Lesson
Homework Assignment #1:
Students will read two primary sources and respond to
instructions and questions about them.
1. Read the Declaration of Independence.
Pdf version
http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/declaration_transcript.html
- Summarize the first two paragraphs of the Declaration
of Independence.
- What are the “abuses and usurpations”
that the colonies attribute to the King of England?
- What do the colonists conclude in the last three
paragraphs?
2. Read the Seneca Falls Declaration.
Pdf version:
http://www.sagehistory.net/jeffersonjackson/documents/SenecaFallsDec.htm
- Why would the suffragettes use the Declaration of
Independence as their model?
- In what specific ways does this document differ
from the Declaration of Independence?
- What do the suffragettes conclude in their Declaration?
- Using the dates of the two documents as a guide,
what conclusion can you draw about the advancement
of women’s rights in the time that intervened
between the signing of the two Declarations?
Day 1:
Class Activity: Historical Document Study
- Divide the class into three groups. Distribute
one of the documents listed below to each group. Students
should read and discuss the document and then write
a group response to it. They should then exchange
documents and repeat the exercise until each group
has discussed each document.
Documents can be found at:
Document #1 - Letter between Abigail Adams and her
husband John
Adams. Pdf
version
http://www.thelizlibrary.org/suffrage/abigail.htm
Document #2 – Timeline of the women’s
suffrage movement.
Pdf
version
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/naw/nawstime.html
Document #3 – “How to be a Good Wife”
Pdf
version
http://www.aislingmagazine.com/aislingmagazine/
articles/TAM31/wife1.html
- Ask each group to share its observations and responses
with the class.
- Then ask the class: Based on the documents and your
knowledge of American history:
a. Would you agree or disagree that women’s rights
have increased significantly since 1776? Explain.
b. Would you agree or disagree that attitudes toward
women have changed significantly since 1776? Explain.
- Distribute and read the poem “Barbie Doll”
by Marge Piercy.
Pdf
version
http://www.poemhunter.com/p/m/poem.asp?poet=6635 &poem=509383
- Discuss how this poem reflects any themes or ideas
that were expressed in the class discussions.
Homework Assignment #2:
Choose three quotes from three different people that address
the roles and/or struggles of women in America. Be able
to discuss your choices and respond to the theme of the
quote. You may find quotes about women at: http://womenshistory.about.com/library/qu/?once=true&
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