Antebellum Women's Movement, 1820-1860
A reproducible, document-based teaching unit
NOTE:
NH163 is the printed format
This title is also available for immediate download in digital format as NH163Ebook
This unit examines how the industrial revolution and the abolition movement led to changes in women’s roles both within and outside the home. Letters of a young woman employed in Lowell, Massachusetts, interviews with former slaves, handbills, songs, and resolutions from abolitionist and women’s rights conventions help students fathom the experiences women faced in laboring to achieve equal status in antebellum American society. Students analyze and evaluate the impact of the women’s rights movement in the antebellum era and link past and present by drawing connections to contemporary society.
Grades 9-12
Lessons:
Lesson 1: The "Separate Spheres" and "Cult of True Woman-hood" Doctrines
Lesson 2: Women's Work Outside Their Homes
Lesson 3: Antebellum Temperance and Abolitionist Movements
Lesson 4: The Antebellum Women's Movement