Reformers who tried to change America: abolition, women's rights, schools and hospitals

Grade 8 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   The long road to the vote for women, 1869 to 1920 (cards A to E). Card A, a summary in our words from the U.S. House history office: in 1869 Congress worked to pass the 15th Amendment, which says the right to vote "shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." It did not add women. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony had lobbied to include them, and the essay says that "Stanton's rhetoric alienated African-American women involved in the fight for women's rights". The movement split in 1869 into two groups, which united in 1890 as the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Card B, from the same essay: "Women had won complete voting rights in Wyoming in 1869, but almost 25 years had elapsed without another victory." Women then won the vote in Colorado (1893), Utah (1896) and Idaho (1896). Between 1910 and 1914 they won it in Washington, California, Arizona, Kansas and Oregon. Illinois adopted it in 1913, the first state east of the Mississippi River to do so, and Montana in 1914. Card C, a summary in our words from the National Archives: the amendment was first introduced in Congress in 1878. Supporters used state campaigns, court cases and protests, and "nine western states adopted woman suffrage legislation by 1912." The House passed the amendment on May 21, 1919, and the Senate two weeks later. Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify on August 18, 1920, which reached three-fourths of the states, and the Secretary of State certified the ratification on August 26, 1920. The Archives adds: "Many women remained unable to vote long into the 20th century because of discriminatory state voting laws." and "Few early supporters lived to see final victory in 1920." Card D, from the House essay: in 1898 Mary Church Terrell, an African American activist, told the suffrage association she was hopeful "not only in the prospective enfranchisement of my sex but in the emancipation of my race." Card E, a summary in our words from the National Park Service: of the 68 women who signed the 1848 Declaration of Sentiments, only one lived to see 1920, and she never voted.

2. 1.

   Card B names Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, then Washington, California, Arizona, Kansas, Oregon and Montana (1914). Card C says nine western states by 1912. What fits, Ari asks?

   • Ten states by 1912, which proves the Archives card is wrong about its date
   • Eight western states by 1914, which cannot match the nine in card C
   • Ten western states by 1914; nine fits only if Montana (1914) is left out
   • Eleven western states by 1914, because Illinois was also a western state
3. 2.

   Card C: Tennessee was the 36th state to ratify, reaching three-fourths of the states. How many states were there, Bo asks?

   • 36 states, because the 36th state was the last one needed
   • 27 states, because three-fourths of 36 is 27
   • 48 states, because 36 is three-fourths of 48
   • 50 states, because the country has fifty states today
4. 3.

   Card C: the amendment was first introduced in 1878 and ratified in 1920. How long did that take, and what does it suggest, Esme asks?

   • 52 years, which shows the amendment passed without much resistance
   • 42 years, a long campaign that needed many tactics
   • 42 years, which is enough to conclude that the campaign failed until the end
   • 72 years, counted from the Seneca Falls convention of 1848
5. 4.

   A student says: "The 19th Amendment gave every woman in America the vote in 1920." How strong is that claim, given cards C and E, Jun asks?

   • Weak: card E says no woman voted in the election of 1920
   • Overstated: card C says discriminatory state laws kept many women from voting
   • Strong: card C says Tennessee ratified the amendment on August 18, 1920 as the 36th state
   • Strong: women won the vote in Wyoming in 1869, long before 1920
6. 5.

   Card C says few early supporters lived to see 1920, and card E gives one signer's story. What do they support together, Milo asks?

   • The campaign outlasted nearly all early supporters, and the survivor never voted
   • None of the 1848 signers lived to see the amendment ratified in 1920
   • Most early supporters lived to vote in 1920 after a short campaign
   • The one survivor voted in 1920 and thanked Congress for the amendment
7. 6.

   Terrell spoke to the suffrage association in 1898 (card D). How might that audience shape her words, Noah asks?

   • She asked the association to elect her to the Senate that year
   • She asked the association to drop the vote for women and work for her race alone
   • She asked suffrage leaders to link the vote for women to the freedom of her race
   • She asked her own community to accept the association's plan without change
8. 7.

   Card B runs from Wyoming in 1869 to Montana in 1914. How did the pace of state victories change, Pia asks?

   • One win in 1869, almost 25 years with none, then wins in 1893 and 1896, and many by 1914
   • The wins were spread evenly, with one state every year after 1869
   • Every state granted the vote by 1914, so the amendment was needed only to confirm it afterward
   • Many wins came first in the 1870s, and then they stopped for 25 years
9. 8.

   Card C says discriminatory state laws kept many women from voting. What new evidence would show how many Black women could vote after 1920, Ren asks?

   • Registration and voting records from several states, by year, race and sex
   • A speech by one official who said each woman could vote in his state
   • The text of the 19th Amendment, which is enough to settle the question
   • A longer textbook summary of the 19th Amendment's ratification in 1920 by Congress
10. 9.

    A student says: "Wyoming's 1869 win started a wave of states right away." How strong is that claim, given card B, Tala asks?

    • Weak: card B says Wyoming was the last state to give women the vote
    • Strong: by 1914 many states had given women the vote, so a wave began
    • Strong: card B says Wyoming won complete voting rights in 1869 as the first state
    • Weak: card B says almost 25 years passed before another state followed
11. 10.

    Card D quotes Terrell's 1898 address. What is it best evidence for, Zee asks?

    • Why the 19th Amendment was ratified in the year 1920
    • One activist's view in 1898, not the views of all Black women
    • How many states had given women the vote by the year 1898
    • The views of all Black women in the country in the year 1898 at the meeting