Why Teaching Women's Suffrage Matters
Explore women’s suffrage lesson plans and teaching resources that help students understand the women’s suffrage movement, the 19th Amendment and the ongoing fight for voting rights and equal rights in the United States.
Students can learn about influential suffrage leaders, including Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Alice Paul, while examining the political and social forces that shaped the movement and led to the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. Lessons also explore how the movement evolved and why many women—particularly Black, Native American and other women of color—continued to face barriers to voting after the amendment was ratified.
Designed for PreK–12 classrooms, this collection features primary sources, classroom activities, discussion questions and historical context to support instruction in U.S. history, civics and voting rights. Topics include the origins of the women’s suffrage movement, the significance of the 19th Amendment and the broader struggle to expand voting rights in the United States.
Use these resources during Women’s History Month, when teaching the 19th Amendment, or as part of a larger unit on democracy, civil rights and civic participation. These lessons help students examine the achievements of the women’s suffrage movement while understanding how the struggle for equal access to the ballot continued beyond 1920.
