Engine has been stalling and having trouble starting?

I hit a red light and as soon as I stopped, not only was the traffic light red but now my dashboard was red in front of me. My car has been stalling quite often on me and I have been having to deal with it. I immediately put my flashers on as I had a bad feeling I would be there with a couple of light changes. The good news was that it was so late at night and this road is not heavily traveled anyway that no cars were around or coming. So, my right leg now beginning its usual routine that it usually does every day lately of bouncing off the seat when beginning to pump the gas pedal. The usual 5 dry deep thrusts of the pedal all the way to the floor and back up before turning the key first only to be met with a not so promising? That was lackluster at best, in other words my car didn't even tease like it was trying for me. Release of the key and the only sights and sounds were the hazards resuming there. Blink, blink, blink? On the road and the sound, they made in the car when it was not being cranked, and me beginning to bounce as the sound of the pedal squeaking thumping the floorboard began again while I continued pumping it. Now I sat in front of a green light, bouncing and pumping on a dead motor, looking in the rear-view mirror as the first sight of headlights were about 150 yards behind me moving my way. They didn't seem interested in stopping to help me because they blew by me and my stalled car pretty fast shaking us even more than we were already shaking from all the bouncing I was doing now cranking it over again. I stopped cranking it, dry pumped it very aggressively another ten times and turned her over again to finally hear, vroom, as it staggered to life for me.
Knowing nothing about cars and being female, could somebody give me any ideas on what might be going on with it. The car listed above has a carburetor. Thanks