question—or several—about it. These types of responses
do not have to come in any particular order, but are instead a
Responding to a Primary Source
additional reflection, which could move to other observations.
All three can lead students to develop topics and questions to
below from 1916, featuring Alice Paul, founder of the National
Women’s Party. After fighting for many years for passage of
back-and-forth activity in which an observation can lead to a
reflection, which in turn prompts questions, which can lead to
investigate in their research.
The Library of Congress offers a wide variety of online
primary sources that support students exploring the legacy
of the suffrage movement. Some of these items have been
gathered into an easy-to-use primary source set available on
the Teachers page of the Library of Congress website. Many
more can be found in photographs, news articles, and political
cartoons, many of which are collected in the Miller NAWSA
Suffrage Scrapbooks, 1897-1911. These are the scrapbooks of
Elizabeth Smith Miller and her daughter Anne Fitzhugh Miller,
which document their own leadership and that of others in
the woman’s suffrage movement.
I observe that there are many
stops in Western towns.
One primary source that can yield insights into the legacy of
the suffrage movement’s leadership is this advertising map
the Nineteenth Amendment, Paul went on to author the Equal
Rights Amendment, which passed in the Congress in 1972, but
has yet to be ratified by the states. Paul’s legacy of passion and
hard work in support of a cause is undeniable. Many of the key
elements of the fight for suffrage, such as picketing President
Woodrow Wilson’s wartime White House, were engineered by
Paul and her fellow suffragists.
This model of primary source analysis shows how one
student initially responds to this map. Notice how the student
moves back and forth between observations, reflections, and
questions. Guide students through an activity of this type
by selecting an appropriate primary source item. You could
provide a paper copy to individuals, or work with a group and
a projected version. Encourage students to make observations,
record reflections, and develop questions to investigate further.
I observe a photograph labeled
“Miss Alice Paul.”
Question: Why did the creators
of this ad include Alice Paul?
I reflect that women in the
west might have needed more
persuading. I think this because
so many stops were made there.
I reflect that including Alice Paul
illustrates her importance as a
leader in the movement. I think
this because she is the only leader
in this ad.
But now I observe the heading,
which tells me that women in the
West had some voting rights.
Question: How did the voting
rights of women in the west differ
from those in the northeast and
south?
Question: Why did they include
her photograph instead of just
her name? Was Alice Paul so well
known as a leader that she would
be recognized?
I reflect women in the west
might have had more voting
rights than those in other regions.
I think this because the envoys
did not stop in the northeast or
south.
Question: How many women
from the west, northeast and
south attended the Chicago
assembly?
Further investigation:
What role did Alice Paul play in the leadership of the suffrage movement?
What does this document tell me about the methods suffragists used to
advance their cause?
Why was the West so important in the suffrage movement? Did many of its
leaders come from there?
What was the legacy of Alice Paul and the Congressional Union for Woman
Suffrage?
[Map of] Route of Envoys Sent
from East by the Congressional
Union for Woman’s Suffrage, to
Appeal to the Voting Women of
the West [with inset portrait of
Alice Paul].
Library of Congress, http://www.
loc.gov/resource/mnwp.160080
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