DOCONIMM RIBOSE ED 186 Ilk 3 SO012596 AUTHOR Sanders, geTerly TITLE Women inAmerican History:,A Series. pook Four,Woien in the Progressive Era 1890-1920.. INSTITUTION American Federation of Teachers, *Washington, D.C. SPONS AGENCY Office,of Education (DHEW), Wastington, D.C. Wolen's Educational Egutty Act Program. PUB DATE 79 NOTE 95p.: For related documents, see SO 012 593-595. AVAILABLE FROM Education Development Center, 55 Chapel Street, Newton, MA 02160 (S2.00 plus $1.30 shipping charge) EDRS gRICE MF01 Plus Postige. PC Not.Available from EDRS. DESCRIPTORS Artists; Authors: *CiVil Rights: *Females; Feminksm; Industrialization: Learning Activities: Organizations (Groups): Secondary Education: Sex Discrioination; *Sex Role: *Social Action: Social Studies;Unions; *United States History: Voting Rights: *Womens Studies ABSTRACT 'The documente one in a series of four on.women in American history, discusses the rcle cf women in the Progressive Era (11390-1920)4 Designed to supplement high school U.S.*history. textbooks; the book is co/mprised of five chapter's. Chapter I. 'describes vtormers and radicals including Jane A3damsand Lillian Wald whs b4tan the settlement house movement:Florence Kelley, who fought for labor legislation:-and Emma Goldmanand Kate RAchards speaking against World War ft Of"Hare who,became pOlitical priscners for I. Chapter III focuses on women in factory workand the labor movement. Excerpts from- diaries reflectthe'work*ng contlitions in factor4es which led to women's ipvolvement in the,AFL andthe tormatton of the National.Wcmenls Trade Union League. Mother Jones, the-Industrial Workers of the World, and the "Bread and Roses"strike (1S12) of 25,000 textile workers in Massachusetts arealso described. Chapters III and IV trace h6w women got the vote throughthe decades of struggle and argument, the slowing downof tte suffrage moverfent, its revival by a younger generaticn, themilitanti and kkice Paul, and the work-of Carrie Chapman Cattin ratifying the,19th Amendment. Chapter V is cdncerned with women in arts and lettersd4ring the Industrial Age: Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Ida Tarbell,Sarah Orne Jewett, Mary Wilkins, Mary Wilkins Freeman,Kate Chopin, Edith Wharton, and willa Cather. Women painters, photographers, composersi:- and dancers are also noted. (KC) 11447--P ****************************************44**************************** . 'Reproductions supplied by FDRS are the best that canbe made from the original dgcument. tk**!oc***********************************************30****************** 4 t 4. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION WELFARE "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MATERIAL IN MICROFICHE ONLY EDUCATION HAS BEEN GRANTED BY THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REP1/0. DUCED XICTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR OIVIANIZATION ORIGIN. Tel ot CAA T ATING IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRE- SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." Women in American Historyc A Series Book rour Women in the Trogrei ive Era 1890 -.1920 s by Beverly Sandert American Federation of.Te.achers 9 \, Women's Educational Equity ActProqrain U.S.Departmenef Health,,Educatton, and Welfare JoSeph A. Califano, Jr., Secretary ,Mary F. Berry; Assistant Secretaryfor Education . Office of .Education Ernest L. Boyer, Commissioner 5 JUN 2 1980. *. s %t r. ift I o Discrimination ProhibitddlNo person in the . United States shall, on the grounds of race,' color, or national originrbe excluded from paiticipation ih, be denied the benefits of," ...4 or be subjected to discrimination under any prothram or activity receiving Fecleral financial 46, askistance, ok be so treated, on the basis4))f sex under most educaion'prbgrams or acti ities receiving Federal assistance. Prbduced by the American Federatlion of ,Tbachers' unaer a grant:from the U.S. Department of Health, s Education, and Welfare, Office of Edu9ation, ,under the auspices'of the Women's Educational Equity Act. Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position or policy ,of the Office of Education or the Dertrnent, and no officiaf endorsemeht should Ldinferred. Printed a d disttibutel by Education Development Center, 1 79, 55 Chap4 Street, Newton, MA 02160 A ,se ii A -04 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS- Several teachers were 'most helpful to me dUring the class-testing phase of this project. l would like to thank Joshua Scherer, Susan Chan, and Peter JanoVsky'of geward Park High-School.; New York City; Jane Adair of the John Bertram Schooliof Human Services, Phpadelphia; and Sven Huseby of the Putney Schodll.Putney, Vermont. They graciously allowedmelinto their social studies classes and shared with me the task of p senting the sertes material to their students. I am grateful to the st dents for their Courtesy and enthusiasm during the lessons and for t1eir. patience in filling,out the questionnaires. Ioeadebt of gratitude to.Di. Elvira Tarr of the Brooklyn. College Schoo f Education for reading portions of the series,in an earlier form and offering useful advice ,for its improvement. Finallyv i special thank-you to; Eugenia Kemble of the American Federa- tion of Teachers for her:encouragpment and cooperation at every stage of -the prgject: 4 1 CONTENTS a Introduction' 1 1890 - 1920 3 I. Women in the Progressive Era: Reformers and Radicals 5 - Questions for Ingibiry and Discussion 18' II. Women in Factory Work and the Labor Movement .19 dr Questions for Inquiry and Discussion 45 III. How Womdn Won the Vote 'Part I. Decades of Struggle and)itgument 47 \ Questions for Iriquiry.and Discuslion- 54 4 IV. How Women Won the VOte Part II. Decade,o'f Victory Questions for( Inquiry 4and Discussion 62 V. Women in ArtS and Letters'in the Industrial AO, 63 $ . Questions for Inquiry and'Discussion 86 , . 