Era of Reform: Wow Factor

Characters:
Katie- Lucetia Mott
Skylar- Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Yessika- Sojourner Truth
Kadijah- Fredrick Douglass

At rise:
At the Seneca Falls convention giving speeches.

Elizabeth Stanton
We have met here today to discuss our rights and wrongs,
civil and political, and not, as some have supposed, to go
into the detail of social life alone. We do not propose to
petition the legislature to make our husbands just,
generous, and courteous, to seat every man at the head of a
cradle, and to clothe every woman in male attire. None of
these points, however important they may be considered by
leading men, will be touched in this convention. As to
their costume, the gentlemen need feel no fear of our
imitating that, for we think it in violation of every
principle of taste, beauty, and dignity; notwithstanding all
the contempt cast upon our loose, flowing garments, we still
admire the graceful folds, and consider our costume far more
artistic than theirs.

(Everyone Claps)


Sojourner Truth
(Stands up)
And ain’t I a woman? Look at me. Look at my arm! I have plowed and planted and gathered into barns and no man could head me…And ain’t I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man-when I could get to it-And ain’t I a woman? I have born 13 children and seen most all sold into slavery and when I cried a mother’s grief none but Jesus heard me…. And ain’t I a woman?

(Everyone Claps)


Fredrick Douglass
(Stands up)
A woman should have every honorable motive to exertion which is enjoyed by man, to the full extent of her capacities and endowments. The case is too plain for argument. Nature has given woman the same powers, and subjected her to the same earth, breathes the same air, subsists on the same food, physical, moral, mental and spiritual. She has, therefore, an equal right with man, in all efforts to obtain and maintain a perfect existence.

(Everyone claps)

Lucretia Mott
Whereas, the great precept of nature is conceded to be; "that man shall pursue his own true and substantial happiness." Blackstone, in his Commentaries, remarks, that this law of Nature being coeval with mankind, and dictated by God himself, is of course superior in obligation to any other. It is binding over all the glove, in all countries, and at all times; no human laws are of any validity if contrary to this, and such of them as are valid, derive all their force, and all their validity, and all their authority, mediately and immediately, from this original;
Therefore, Resolved, That such laws as conflict, in any way, with the true and substantial happiness of woman, are contrary to the great precept of nature, and of no validity; for this is "superior in obligation to any other."

Quiz

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9 Step Lesson Plan: Era of Reform

1) Title:

“Equal Rights for All.”

2) Concept/Topic:

-The rights of women and African-Americans

3) Essential Questions of Lesson:

- How did the women and African-Americans do to overcome this issue that was hurting the lives of many?

4) Connection:

-Quick write on the rights that they have now compared to what the women and African Americans had.

5) Direct Teaching:

-Yessika- Talks about Sojourner Truth

-Katie- Talks about Dorthea Dix

-Skylar- Talks about Horace Mann

-Kadijah- Talks about Fredrick Douglass

-Skylar- Talks about the Seneca Falls (Concludes)

(People take notes and ask questions at the end. We ask questions to the students (vise-versa))

6) Step-By Step Explanation:

-Directions:
-Pass out word cross
-Fill in words that are listed below that have to do with the subject

7) Student-Centered Activity:

-Let students complete the word cross
-Ask for student volunteers to answer the cross word and give an example how the person/word is relevant to our subject (Give out prize if it is right).

8) Assessment:

-We will watch the students intently while they are working and make sure they are actually doing their work. Also we will ask questions to those who need it. The questions should not be about the answers.

9) Closure:

-We will let students ask questions and we will go over certain areas of confusion.
-We will also ask the students questions and if they answer the question to make sure they understand. We will also give them a prize if they answer it correctly.

