MNHS is excited to offer a teacher cohort for the 2019-2020 school year, "Women and Voting Rights," for educators teaching social studies in grades 6-12 in Minnesota.
2020 is the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment: "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." But the struggle for equal voting rights for women in the United States started long before 1920, and did not end in 1920.
The narrative of the fight for suffrage often focuses on a few events and a few individuals, such as the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention and Susan B. Anthony. But voting rights in the United States have been, and still are, tangled up with issues of racial discrimination and class separation, and the focus on the actions of middle-class white women has left wide gaps in the story of voting equality for all women.
The 2020 cohort will examine the various spokes of the American woman suffrage story, including the ways women of color fought for, were denied, and won the right to vote; the stories of various individuals; the history before 1848 and after 1920; and the complex intersections of gender, race and class throughout the movement's evolution.
Cohort sessions will take place in locations with ties to the dominant suffrage narrative, including Seneca Falls, New York, that will allow us to examine the movement critically and elevate diverse voices.
Cohort participants are expected to attend all events:
- January 17-18, 2020: Minnesota History Center, St. Paul
- Two virtual meetings in the springs (dates TBD)
- Three days during week of June 22-26, 2020 (dates to be finalized once group flights have been booked): Rochester and Seneca Falls, New York
Participants will also write one blog post and complete a few pre-readings. The cohort fee of $375 covers some meals, flight, hotel for two nights in June, ground transportation, and museum admission. Limited subsidies for January sub fees and travel are available for eligible teachers.
This is an application-based program, and space is limited to 20 teachers.
Applications are due November 1, 2019. Successful applicants will be notified by November 8. Please contact Jessica Ellison with questions.