Allison Robbins

Unit: Civil Rights

Start of the womens suffrage movement
Grade: 4
Subject: Social Studies

Womens Suffrage Day 1: Start of the Womens Suffrage Movement

Integration of Learning Outcomes

1) Students will be able to define suffrage
2) Students will be able to understand the key figures and events in the womens suffrage
movement
3) Students will be able to analyze and comprehend a primary document
Standards
PA Standards
1) Standard - 8.3.U.A: Compare the role groups and individuals played in the social,
political, cultural, and economic development of the U.S.
NCSS Standards
1) Time Continuity and Change (2D) Identify and use various sources for reconstructing the
past, such as documents, letters, diaries, maps, textbooks, photos, and others
Anticipatory Set
1. Teacher will hand each student a slip of folded paper as they enter the classroom.
Students will be instructed not to look at it until they are told to do so.
2. Once all students are seated, the teacher will ask if anyone knows what the womens
suffrage movement was. Students will be given the chance to respond and teacher will
explain.
a) Possible responses: womens rights movement, womens voting movement, etc.
b) Correct answer: Womens suffrage movement- womens fight for the right to vote
3. Teacher will then ask if anyone knows how the womens suffrage movement got started.
Students will be given the chance to respond.
a) Possible response: the government, through protest, through discussion, etc.
4. Teacher will load PowerPoint (see appendix A) and explain that the beginning of the
womens suffrage movement began with the Seneca Falls Convention. Teacher will explain
that they are currently all attending the Seneca Falls convention and tells the students to open
their slips of paper. Each paper will have the name of real person who attended the
convention along with a description. Students will briefly share with their surrounding
classmates, who they are and what their description says.
a) Attendees teacher will call on
1) Elizabeth Cady Stanton
2) Lucretia Mott
3) Frederick Douglas
b) Other Attendees students could have
4) Margaret Pryor
5) Harriet Cady Eaton
6) Mary Ann MClintock
7) Martha C. Wright
 8) Jane C. Hunt
9) Amy Post
10) Lydia Mount
11) Catharine C. Paine
12) Elizabeth W. MClintock
13) Cynthia Davis
14) Hannah Plant
15) Phebe King
16) Julia Ann Drake
17) Charlotte Woodward
18) Rachel D. Bonnel
19) Rhoda Palmer
20) Margaret Jenkins
21) Rebecca Race
22) Richard P. Hunt
23) William S. Dell
24) James Mott
25) Thomas MClintock
Procedures
1) Teacher will explain (with aid of PowerPoint) that they are attending the Seneca Falls
Convention in New York in 1848. It is the first womens rights convention ever held in
the United States. The most heated topic of the convention was if women should include
suffrage (voting) in the fight for womens rights.
2) Teacher will ask the following students with the following people to stand up and read
the description. As each student reads their paper, a picture of the person will appear on
the PowerPoint.
a) Frederick Douglas- a former slave and anti-slavery activist. Was the only African
American at the Convention and argued that suffrage should be included in the fight
for womens rights.
b) Lucretia Mott- feminist who organized the Seneca Falls convention with Elizabeth
Cady Stanton. Argued that suffrage shouldnt be include in the fight for womens
rights.
c) Elizabeth Cady Stanton- Feminist who organized the Seneca falls Convention with
Lucretia Mott. Wrote the Declaration of Sentiments which included that women
should have the right to vote.
3) Teacher will change the PowerPoint slide to a copy of the Declaration of Sentiments.
Teacher will explain that the point of the convention is for Elizabeth Cady Stanton to
present the Declaration of Sentiments, which the convention will decide to ratify or not
ratify. Teacher will ask the students if they know what ratify means. If no student raises
their hand or answers incorrectly, the teacher will explain.
a) Ratify- to approve of and make valid.
4) Teacher will count off and split into groups of five. Students will be given a copy of the
original declaration of sentiments (see appendix B) where they will be told to analyze and
try to figure out what Stanton is trying to say. Groups will be asked to write down on one
piece of paper what problems Stanton is trying to bring awareness to.
 5) Once groups are finished analyzing, the teacher will call on each group and share what
they thought Stanton was trying to say. After each group expresses their thoughts, teacher
will pull up on the board the modern translation (see appendix C) and briefly review the
sentiments.
6) Teacher will call on students and ask what sentiments do they think is the most
important? And Why are these problems? Teacher will then explain how the sentiment
people disagreed on the most was if women should have the right to vote.
7) Teacher will bring out a very large copy of the declaration of sentiments. Teacher will
explain that as attendees of the Seneca Falls Convention, students will decide if they
agree with the sentiments, and come up to sign and ratify it (Students will sign their own
name). The signed Declaration of Sentiments will be hung in the classroom for the rest of
the womens rights lessons.

Differentiation
1) Hands on learners- hands on learners will be given a physical copy of the Declaration of
Sentiments for them to work with and analyze. They will also be able to recreate an
important moment in womens history in order to better understand the event.
2) Visual Learners- visual learners will benefit by seeing the Seneca Falls Convention
represented visually through the recreation activity.
3) Interpersonal learners- the lesson will benefit interpersonal learners but removing the
pressure from having to pick groups. Instead students will be assigned groups based on
whose at their table

Closure
1) To close lesson teacher will ask the students the following questions
a) Who was Elizabeth Stanton?
b) What is womens suffrage?
c) What was the Seneca Falls Convention?
d) What was the Declaration of Sentiments?
e) What was something else you learned?

