1. Women in the 1920s

2. 11th Grade U.S. History Unit: Unit Question: 1920s
What was “roaring” about the 1920s?

3. Student-Friendly Objective
How did WWI, the Nineteenth Amendment, and the rise of industry change the role of women in society?
11.5.4
Analyze the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment and the changing role of women in society

4. Historical Thinking Skill
Periodization: Through lecture and a timeline graphic, students will understand the changes of women in society prior to the 1920s and as a result of the 1920s.
Cause and Consequence: Students will understand how certain events such as WWI, the rise of big business, and the Nineteenth Amendment caused changes for women in the 1920s.
Interpretation and Evidence: After examining 3 newspaper articles, students will be able to draw conclusions from the primary sources regarding the role of women in 1920s society.

5. Narrative Summary of Tasks
Warm-Up (5 minutes)
Lecture (7 minutes)
Primary Source Analysis #1 (13 minutes)
Lecture (5 minutes)
Primary Source Analysis #2 & #3 (20 minutes)
Closure (5 minutes)

6. Warm Up/Anticipatory Set
In 2-3 sentences, answer the following question:
How do you think the United States would look today if women did not have the right to vote?

7. 1916: Margaret Sanger opens first birth-control clinic in the U.S.
1943: First female baseball league
1928: Amelia Earhart crosses the Atlantic Ocean.
1848: Seneca Falls Convention
1981: Sandra Day O’Conner becomes the first female Supreme Court Justice.
1928: Women compete in Olympic field events.
1921: Edith Wharton is the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize.
1960: FDA approves “The Pill,” the first birth-control drug.
1869: Wyoming Territory grants women the right to vote.
1925: First female governor, Wyoming
1997: First female Secretary of State
1933: First female member of the Presidential Cabinet
1920: Nineteenth Amendment grants women the right to vote.

8. Input Historical Context WWI The Rise of Cities The Rise of Industry
…all of these causes affected the roles of women in 1920s society…

9. Input The Nineteenth Amendment, 1920 Granted women the right to vote.
A constitutional amendment.

10. Input
Flappers
Women sought equality with men politically and socially  smoking cigarettes, drinking in public, sexual promiscuity.
Not a widespread reality.

11. Input The “New Woman” Moved out of the home and into the workforce.
Caused by economic pressures and the rise in industry.
“Female” occupations: secretaries, clerks, typists, etc.
Improved consumer technology eased duties as a home- maker.
Birth control also affected family life.

12. Student Activity & Investigation
Students will each receive 3 primary source documents taken from 1920s newspaper articles. Students will use the accompanying worksheet to analyze the documents. Students may work individually or with a partner.

18. Assessment
The instructor will collect the worksheet at the end of the period. Sources 1 and 2 must be completed for classroom participation points.

19. Closure Class Discussion:
How did the 1920s woman differ from women of previous generations?
How did changes during the 1920s affect the role of women in the decades to come? Can we still see effects of these changes in the role of women today?