Group Members Blogs

Katie- http://youngnationprojectkatie1.blogspot.com/

Yessika- http://youngnationproject-yessika.blogspot.com/

Kadijah- http://youngnationprojectkadijah.blogspot.com/

Helpful Websites

http://www.npg.si.edu/col/seneca/senfalls1.htm

http://www.historynet.com/seneca-falls-convention-first-womens-rights-convention.htm/2

Diary of Lucy Jones

July 19, 1848

Dear Diary,

Today was the first day of The Seneca Falls convention. I am staying with my close friend Mary Gilbert who has a house here with her family. She is as well as I, attending the convention. I have not yet spoken yet but I wish to tomorrow. I really would like to be an influence on future America. I would not like to see America stay the way it is today. Men should not be superior, we should be equal. No matter what color or gender you are. It seems that every second of the day, we are making progress to a better, equal country. I couldn't help but look over at Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Stanton watching the speakers all day. It made me blush just thinking about my childish behavior. I looked at them as if they were the president of America. Oh, I can't wait until I get to tell what I have to say to all three-hundred people. It would be such a great honor to speak in front of them .
Today, we had exquisite speakers. I started to tear up a bit at a few of the people's stories. They were filled with sorrow, misery and hope. The one that really stood out to me was Sojourner Truth. Her words were very powerful and made the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up. She had gone through so much, more than I have ever and probably will never. I can't imagine the mental damage slavery scars you . She was so brave, speaking about her horrid life. Ain't I a woman... That sentence rings through my ears like a bell. Ain't I a woman... She saw her children get sold to slavery and the torture that was produced towards the slaves. She was so brave, way braver than half the men that think they are more important than us. It doesn't make sense to me that people would think of such crazy thoughts. I ask myself this everyday... Why is it that men are the ones that are grander than us? Since I grew up with two brothers, one older, one younger, I felt the segregation that simmered in our house. The "men" of our family went to school and were my father's favorites. Then my mother and I were left to clean up after them and we had to be used to the rude remarks that came out of my dad and brothers' mouths. It was like they were the kings of the house. It doesn't seem right. I'm sure that my mother would have been in Seneca falls right now, as I am. Where ever she is right now, I bet she is proud of my doings. I am happy to make a difference in the woman and slave race.
This morning I woke up at around six and went down to the town where the convention was held. I saw men and women chanting something that I still can't quite seem to make out, probably because my ears are hard of hearing. They were all parading through the streets and holding petition signs and American flags. I walked to the street of nicely dressed men and women. One of the men came up to me and handed to me a flag. I raised my arm up in the windy sky as I walked. The flag flapped in the wind ever so much. It made me proud to be a woman and proud to be a U.S. citizen. I glanced around at the children and adults crowding the sidewalk, watching all of the attendees of the Seneca Falls Convention.
For the first time in my life, I feel like I am actually worth something. I am not a grain of sand on the beach anymore...I'm part of the powerful ocean. People can look up to me and treat me equal. I already feel the respect that is coming upon the female and African American race. Men are actually realizing that we are people too. We are not worthless and we can do things they do and more. I just can't wait until we finish the Declaration of Sentiments and send it to the legislators. Already, the declaration states how we have no voice in the election and government. As well as being denied education and jobs. Oh, just thinking about this milestone in history is making me shiver with excitement rushing through my body.
I guess I should probably get to bed. The sooner I sleep, the quicker tomorrow will come which means the closer we will get to freedom. I will let you know what happens tomorrow. Wish me luck on my speech, I need it. Good night.

-Lucy Jones

Era of Reform Timeline

An Era of Reform (1820-1850)

1820-1850 were the years of change. It was the era to break free from old habits and beliefs that the forefathers and those before them had left behind.
In the earlier days of the era (1820-1830), women started to realize the discriminatory that men had towards women and slaves. They started to come to lectures that priests talked about how God will forgive your sins if you do a good deed in exchange. People started to believe that instead of the old belief that God chooses your path when you are born. This led many women and slaves to go on missionaries to seek forgiveness from God so that good things could happen to them as well...

Women were getting more and more involved with issues around America. They fought for the freedom of slaves and issues that they could relate to, being a female. For instance, Dorthea Dix taught Sunday school at a local prison having intentions of doing her “Christian Duty.” She soon realized how bad the living conditions were for the prisoners. They were chained, stuck in cages and some of the inmates were children that were caught for minor theft. The debtors' inmates usually owed less than 20 dollars but couldn’t pay it off. Prisoners weren't the only ones that had it ruff. The mentally ill had dirty, crowded cells and they were considered a crime other than having decease. There was only one mental hospital (Asylum) in Massachusetts and usually only the rich could attend it. Dorthea was appalled by these circumstances so she decided to write a report on it to the state legislators. They read it and were just as appalled as she was so they voted on creating public asylums. Dorthea did this to other states and many state prisons and asylums changed. This was the beginning of women getting more involved and making a difference in the U.S.

