History

The book is a general biography of Alice Paul and the Suffrage Movement. A formal analysis of Pauls rhetoric strategies is provided in the book. The emergence of the Suffrage Movement is assumed to be the outcome of historical contradictions  gender equality vs. social acceptability. American society is described as whimsical, indifferent, and inattentive to the needs of women. For women activists, politics is a means for asserting rights in the society  of pressuring the state to initiate long-term changes in social policies. For the authors, the suffrage movement was a move towards genuine democratization of the political system.

Reliability
Both authors are respected English professors at prominent universities. The book itself though is neither peer-reviewed nor properly documented. It is not sponsored by a reputable organization. The authors apparently fail to refer the book to other authorities. Documentation is a grave problem in the book. Historical documents are not properly cited. There is no bibliography page or at least a full reference section.

Speeches are well-documented but restricted to specific pages in the book. As a rule, the documentation must extend up to the bibliography section. There is a works cited section but this only corresponds to the cited references not all the references used. In addition, necessary facts must be cited. This is a rule. Note this specific claim in the book This womens rights tradition within Quakerism, so influential to Alice Paul, had flourished in the United States from the colonial period. This claim is an uncommon fact and is therefore subject to authoritative documentation. This is not a common knowledge which can be easily ignored.

Content wise, many of the authors claims are never supported by historical documents. In the first three chapters of the book, the authors discuss Pauls political and social preferences, and the progress of the suffrage movement. The authors though fail to 1) adequately provide valid historical documents 2) validate the claims of leading women activists (sometimes, the claims are contradictory) 3) properly assess the political stance of the movement.

Historical Genre
The book is generally a social history of the suffrage movement. The authors view the suffrage movement as a response to contradictions in the social structure. American society professes equality but ignores the rights of women. This is the unitary theme in the book. Now, the social history of the suffrage movement is a history of organization. Women organized themselves into a politically powerful organization, capable of instituting radical changes in American society. Note that in the book, the authors presented the Suffrage Movement as an organizational success. As such, the apparent success of the Suffrage Movement improved the plight of the ordinary American woman.

Thematic Organization
Note that the book is organized both as a narrative and analysis. The first three chapters of the book deal primarily with the biography of Alice Paul. The middle chapters deal with the activities of the movement. The last chapters discuss the position of the Suffrage Movement in American society. As the authors discuss the necessity of a suffrage movement (analytical), they also talk about the personal preferences of Alice Paul. This helps the reader understand the historical context to which Alice Paul and the movement are situated. In essence, this method is useful in aggregating themes into a unitary arrangement.

Historical Mechanism
Apparently, the authors view history as an outcome of mass movements  history is made by collective masses acting in concert. Consequently, the authors perceive the suffrage movement as something impermanent. When the demands of the movement are met, the movement will pass into oblivion. In short, its physical feature is erased while its political significance is retained. One thing though is clear the suffrage movement was a positive force in American history.