Female Fighters

Dear Educators,

This week marks the centennial of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote as citizens of the United States. Looking at the history of women across time and culture, it is shocking to see how an entire group of people has been celebrated or silenced based solely on their sex. We have certainly made incredible progress as a society towards equality for all citizens, but our journey definitely isn’t over. As we prepare our students to continue the fight for equality for all, let us take a moment to be inspired by the great women and men who have brought us this far.

Learning the context and cultural norms that influenced suffrage can be interesting to your students for a number of reasons. Understanding what people believed and how they lived during that time can explain the behavior and decisions of the people who participated in the events. Additionally, it can be fascinating to compare the influences then with our social climate today. Help your students understand suffrage with this article.

Women's Sufferage, 1915

Bring history to life with this interactive map of 1915. You can visually show students the different voting rights available to women in the time leading up to suffrage. Breaking down the states in patterns and colors can help your students see patterns.

Being told you’re not as capable or valuable as another group has significant effects on the mindset and behavior of both the “inferior” and “superior” group. Not only was Jane Elliot one of the most influential women and teachers in history, but her brown eyes/blue eyes experiment shows the impact of these kinds of hierarchies on society. Our classrooms are the first little society our children experience, we should make sure they are safe and celebrate every single student within them.