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"Magnificent Parade of Women" from "Around the World with a Camera"
"Beecher on Female Suffrage" article from Greenfield Gazette and Courier newspaper
"Why Should Suffrage Be Imposed on Women?
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Summary and Objective
Students will understand that regardless of one's sex, both men and women argued for or against women's suffrage between 1840 and 1920. Within this lesson, students will understand the arguments for either suffrage or anti-suffrage by analyzing readings and images from the era.
Teaching Plan
Step 1.
The teacher should write on the board, “Should women have the right to vote?” The teacher should introduce this lesson by explaining that this question was not as obvious before 1920 as it is now. In this lesson, the students will be researching the answers to this question between 1840 and 1920.
Step 2.
Students will be broken into two groups: one group that will analyze the women’s suffrage materials and the other group will analyze the anti-women’s suffrage materials. Students will spend about 25 minutes with the provided materials for either the pro or anti women’s suffrage argument. Within this time, students should be writing notes about their materials that will help them understand the argument for or against women’s suffrage.
Suffrage Materials Include:
1. "Magnificent Parade of Women" from "Around the World with a Camera" from the American Centuries Website
2. "Beecher on Female Suffrage"
3. Declaration of Sentiments
4. Sojourner Truth’s Ain’t I a Woman
5. Election Day Cartoon
6. The Apotheosis of Suffrage.
Anti-Suffrage Materials Include:
1. "Why Should Suffrage Be Imposed on Women?”
2. National Anti-Suffrage Association
3. O Senators, Save Us From Ourselves (In order to find this Harper's Weekly image, go to the Library of Congress website and search their site for "O Senators, Save Us From Ourselves." It is the first search result.)
4. Opposition to Resolution for Suffrage Amendment (In order to find this article, go the the Library of Congress website and search their site for "anti-suffragist." The article you are looking for is the 28th result from this search.)
Step 3.
The teacher should create a table on the board that displays the Suffrage Argument and the Anti-Suffrage Argument. Students will present their group’s argument and the teacher will write this on the table. Students should copy this table and notes into their notebooks.
Step 4.
Teacher will conclude the lesson as this lesson being an introduction to the women’s suffrage movement of 1900-1920.
Possible Lesson Extensions:
a. Review the beginnings of women’s suffrage with a look at the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848.
b. Look at a timeline of women’s suffrage beginning as early as you would like to teach.
c. Ask students why the women’s suffrage movement slowed between 1850 and 1900.
d. Watch the HBO Film, Iron Jawed Angels
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