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New Classroom Resources on Wisconsin Women's roles in the Suffrage Movement

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

State Superintendent Carolyn Stanford Taylor joined Wisconsin First Lady Kathy Evers and the Wisconsin Historical Society to unveil a new tool for teachers in celebration of Wisconsin’s women’s suffrage centennial.

They announced the tool, History Makers: Wisconsin’s Women’s History Classroom Resource, during a November school visit to Pittsville.

In June, Governor Tony Evers signed Executive Order #19, establishing the Committee to Celebrate the Centennial Anniversary of Wisconsin’s Ratification of the 19th Amendment. Part of the work from this committee was the creation of the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Celebration website.

The committee, along with the Wisconsin Historical Society and Wisconsin educators, prepared, curated, and published the resource which includes:

  • Primary source tools for teaching at the K-5 and 6-12 grade levels
  • Thinking like a historian inquiry method supports
  • National Archives primary source document analysis tools
  • Primary source sets and discussion questions
State Superintendent with First Lady
Carolyn Stanford Taylor; with Jenny Kalvaitis from the Wisconsin Historical Society; and First Lady, Kathy Evers.

In a press release from the Office of the Governor, State Superintendent Carolyn Stanford Taylor states, “The 19th Amendment gave white women a voice in American politics, and although women of color were not extended this right with the signing of the amendment, it is important to note that women of color have long been involved in political activism. By learning about the diverse backgrounds of the women who came together to fight for the right to vote and the history behind a basic right that had been denied to so many, we can teach our students to never lose sight of the importance of voting and the impact women have had on Wisconsin history.”

Carolyn Stanford Taylor talking with student
Carolyn Stanford Taylor talking with a student.

The information curated in the History Makers: Wisconsin’s Women’s History Classroom Resource can supplement lessons to examine women’s leadership roles in the state.

State Superintendent talking with students
Carolyn Stanford Taylor talking with students.

For more information, including additional resources from Wisconsin Public Television, the Wisconsin Historical Society, and the National Women’s History Museum, visit the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Celebration website.