Engage: In summer 2020, to honor the 100 year anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment, a new

statue was unveiled in Central Park, NY. What other statues can you think of that depict women? Are they
historical or fictional depictions? Statue of Liberty, Betsy Ross Statue

Main Question: How did World War I provide an opportunity for the women's suffrage movement? (keep this
question in the back of your head, you’ll answer it at the end of the lesson)

Objectives:
● Use evidence from informational text to support analysis and answer questions.
● Identify a variety of sources and their purpose, Integrate visual materials with text sources
● Describe how World War I provided an opportunity for the women’s suffrage movement.
● Describe the different arguments suffragists used to promote women’s suffrage through World War I.

Explore: Women’s Suffrage Timeline

➔ 1840: Women suffrigists (Cady Stanton and Mott) are prevented from attendding the World Anti-Slavery
Convention in London. They start a Women’s Movement in the United States in 1848. Momentum
builds. (4:18)
➔ 1861-1865: The movement is put on hold because of the Civil War.
➔ 1869: Wyoming gives women the right to vote. Frustration builds as many feel women should have
been included in the 14th amendment and 15th amendment which focused on protection, equality, and
suffrage for minority males. Women are told to ‘wait their turn’.
➔ 1870-1912: 11 states grant women the right to vote, petitions are submitted, motions introduced in
Congress, and support is growing nationwide.
➔ 1913: Suffragists organize a parade in Washington DC.
◆ 1914: World War I begins when Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.
◆ 1915-1917: Denmark, Canada, Russia, and the United Kingdom grant women the right to vote.
➔ 1917: Women start to picket outside the White House with signs such as: “Mr. President, What Will You
Do For Woman Suffrage?” and “How Long Must Women Wait for Liberty?” They are arrested, jailed,
beaten, tortured, and starved in the Night of Terror- Nov. 15, 1917. (4:00)
◆ 1917: U.S. declares war on Germany in response to the sinking of U.S. ships.
➔ 1918: President Wilson addresses Congress in support of women’s suffrage.
◆ Overall six Million men are called to serve in WWI and nine million women fill jobs left by men
and/or jobs needed to serve the war effort.
◆ November 11, 1918- Armistice signed- end of World War I.
➔ 1919: The 19th Amendment passes in both houses of Congress.
➔ 1920: Thirty-six states are needed to ratify the Amendment. Tennessee becomes the last state to
ratify- “War of the Roses”.

1. How long between the first meeting in support of women’s suffrage (in the United States) and the
passage of the 19th Amendment? 1840-1919 (Over 70 years)
2. Why would women have been reluctant to suspend their movement during World War I? Because our
country is engaged in war, other things were be pushed off.
3. Why do you think it took so long for women's suffrage to pass? It took so long for women’s suffrage to
pass because it was put on hold due to the war, and wasn’t listened to.

Document 1: “6 Women Pickets Are Sent To Jail” Newspaper Article

Text Based Questions

 1. What happened to the six woman suffrage pickets? What sentence was given to the pickets? Where
did the pickets go? They were fined 25 dollars a piece, and thirty days at the reformatory. They went to
the workhouse after refusing the fine.
2. How did the pickets explain their actions? What were they accused of? How did they defend
themselves against this charge? They explained their actions by stating that it was their last resort to
keep women’s suffrage relevant, and they were accused of seeking publicity, they defended themselves
by not paying the fine and calling it unlawful assembly.
3. Why did one lawmaker introduce a bill to keep the peace in Washington DC? How did Senator Myers
describe the picketers’ actions? Why did he think they were wrong? Senator Myers described the
actions as outrageous and scandalous, and that everyone was tired of their performance and they
shouldn’t be doing those things because they are disgusting.

★ How were some suffragists protests received during wartime? Why? Most were not happening
because of war going on, but received through other forms of propaganda.

Document 2: If You Are Good Enough For War, You Are Good Enough To Vote Political Cartoon

Cartoon Based Questions

1. What does Uncle Sam represent in this picture? Look at his labels and what he is wearing Uncle Sam
represents the public opinion
2. What does the woman represent? Look at her labels and what she is wearing The woman represents
womenhood
3. What evidence makes you think this source is for suffrage? Use the title and the actions between the
man and woman It seems like the man, public opinion, is holding onto womanhood and keeping them
from voting

Document 3: Suffrage as a War Measure (Leaflet Excerpt)

Text Based Questions

1. This source lists a number of countries that have, or are planning to give women the right to vote during
the war. How are the women of New York State compared to these women?
2. According to this source, men denied women the right to vote because they did not serve the state.
Since the war began, what has the government asked women to do? What is the government asking
women to give up?
3. According to the author, how will voting for women help the nation during wartime?

★ How is women’s suffrage described as a war measure?

Explain: Review each argument and select the source in which it was made.
 Suffrage Argument Found In Which Purpose of
Source? Argument?
(newspaper, political (Inform, Persuade,
cartoon, or leaflet) Inflame)

Woman Suffrage is needed to win the war. Give Leaflet Inflame

votes to women as part of the nation’s defense

We are fighting a war for democracy, we should Political Cartoon Persuade

have democracy at home.

Comparing the President of the United States Leaflet Inflame

to the German Kaiser

“If you are good enough for war, you are good Political Cartoon Persuade
enough to vote.”

Men have denied votes to women because Leaflet Inform

they said that women were not called to serve
the State, and therefore were not entitled to
vote... Women are responding to the call. They
are eager to serve. Either in war or peace they
wish to serve their country.

Elaborate: Which wartime argument to promote suffrage appeals to you more? Why? Does the way in which
the message is communicated affect your decision? Consider ethos (morality), logos (logic), and pathos
(emotion)... Political cartoons, because they persuade and show what’s going on in a logical way.

Evaluate: In a few sentences, respond to the main question from the beginning of the lesson: How did World
War I provide an opportunity for the women's suffrage movement? World War 1 provided an opportunity for the
women’s suffrage movement because they needed women to help and they shouldn’t have to if they don’t
have rights.

Extend: Knowing what you know about U.S. history, if women had backed off the fight for suffrage in WWI (like
they did during the civil war), do you think they would have had an easier or harder time winning the fight later
on? Think about the major events in the decades that followed WWI… I think it would’ve been harder,
because without fighting for their rights it makes it very difficult for them to restart an argument.