Teaching Suffrage Source
Humanities New York Resource Guide: NYS Women’s Suffrage Centennial
Resource Guide: NYS Women’s Suffrage Centennial. Sara Ogger, Scarlett Rebman, Antonio Pontón-Núñez, Nicholas MacDonald. Humanities New York, 2017.
Era: Post-Suffrage Era | Media: Book-Fiction, Book-Non-Fiction, Curated Photos/Ephemera, Essay, Film, Pamphlets
This 31-page document (click the button below to download it as a PDF) contains myriad useful resources for those interested in teaching—or learning—about the 100th anniversary of women getting the vote in New York State. It may also be of use to those already familiar with the topic, as it offers an admirably condensed overview of the various events that both public and private organizations will be staging over the course of 2017 in celebration of the centennial (see the document’s “Centennial Calendars of Events” section starting on p. 6).
The guide’s Educator Resources section contains a range of teaching materials, variously aimed at elementary school, junior high, high school, and even undergraduate students. These include:
- New York State Archives teaching material and lesson plans emphasizing primary source teaching methods
- Suffrage-related lesson plans, quizzes, and other teacher resources from the National Women’s History Museum
- The “Women’s Rights: The Struggle Continues” curriculum, developed by New York State teachers and two members of the SUNY New Paltz faculty, with the support of the SUNY Teacher and Leadership Network. Aimed at students from upper-elementary through college, the resources include guiding questions, primary and secondary source recommendations, worksheets, and more. Each unit aims “to teach about the leading figures, goals, tactics, struggles, and results of the women’s suffrage movement.”
The guide also contains a wealth of resources in addition to those meant just for teachers, including lists of books and films pertaining to suffrage and women’s rights, conversation starters, tips on how to host a speaker or a traveling exhibition, and research support.
From the guide, a description of the organization that put the project together:
Humanities New York is bringing the people, places and ideas of the women’s suffrage movement to life. As of May 2017, Humanities New York has invested over $344K in Centennial-themed activities that explore the diversity of individuals and ideas that contributed to this grassroots movement. In particular, Humanities New York has supported projects that connect contemporary concerns (civil rights, gender diversity, equality, and civic engagement) to the history of women’s suffrage.