Since the earlier days of U.S. history, education wasn’t always the top of the list for a lot of citizens. It wasn’t until the mid-1800’s that people made a change that. Before that, most kids couldn’t afford school and had to work instead. The schools were typically destroyed and in horrible condition on a count of poor children that stolen. Since kids could not attend school, this hurt their future. That had to change. It was voted by the state of Massachusetts to pay taxes for the schools, teacher’s salary and a special training school for the teachers. There was a flaw though it wasn’t the whole state. Women and both black men and women were unable to vote and they weren’t happy about that. They didn’t feel that this was quite fair. By 1850, most white children attended school. Most of the schools were for white boys though. They wouldn’t admit white or black girls, not even black boys. This was mostly common in the north since they had passed a law of no African-Americans in public schools.

In 1837, the first college to admit women to a school was established. It was called, Ohio Oberlin College. This still didn’t help the problem with segregation though. A school teacher named Prudence Crandall let African American children attend her class, mixed with white children. The white parents did not agree with mixing them together so they pulled their child out of school and petitioned against Crandall. Everyday the black children would go to school with a mob of angry people that threw rocks at the school. It got to the point where she was forced to close it down.
This angered many people one including a man called, Horace Mann. He believed that people should have the right to go to school whether they were white, and black, female, and male. So he became the first school president of a college for both men and women of any color. It is called, Antioch College in Ohio. This really helped people realize that everyone is equal. There were some that still needed convincing though.

In 1837, people were rebelling against slavery. They were called abolitionists. They were everyone from white women to former slaves. They spoke at public meetings and made posters. Some posters included a picture of the founding fathers reading the Declaration of Independence and it said “Land of the Free.” Although by 1776, the Quakers in the south had abolished slavery but many northerners still believed in it. Many people did not feel slavery was right so they wanted the slaves to do something about it. Some ideas were to raise a revolt; others on the other hand wanted to handle this issue the peaceful way. Some of the moderates wanted the slave holders to have time to learn how to handle a farm without slaves. There were many very moving arguments and speeches that the abolitionists produced. Usually, women were not allowed to speak in public meetings but two brave women named Angelina and Sarah Grimke spoke out. They spoke out about the poverty of slavery and how much hurt the slaves encounter. They were the role model for many other women to speak out as well.

As women started to speak out more, they realized that women and African Americans were the same in many ways. More and more women white and blacks had meetings and spoke their feelings. A former slave named Sojourner Truth spoke a very touching speech about how women were considered weak and worthless. She states how she watched her children get sold one by one to slavery and how everyday watch them as well as her get whipped after a long day of work in the fields. “Ain’t I a woman?” She asks. Another freed slave that spoke was named, Fredrick Douglass. He wasn’t a woman but believed in both women and black rights.

Many women and men went to a meeting held in London to speak about slavery. Although both male and female went, that still meant that one was more superior to the other. All of the women had to sit on the balcony behind a curtain and they weren’t even allowed to talk at the meeting. This angered many people, two including Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. They had met each other behind the curtain and started to talk about the unfairness of being a woman. This led to the two of them start a convention called The Seneca Falls Convention. It was July 19, 1848 and 300 people attended including 40 men. One of the men was Fredrick Douglass. They all organized a proposal for woman’s rights called The Declaration of Sentiments. The proposal included the right for both men and women to vote, study medical and law and get rid of King George’s acts of tyranny of men being superior to women. Everyone agreed except for Fredrick Douglass. He wanted to make the new proposal count for both white and African Americans. The convention attendee’s agreed and then gave the proposal to state legislators. This changed the people’s minds about women and African Americans. The state of New York formally gave women the right to control property and wages.

America later, gave people of all colors and genders to have equal rights. We can thank the people before us to establish this freedom we all have that they didn’t.