The Project
Each student will report on a Woman of Valor (W.O.V.) from colonial America up to 1860. The goal is to move through time chronologically, earlier presenters will work in the Colonial period, with later presenters discussing women of the Early Republic and Antebellum period (pre-Civil War). You will provide a brief background (biography) of the woman's life, describing the context of the time she lived in and what she did that makes her valorous!
The most important part of your presentation will be sharing the significance of your W.O.V. Why should we care about her and what makes her unique? Here, you will be practicing making a historical argument - something that you'll need to do in each of our 3 projects this term.
To complete this project, you will need to research your woman. To share your research process with me, you will complete an annotated bibliography sharing details about the source and how you plan to use this in your project. I will share standards and a rubric, demonstrating what you need to do to be successful on this project.
Guidelines
Each oral report (5-7 minutes) should include a brief biography, at least one picture, and the significance of this person.
Research
Presentation
Starting Research
Here are some ideas of women to choose from, but you are not limited to this list!
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17th & 18th Century |
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Abigail Adams Phillis Wheatley |
Women of Colonial America by
A collection of thirteen stories recounting] the roles, hardships, and daily lives of Native American, European, and African women in 17th- and 18th-century colonial America.
Women in Colonial America by
As indentured servants, church and community leaders, and, increasingly, political activists, women played important roles in the settlement of colonial America in addition to their traditional roles as housewives and mothers.
Good Women of a Well-Blessed Land by
A social history of the American colonial period with a focus on the daily lives of women, including European immigrants, Native Americans, and slaves.
Founding Mothers by
Drawing upon personal correspondence, private journals, and even favored recipes, Roberts reveals the often surprising stories of these fascinating women, bringing to life the everyday trials and extraordinary triumphs of individuals like Abigail Adams, Mercy Otis Warren, Deborah Read Franklin, Eliza Pinckney, Catherine Littlefield Green, Esther DeBerdt Reed, and Martha Washington -- proving that without our exemplary women, the new country might never have survived.
A Jury of Her Peers by
A Jury of Her Peers is an unprecedented literary landmark: the first comprehensive history of American women writers from 1650 to 2000.
Founding Mothers by
Describes the daily lives, social roles, and contributions of women living during the revolutionary period.
America's Women by
Rich in detail, filled with fascinating characters, and panoramic in its sweep, this magnificent, comprehensive work tells for the first time the complete story of the American woman from the Pilgrims to the 21st-century
American Colonies by
In American Colonies, historian Alan Taylor challenges the traditional Anglocentric focus of colonial history by exploring the many cultural influences that gave birth to America. The result is a superlative history of the prerevolutionary era in North America that is unprecedented in its scope and sure to become a landmark.
Into a New Country by
The history of the West has traditionally been presented in terms of the accomplishments of men. We now realize that women also played an essential role in the great changes that swept this country, as the West became the destinations of one of the greatest migrations in world history. Here are the stories of eight women from different backgrounds who exemplify the challenges and the opportunities women found as they participated in the westward expansion.
We Are Your Sisters by
Documents the trials and joys of nineteenth-century Black women and suggests new ways of perceiving Black women, their relations with others, and their attitudes toward family, work, and feminism.
American Women's History: a Very Short Introduction by
What does U.S. history look like with women at the center of the story? From Pocahantas to military women serving in the Iraq war, American Women's History: A Very Short Introduction chronicles the contributions, recognized and unrecognized, that women have made to the American experience. It recognizes the diversity of American women's experiences defined by race, ethnicity, and class, but also geography, sexual orientation, age, and religion.
