Topic 1.1: Contextualizing Period 1 | Learning Objectives: –Explain the difference between women’s history, women’s studies and gender studies –Explain the field of women’s history and what barriers have existed to sharing women’s historical narratives –Explain the importance of oral history— particularly as it relates to the preservation of women’s history | Essential Knowledge: –Centering the study of women requires one to rethink traditional periodization of U.S. history –Women helped to redefine equality and fight subordination from the time of Aristotle and Saint Paul –Women’s history as a discipline has been studied in the United States for over one hundred years –Early scholars of women’s history include Mary Beard, Delilah Beasley and Gerda Lerner –In the pre-Columbian era, gender and sexuality were much more fluid and coverture did not exist –In many ways, indigenous women lost sovereignty over their land and their bodies with the arrival of Europeans in 1492 –Women’s studies courses have been taught as early as 1905 | Recommended Sources: —Placing Women in History & excerpts from Origins of Patriarchy by Gerda Lerner —Christine de Pizan –Images from early women’s studies/history programs —“Gender: A Useful Category of Historical Analysis” by Joan W. Scott –“Gerda Lerner on the Future of Our Past”, Interview by Catherine R. Stimpson, Ms. Magazine, September 1981 –Genesis 1, 2 and 3 –“Intersections” by Bonnie Thornton Dill, Ms. Magazine, Spring 2009 –Essays on Lilith –Conducting oral interviews —Great Questions from StoryCorps –Clio in the Classroom: A Guide for Teaching U.S. Women’s History, ed. By Carol Berkin, Margaret S. Crocco, Barbara Winslow |
| Thematic Focus: Women’s Activism | Women have utilized a wide variety of strategies to demonstrate agency and challenge male authority throughout American history. Women have also contributed to the pursuit of equality with men, even as they worked to define it in different ways |
| Topic 1.2: Indigenous Societies in the Americas in the pre-Columbian era | Learning Objectives: –Explain the cultural and social power held by Haudenosaunee women –Explain the concept of gender as understood by Indigenous societies, including the concept of Two Spirit and its importance on Indigenous culture –Explain the difference between matrilineal and patrilineal societies | Essential Knowledge: –Indigenous societies had nuanced understandings of gender that were not well understood by white settlers who came to the Americas from Europe –Many indigenous women, such as Pueblo women in the Southwest, worked as farmers –Algonquian people were matrilineal | Recommended Sources: —Images of Indigenous women in the Americas throughout history Early Encounters by Women and the American Story —Haudenosaunee Creation Story |
| Thematic Focus: Women’s Activism | Women have utilized a wide variety of strategies to demonstrate agency and challenge male authority throughout American history. Women have also contributed to the pursuit of equality with men, even as they worked to define it in different ways |
| Topic 1.3: Political authority of Indigenous women | Learning Objectives: Explain the significant institutional political power Indigenous women exercised in North America | Essential Knowledge: –Women had greater political authority in North America before European colonization –Many Native American societies were matrilineal including the Lenape who were located in modern day Delaware –The arrival of Europeans introduced rigid gendered legal systems such as English Common Law, which stripped women of significant political agency throughout the Americas | Recommended Sources –Haudenosaunee Women: An Inspiration to Early Feminists by Sally Roesch Wagner —“The Indigenous Roots of Modern Feminism” by Dina Gilo-Whitaker —Sogorea Te’Land Trust |
| Thematic Focus: Women’s Activism | Women have utilized a wide variety of strategies to demonstrate agency and challenge male authority throughout American history. Women have also contributed to the pursuit of equality with men, even as they worked to define it in different ways |
| Topic 1.4: Gender and social authority in regional tribes | Learning Objectives –Explain how women had important roles in creation stories and leadership roles in various societies throughout North America –Explain why Native American societies encouraged greater freedom for women within marriage compared to European cultures | Essential Knowledge –Cahokia in modern day Illinois is sometimes referred to as “America’s 1st city.” This early civilization honored women as well as men in burials –Kinship connections tied community members together –It was not uncommon Indigenous societies for mothers to hold significant social power in their communities –Grandmother Spider/Spider Woman, is an important myth related to the creation of the earth in Zuni, Hopi and Navajo traditions –Understand the history of Lenape women | Recommended Sources The Coronation of Chief Powhatan Retold by Zitkala-Ša (1919) Visuals of Cahokia Teaching Resources: “How Native American Women Inspired Women’s Rights” by Sally Roesch Wagner |
| Thematic Focus: Women and the world | Transnational connections amongst women have existed since the early modern era and intensified through the 21st century through technology, globalization, cultural exchange, and international organizations |
| Topic 1.5: Cultural interactions between Europeans, Native Americans & Africans | Learning Objectives –Understand the impact of the spread of disease on Native American populations throughout North America –Explain how the political authority of women’s bodies became an important tool in the European conquest of the Americas –Understand the short and long term significance of coverture laws | Essential Knowledge –Learn the story of La Malinche The Cherokee tribe were matriarchal meaning power passed through the mother –Coverture was introduced by the English based on their common law legal system –Spanish conquest of Indigenous women played an important role in their expansion of territorial control of the Western hemisphere. –Nancy Ward was an important head of the Women’s Council and brokered peace agreements in the early 19th century –The Spanish caste system will lay the foundation for colorism, which will have a major impact on the social, political and economic opportunities for women of Hispanic origin in the Americas –Sor Juana Inés de La Cruz challenged sexism of Spanish rule and the power of the Catholic Church –The conquest of women was supported by the Catholic Church through documents such as the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) and the Doctrine of Discovery (1493). –The Doctrine of Discovery justified European colonization and plays an important role in “Indian Law” in the Supreme Court to this day. |
| Thematic Focus: Violence Against Women, Pacifism and War | Throughout American history, women have been subject to both private and state sanctioned violence. They have utilized a variety of formal and informal methods to protect themselves through pacifism and one another against violence. They have also been at the forefront of peace movements and war efforts |
| Topic 1.6: Women in the early slave trade | Learning Objective –Explain the short and long term impact of the early slave trade on women | Essential Knowledge –The Columbian Exchange dramatically increased enslavement –This included the capture of African women who were forcibly brought to the Americas –Sexually transmitted diseases were spread through the exchange which had a major impact on women | Recommended Sources Excerpts from The Afterlife of Reproductive Slavery by Alys Eve Weinbaum Teaching Resources: Slavery & Freedom from National Museum of African American History & Culture |
| Thematic Focus: Women’s Activism | Women have utilized a wide variety of strategies to demonstrate agency and challenge male authority throughout American history. Women have also contributed to the pursuit of equality with men, even as they worked to define it in different ways |
| Topic 1.7: Women healers & religious innovation | Learning Objectives –Explain the importance of women healers before western medicine was professionalized and taken over by men –Explain the importance of religious innovation on early American culture –Explain Quaker beliefs in gender equality and the role this played in civil rights movements throughout American history | Essential Knowledge –Quaker women such as Margaret Fell Fox served as a religious leaders as far back as the 17th century –Before the professionalization of medicine associated doctors with male authority, women served as healers, midwives, abortion providers, pharmacists and curanderas –This was especially true for the impoverished and those who lived in rural areas –Mary Baker Eddy, founder of Christian Science, is one of the first women to establish a major religion –Women pioneered the use of lay healing arts | Recommended Sources: –Witches, Midwives, and Nurses: A History of Women Healers by Barbara Ehrenreich & Deirdre English, 1970 Teaching Resources: —“Warts and All: Learn the Fascinating History of Witchcraft and Reproductive Health” NY Historical Society |