Teaching Justice: Symbols of Suffrage

Created in collaboration with the Hard History Project

Grade Level

This activity is designed for fifth grade students (age 10-11)

Anti-Bias Objectives

Identity
Students will express pride, confidence, and healthy self-esteem without denying the value and dignity of other people.
Diversity
Students will express comfort with people who are both similar to and different from them and engage respectfully with all people.
Action
Students will express empathy when people are excluded or mistreated because of their identities and concern when they themselves experience bias.

Guiding Questions

How do we form impressions and make assumptions about others based on what they are wearing? What do others think they know about me because of how I present myself?

National Woman's Party members picketing the Republican convention in Chicago, June 1920.

International Film Service Co., Inc., Chicago (Photographer). National Woman's Party collection, The Library of Congress

Take a few minutes to examine this picture of a group of women protesting outside of the Republican National Convention in June 1920. The banner held by the first woman reads "Republicans, We Are Here. Where is the 36th State?" Congress passed an amendment to the U.S. Constitution in June 1919 which reads "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex." In order for a proposed amendment to become part of the Constitution, it must be ratified by at least three-quarters of the states. In 1920, there were 48 states (Alaska and Hawaii had not become states yet,) so the amendment needed 36 state ratifications. At the time of the event pictured here, 35 states had ratified the amendment. One more was needed.

Women in the suffrage movement had multiple items they wore that identified them as suffragists and supporters or advocates for the movement. Not only would they wear these items while they were protesting or picketing, but they would wear them to meetings and out in public settings.

Think About It

• How can you identify the suffragists in the crowd? What sets them apart from the other people in the picture?
• How do you imagine that the suffragists are feeling? What do you see in the picture that supports your answer?
  

A purple, white, and gold suffrage sash on display at the Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument museum

NPS Photo/R. Mendoza

Vocabulary

amendment: a change, especially to a document like the Constitution
ratify: to sign, approve, or give formal agreement to something
suffrage: the right to vote
suffragist: someone who believes in and works for the right to vote, especially for women

Extension Activity

The purple, white, and gold striped sash worn by suffragists in the 1900s did not have any words or images on it. The American public had become so familiar with the colors as a symbol of the woman suffrage movement that slogans like "Votes for Women" weren't necessary. But when suffrage protestors carried banners, they often included text with a specific message.

Design your own sash or banner for a cause that is important to you. Think about colors, design, symbols, and words that you use to get your message across. Write a paragraph explaining your design.

Additional Resources

NPS Links
The 19th Amendment: A Crash Course
Symbols of the Woman Suffrage Movement
Design Your Own 19th Amendment Ratification Star

Other Resources
She Resisted: Strategies of Suffrage interactive from PBS's documentary series "The Vote"
Suffrage Strategies: Voices for Votes lesson plan from The Library of Congress

For Teachers

This activity uses a photograph as a primary source to facilitate student inquiry into the development of social identities and movements through symbolism and appearance.