Formative / Summative Assessment

1) Formative Assessment will be given at the end of the lesson through review questions
along with assessing analyzing and comprehension skills through the Declaration of
Sentiments activity.
Materials / Equipment
Large copy of the Declaration of Sentiments
Individual copies of the Declaration of Sentiments
Slips of paper with person and description
Power point

Technology
Computer for PowerPoint
Appendix A
AppendixB

DeclarationofSentiments

When,inthecourseofhumanevents,itbecomesnecessaryforoneportionofthe
familyofmantoassumeamongthepeopleoftheearthapositiondifferentfrom
thatwhichtheyhavehithertooccupied,butonetowhichthelawsofnatureandof
nature'sGodentitlethem,adecentrespecttotheopinionsofmankindrequiresthat
theyshoulddeclarethecausesthatimpelthemtosuchacourse.

Weholdthesetruthstobeselfevident;thatallmenandwomenarecreatedequal;
thattheyareendowedbytheirCreatorwithcertaininalienablerights;thatamong
thesearelife,liberty,andthepursuitofhappiness;thattosecuretheserights
governmentsareinstituted,derivingtheirjustpowersfromtheconsentofthe
governed.WheneveranyformofGovernmentbecomesdestructiveoftheseends,
itistherightofthosewhosufferfromittorefuseallegiancetoit,andtoinsist
upontheinstitutionofanewgovernment,layingitsfoundationonsuchprinciples,
andorganizingitspowersinsuchformastothemshallseemmostlikelytoeffect
theirsafetyandhappiness.Prudence,indeed,willdictatethatgovernmentslong
establishedshouldnotbechangedforlightandtransientcauses;andaccordingly,
allexperiencehathshownthatmankindaremoredisposedtosuffer,whileevilsare
sufferable,thantorightthemselves,byabolishingtheformstowhichtheyare
accustomed.Butwhenalongtrainofabusesandusurpations,pursuinginvariably
thesameobject,evincesadesigntoreducethemunderabsolutedespotism,itis
theirdutytothrowoffsuchgovernment,andtoprovidenewguardsfortheirfuture
security.Suchhasbeenthepatientsufferanceofthewomenunderthis
government,andsuchisnowthenecessitywhichconstrainsthemtodemandthe
equalstationtowhichtheyareentitled.

Thehistoryofmankindisahistoryofrepeatedinjuriesandusurpationsonthepart
ofmantowardwoman,havingindirectobjecttheestablishmentofanabsolute
tyrannyoverher.Toprovethis,letfactsbesubmittedtoacandidworld.
Hehasneverpermittedhertoexerciseherinalienablerighttotheelective
franchise.

Hehascompelledhertosubmittolaws,intheformationofwhichshehadno
voice.

Hehaswithheldfromherrightswhicharegiventothemostignorantanddegraded
menbothnativesandforeigners.

Havingdeprivedherofthisfirstrightofacitizen,theelectivefranchise,thereby
leavingherwithoutrepresentationinthehallsoflegislation,hehasoppressedher
onallsides.

Hehasmadeher,ifmarried,intheeyeofthelaw,civillydead.

Hehastakenfromherallrightinproperty,eventothewagessheearns.

Hehasmadeher,morally,anirresponsiblebeing,asshecancommitmanycrimes,
withimpunity,providedtheybedoneinthepresenceofherhusband.Inthe
covenantofmarriage,sheiscompelledtopromiseobediencetoherhusband,he
becoming,toallintentsandpurposes,hermasterthelawgivinghimpowerto
depriveherofherliberty,andtoadministerchastisement.

Hehassoframedthelawsofdivorce,astowhatshallbethepropercausesof
divorce;incaseofseparation,towhomtheguardianshipofthechildrenshallbe
given,astobewhollyregardlessofthehappinessofwomenthelaw,inallcases,
goinguponthefalsesuppositionofthesupremacyofman,andgivingallpower
intohishands.

Afterdeprivingherofallrightsasamarriedwoman,ifsingleandtheownerof
property,hehastaxedhertosupportagovernmentwhichrecognizesheronly
whenherpropertycanbemadeprofitabletoit.

Hehasmonopolizednearlyalltheprofitableemployments,andfromthosesheis
permittedtofollow,shereceivesbutascantyremuneration.
Heclosesagainstheralltheavenuestowealthanddistinction,whichheconsiders
mosthonorabletohimself.Asateacheroftheology,medicine,orlaw,sheisnot
known.

Hehasdeniedherthefacilitiesforobtainingathorougheducationallcolleges
beingclosedagainsther.

HeallowsherinChurchaswellasState,butasubordinateposition,claiming
Apostolicauthorityforherexclusionfromtheministry,andwithsomeexceptions,
fromanypublicparticipationintheaffairsoftheChurch.

Hehascreatedafalsepublicsentiment,bygivingtotheworldadifferentcodeof
moralsformenandwomen,bywhichmoraldelinquencieswhichexcludewomen
fromsociety,arenotonlytoleratedbutdeemedoflittleaccountinman.

HehasusurpedtheprerogativeofJehovahhimself,claimingitashisrightto
assignforherasphereofaction,whenthatbelongstoherconscienceandherGod.

Hehasendeavored,ineverywaythathecouldtodestroyherconfidenceinher
ownpowers,tolessenherselfrespect,andtomakeherwillingtoleadadependent
andabjectlife.

Now,inviewofthisentiredisfranchisementofonehalfthepeopleofthiscountry,
theirsocialandreligiousdegradation,inviewoftheunjustlawsabove
mentioned,andbecausewomendofeelthemselvesaggrieved,oppressed,and
fraudulentlydeprivedoftheirmostsacredrights,weinsistthattheyhave
immediateadmissiontoalltherightsandprivilegeswhichbelongtothemas
citizensoftheseUnitedStates.
Appendix C