The selection from Jailed for Freedom really struck me. [Excerpts were provided for the students of the class, so I cannot post the selections here. I did find a copy of the book on Google Scholar, which you can find here.] I think that students would be interested to hear how suffragists were treated when they were jailed for fighting for the right to vote. The selections describe how women were forced to eat food that had worms in it, how they were beaten, as well as the dirty conditions that they had to endure (not being able to shower regularly, wearing dirty clothes, sleeping on soiled sheets). We talk about how women fought for the vote, but these selections offer a more gritty view on the subject. (This excerpt could also be used in a discussion of the 8th Amendment and treatment of prisoners throughout history.)
Certain portions of Jailed for Freedom struck heavy blows to President Wilson. For example, the author took his words (“We have forgotten the very principle of our origin if we have forgotten how to object, how to resist, how to agitate, how to pull down and build up, even to the extent of revolutionary practices if it be necessary to readjust matters.”) and used them to their advantage, making a case for the need to protest and fight for woman suffrage.
Letters such as the one referenced above, as well as persistent picket lines, applied constant pressure to Wilson’s administration.
In connecting this selection to WWI, my class and I would do some digging to answer the following questions:
“How did the pleas of jailed suffragists, as well as the people that published their stories, help to earn the vote for all American women, and what impact did WWI have on the process of passing the 19th Amendment?”
It was argued in the selection that the 19th Amendment (i.e., woman suffrage) would free up the American government--and President Wilson--to worry about other pressing issues, such as the war. (“It is my duty to win the war and to ask you to remove every obstacle that stands in the way of winning it.”) My class would discuss how this might be so.
After reading through these selections and discussing the arguments given for woman suffrage within it, I would discuss the selections from the Diary of Berthe Hunt with my students.
We would discuss the efforts of women in the military, as well as how these efforts might have had an impact on the decision of the American government to extend suffrage to women. We could also move into a discussion on continuity and change over time with the inclusion of a selection from One Woman's Army: A Black Officer Remembers the WAC as well as connecting it to women in the military now, if time allowed.
As we read, we would focus on the HIPP strategy. This is something that I do with all primary sources in my classes, as it is great practice for thoroughly understanding historical sources. We would discuss the historical context of both selections (WWI, women are fighting for suffrage, Wilson is president, etc.), intended audience (the American government/President Wilson, etc.), purpose (to convince people to fight or vote for woman suffrage, or to write down events for posterity), and point of view (Who is Mrs. Virginia Bovee, and what does she believe? Who is Berthe Hunt?) We would HIPP one source together and students would HIPP the other on their own.
Response to Another Student:
In our online discussions, we were given the opportunity to have conversations with other students (teachers) in the class. Here is one of my comments, responding to someone who was wondering about how to approach teaching about women in WWI in a World History class:
Purpose: Share a resource
I was intrigued by the idea of teaching WWI, women's roles, and woman suffrage in a World History class as well. This is my fifth year teaching US History and only my second teaching World History, and as someone who is more accustomed to US History, I am always struggling to find more resources and ideas for my World History class.
I decided to search to see if I could find something related to British women in WWI and quickly came across the source from the British Library. I think it would be a great place for students to get a little more background information about British women during WWI, who, just like American women, were in their own battle to win suffrage.
The page focuses on British women (though does mention Australia, Russia, and some others) and their depiction in WWI propaganda and covers the topics below (and then some):
- Mobilization and Duty (this section focuses on suffrage, though briefly)
- National Symbols
- Victims of Violence (disclaimer for this section; the contents might be disturbing to some students, so know your audience)
- The "New Woman"
The page has a great number of primary source images that can be used to introduce or help supplement discussions on any of the topics above.
It would be possible to tie the documents in this module to the use of the primary sources on this website, as there are many parallels between what British and American women were experiencing during WWI.
Webinar
The webinar for Module 2 is posted below.
