Summary: This lesson introduces the issue of female suffrage with a role-play scenario and creative writing exercises. Students will develop a better understanding and appreciation of the women’s suffrage movement; compare and contrast the differences, goals and strategies between the National Woman's Party and the National Association for the Suffrage of Women; and recognize the role of war in helping implement the 19th amendment. Finally, students will explain the effects of the women’s reform movement of the mid to late 1800’s.
Overarching questions:
- CIVICS: Have the concepts of liberty, justice and/or equality changed during the time period? If so, how and what has been the impact?
- CIVICS: How well does the government balance individual rights and the common good, including the need to maintain order, safety and a healthy environment, during this time period?
- CIVICS: Have individuals and groups influenced public policy during this time period? If so, how and what has been the impact?
NJ Student Learning Standards for Social Studies:
- 6.1.12.CivicsDP.6.a: Use a variety of sources from multiple perspectives to document the ways in which women organized to promote government policies designed to address injustice, inequality, and workplace safety (i.e., abolition, women’s suffrage, and the temperance movement).
- 6.1.12.CivicsPR.6.a: Use a variety of sources from multiple perspectives to evaluate the effectiveness of Progressive reforms in preventing unfair business practices and political corruption and in promoting social justice.
- 6.1.12.HistoryCC.6.c: Analyze the successes and failures of efforts to expand women’s rights, including the work of important leaders and the eventual ratification of the 19th Amendment (i.e., Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Alice Paul, and Lucy Stone)
Links to Lesson: Alice Paul and the Suffragist Movement