TEACHING AMERICAN HISTORY PROJECT
Lesson Title – Suffrage Movement: Reasons for and against Women Voting
From Asia Boxton
Grade: 9-12th
Length of class period: 45 minutes
Inquiry: What were the major reasons for and against giving women the right to vote before
1920?
Objectives:
1. Students will be able to compare and contrast reasons to give women suffrage. (Content)
2. Students will be able to write a position supporting or opposing the right of women to
vote. (Skill)
3. Students will be able to analyze primary source documents for information about the
suffrage movement. (Skill)
Materials:
Materials for Anti-Suffrage Packet
Pro-Suffrage Packet
Activities:
 Teacher will tell students that they need new classroom rules and will give each
student a post-it (blue for boys and green for girls). Teacher will tell students to
write a rule that they want to vote on as a new class rule. Once students finish
they will attach the post-it to a poster in the front of the classroom that says class
rules. The teacher will then take all the green post-its off the poster and explain
that these students do not get a vote. The teacher will ask the students what just
happened. The students should respond that all of the female students were not
allowed to vote, similar to life before the passage of the 19th amendment. Teacher
will ask students how they felt during this activity and also why is it important to
vote.
 Teacher will hand out Pro Women’s Suffrage Packet and Anti-Women’s Suffrage
Packets to students. (Students will either get a pro-suffrage or anti-suffrage packet
not both). Students will read through the packet and identify reasons to give or not
give women the right to vote (according to their individual packet).
 Students will then be spilt into groups of two (one student that got a anti-suffrage
packet and one student that got a pro-suffrage packet). Students will then engage
in a silent debate answering the question: Should women be allowed to vote?
Students will answer the question using the perspective from their individual
packet to help them. For the silent debate students will be given a paper and will
write their response to the question. The student will then be allowed to exchange
the paper with their partner so that their partner can respond. The students will
debate on the paper silently, responding back and forth to comments. The teacher
will act as time keeper giving students 2-3 minutes to respond on the paper before
making the students switch with their partner. Teacher will collect the silent
debate paper from each group.
 After the silent debate the teacher will ask the students to share some of the
reasons for and against giving women the right to vote out loud. The teacher will
write the students answers on the board.
How will you assess what student learned during this lesson?
 Students will be evaluated formally on their ability to defend a certain position during the
silent debate.
 Students will be assessed informally through their participation in the class discussion.
Connecticut Framework Performance Standards –
 2.2 Interpret information from a variety of primary and secondary sources, including
electronic media.
 2.3 Create various forms of written work to demonstrate understanding of history and
social studies issues.
 2.4 Demonstrate an ability to participate in social studies discourse through informed
discussion, debate, and effective oral presentation.
 Use evidence to identify, analyze, and evaluate historical interpretations.