Overview

Now let’s look back to learn more about the women on the “front lines of change” by exploring some of the Progressive Era women featured in the Unladylike2020 series.

While learning about important figures in American history, you’ll also explore how they are linked to important movements in our nation’s past including: civil rights, voting rights, Chinese Exclusion Act resistance, desegregation, and immigration rights. You’ll learn about their perspectives on the issues that made them activists. Then, you’ll explore another point of view on the movement they were advancing by researching and examining primary source (e.g., newspaper editorials, political cartoons, Supreme Court decisions) or secondary source (textbooks, biographies, encyclopedias) documents.

For the final activity, you will write a short essay outlining the importance of analyzing multiple perspectives when studying history by describing the focus of your change maker’s activism, as well as another person or organization's approach to furthering (or resisting) the movement or cause. At the end of the lesson, you will construct a written response that includes an answer to the essential question:

Essential Question

Why is it important to learn about women who fought back against racism (systemic and racial terror) in the Progressive Era?

In addition, using videos, primary and secondary sources, you'll respond to each of the following supporting questions:

supporting quesitons

• What strategies did women utilize to fight racism in the Progressive Era?

• Why don’t we know more about the women who fought for civil rights in the Progressive Era?

• What was the opposition to civil rights in the Progressive Era?