of Two Sisters.
It was one of the biggest political changes in the Twentieth Century: women gaining the right to vote. It had taken decades of successive governments before women obtained the right to vote. The Pankhurst Family fought hard for the right to vote. They campaigned in public and were militant suffragettes. They would have many encounters with law enforcement. However, behind the scenes, there were some serious tensions in the family which would lead to one member being expelled from the suffragette movement. Christabel Pankhurst was born to Emmeline and Richard Pankhurst. Her parents were radicals and they were politically active. The pair were keen advocates for women’s suffrage. Sylvia would follow two years later. Three more children would follow. The Pankhurst children were encouraged to think about politics and they were encouraged to be creative. The Pankhursts were a tight-knit family and were very close. They did not go to school until they were teenagers. Richard Pankhurst always encouraged his daughters to be of service to others and that if they were their upbringing would have been for nothing. Their upbringing would have impacted each sibling differently. Christabel basked in the attention. Sylvia would have felt left out. She was taught between the talented Christabel and her younger siblings. She would retreat from the world. Eventually, they moved to London for a time because Emily thought that Richard would have been an excellent parliament member. Unfortunately, the youngest Pankhurst child died and the family would encounter financial difficulties. They would return to Manchester. It was in Manchester; all the members of the family would become members of the Independent Labor Party. This party had the aim to get a working person into Parliament. Christabel was a young woman who started speaking out on suffrage and would join the woman’s working organizations. She studied law and was fed up with the limitations that were put on her. She would thrive in this movement. Sylvia would find her own path and she was an artist. She drew and painted. She was inspired by the artist William Morris. Unfortunately, tragedy would strike the Pankhurst family. Richard would suddenly pass away leaving Emmeline a lone parent. She would throw herself into the Woman’s Movement and would establish her own organization. The Independent Labor Party would raise money for the family but Emmaline would refuse the charity even though they were impoverished. The Independent Labor Party would build a hall in honor of Richard Pankhurst. However, this hall would not allow women to enter and become members. Christabel said that she had left the cause of Woman’s suffrage down. Eventually, Emmeline would establish the Women’s Social and Political Union. The WSPU was formed on a shoestring budget and there was no formal constitution. Governments had ignored women’s suffrage. It was to be women only and they were going to take action to get the right to vote. Christabel and Anne Kelly would act in the political atmosphere. They would interrupt men’s political meetings demanding a question be answered by a politician. Christabel and Anne would be arrested and choose to be imprisoned. This visible action would get everyone’s attention. The WSPU finally caught the attention of the press. Everyone was fascinated by Christabel Pankhurst. She was well-read and intelligent. She was also good-looking. The press normally would ridicule the women’s suffrage movement. The Suffragette movement gained ground. However, the WSPU would split because of the dictatorial leadership of Emmeline Pankhurst. Some women believed that they were fighting to expand democracy a dictatorship was not appropriate. Sylvia Pankhurst was uncomfortable with the dictatorship and tried to talk Emmeline out of the leadership style. She would be sidelined. So how would this initial fracture impact the Pankhurst family? What demonstrations would be organized to get the right to vote? Tune into the rest of this episode to find out more. This was a very well-done and enjoyable documentary on the women’s suffrage movement. IT presented the facts of the movement. I would consider putting this on my list of documentaries to show to a history classroom.
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The purpose of this blog is to share information on what can be used in a classroom, private school, or home school setting as well as serve as a portfolio of my personal and professional work. The reviews are my opinions and should be treated as such. I just want to provide a tool for teachers to select documentaries for their classrooms. |