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Handout E: Politics and the Women of the ______ Family

Directions:

Talk with your family members and find out the answers to the following questions. You may choose to include the most interesting pieces of information you discover on your website.

  1. Do you have family members who lived in the U.S. before the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment?
  2. Did you have family members in the U.S. at the time of ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment?
  3. If your family is from another country, explain whether women could/can vote there.
  4. Who was the first female in your family to have the right to vote in the U.S.? (If you are not sure, you can take your best guess based on when your family came to the U.S.) Research the following and report on:
    • Where does/did your family member live?
    • Which presidential election did she first vote in?
    • Which candidates for the House and Senate did she decide between?
    • Who ran for governor of her state at that time?
    • What national issues were likely to have been of concern to her?
    • What state issues were likely to have been of concern?
    • What local issues were likely to have been of concern?
    • Who, if anyone, was the first female in your family to organize a protest, help a campaign, or fundraise for a specific cause? Tell a little of her story.
    • Who, if anyone, was the first female in your family to found or to lead a voluntary civic organization? Tell a little of her story.
    • Who, if anyone, was the first female in your family to win election to public office? Tell a little of her story.
  5. How do female members of your family participate in public life today? Explain.