What attitudes and beliefs obstructed the progress of the Women’s Rights Movement in its formative years? What primary sources can help reveal these attitudes and beliefs?
In this lesson, students explore the role and impact of recent First Ladies through research and family interviews, then work in groups to present a documentary portrait to the class.
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
* Explain the contributions of WASPs to the war effort.
* Show how women were portrayed in World War II posters (and newsreels).
* Compare and contrast those portrayals with personal recollections of the
What sources are useful for uncovering the names of the women who contributed to the early Women’s Rights Movement in the U.S.? Which contributions and individuals were particularly significant?
What attitudes about women and their relationships with men had to be overcome before women could take their rightful place in American society? What were the arguments for and against suffrage?