4 87 Bibliography , _ . alp' . 1 ^ INTRODUCTION Women in American History, a foOrrpart series; attempts tofill a serious gap in the American history curriculymas' taught in most United. States high schools today. Surveys of the most widely used American history textbooks repeatedly turn up the astonishing fact that these b6oks almost totally fieglect the lives and achievements of American" women. Althbugh the revival of a feminist rabvemea.in the 1960's and1970's,has resulted in a proliferation,of wamen's studies courses attfe college level and a flood of books dealing with the history of women, verylittl# of this material has been adapted'to the secondary school level,except) where,indivi,dual teachershave initiated courses of their own.- During the year in which r developed the series--a process that included visiting several schoolsand testing the material fn t1%e class- room--I realized that the average?' socialstudies classroom wail: ffected by the growing and much ptiblicized interest in women'sstudie)i he same standard textbooks wdre still being used, and no supplementary material on women seemed.to be available. (It should be said that some of the publishers of the venerable" textbooks are producing auxiliarypambhlets.on 4 American minority groups, among whom women are included, to supplement, . their standard fare.) When quizzed, few students were able to riame more than one outstandingl American woman who had lived before 1900. (Their response was usually Harriet Tubman; black studies hasmade its mark.) Most of,the teachers I worked with were eager to integrate material -on women into their American history courses andWere grateful for whatever material I could put directly into the hands of their studentd. Other teaChers were indSfferent and would be unlikely to teach such material unless they were directed to do so. The students were usUally venY interested, particularly in materiql_that presented women'as fightersfor 4 social justice, such as that relating to.theantislavery speakers of the. 1830's. As might pave been expected, womenitudents showed greater interest and enihusiasm than men. Yet the latter, even when openly.hostile to sOmen's claims fOt historical recognition, seemed stimulated by themateriai And eager; to engage in discussion.. I t . .. .i.- Each book in the series is a narrative of women's lives and'accomplish-_ ments within a significant epoch. of American history--an ewchnormally studied in the standard history'survey..There are, naturally, chapters devoted to women *No were famous in theirtiMe; although many of these women had been virtually forgotten uritil.the recentrevival of feminism. Often the more well-khown figures were reforiner --abolitionists, temperance wOrkers, crusaders for the mentally ill, etc.-- t,ak orm Wor4 being the.one public arena open to women, who were virtually barred from politibsbefore' the 20th century. Others earned fame and fortune in literary wOrk, since writing was traditionally one Of the few profedsions that could bepracticed at home. There is, of course,, considerableattention devoted to the women-- women's rights advocates, suffragists,'educators-whodedicated their lives to achieving,equality for women. w 1- L. I It would be distOrting women's history, nowever, to concentrate .exclusively on the famoustild the.'exceptional. Throughout otr nation's history, mqst'women, conforming tO widely held religious and social views: of their role, have lived anonymOus_lives as wives, AotherS and unsung workers. Therefore, I'have tried to devote roughly equal space to the lives and accomplishments of these "ordinary" women, whoe names were not _well known,..but whose experiences have, fortunately, been recorded in diaries, letters, newspaper pieces and ot,her documents that have been preserved.- I hope each book sufficiently stresses that women have always been a vital part of America's labor force. On fa'rms and in factories, women wexe tgere from the 'start: éXploited and invisible, but making the wheels go round. 'though thp important economic role of women seems obvious, it was not always fullly reeognized and vaj.ued, espeioially during erAs when it was popular to view the.ideal woman as a nonworker, except for domestic chores. Fpl- each epocA, I have tried to show what conditions-- economic, political, social and legal--advanced women toward equality with inen or retarded their progress in that direction.