Skip to Main Content

Lesson

Alice Paul’s Perseverance for the Vote

Grade
9–12
Published
Nov 5, 2020
A woman in a large hat sits at a table, looking directly at the camera while writing.
How did Alice Paul respond in the face adversity? Explore how her choice to act responsibly.

Founding Principles

Civic Virtue, Private Virtue

Virtues

Perseverance, Integrity

Guiding questions

Essential Question

  • Why is individual responsibility necessary for the civil society to be a successful self-governing society? 

Guiding Questions

  • How can knowing others’ stories of responsibility help us to be more responsible for ourselves and others? 
  • What kind of obstacles can we encounter when trying to act responsibly? How can we overcome these obstacles? 
  • What are responsible acts in upholding our own liberty and the liberty of others?

Learning Objectives

  • Students will interpret the meaning of responsibility as it relates to their own liberty and the liberty of others.  
  • Students will analyze Alice Paul’s story as an example of facing adversity and choosing to act responsibly. 
  • Students will identify specific responsibilities they hold and recognize how these responsibilities may shift and change over time. 

Materials

Student Resources

Teacher Resources

  • Analysis Questions 
  • Virtue in Action  
  • Journal Activity
  • Sources for Further Reading  
  • Virtue Across the Curriculum  

Lesson resources

Table with vocabulary terms and their definitions related to analyzing primary sources, titled "Anticipate: Two Preambles."
ActivityPrimary Sources: Two Preambles Activities
Text on a background discussing Alice Paul and the concept of responsibility with vocabulary definitions.
ActivityNarrative: Alice Paul
Text slide titled "Virtue in Action" with a list of responsibilities and a graphic of a balance scale.
ActivityVirtue in Action Handout

Lesson plan

Click a phase to open it

Key Terms

Sentiments
Views or opinions on a subject.
Resolutions
A formal statement of decisions or wishes of a group of people.
Self-evident
Another word for obvious.
Endowed
Another word for given.
Unalienable (inalienable)
Unable to be taken away.

More Information

Procedures 

  • The following lesson asks students to consider the virtue of responsibility and how it relates to working toward their needs and the needs of others.  
  • Alice Paul’s sense of responsibility was a testament to the perseverance of a decades-long struggle by American women to participate in the civic life of republican government by voting and offering their consent to the laws under which they lived.    
  • Students will engage with the story of Alice Paul as they consider the question: Why is individual responsibility necessary for the United States to be a successful self-governing society? 
  • The main activity in this lesson requires students to read and analyze a narrative that explores Alice Paul. Students may work individually, in pairs, or small groups as best fits your classroom. The analysis questions provided can be used to help students comprehend and think critically about the content. As the teacher, you can decide which questions best fit your students’ needs and time restraints.  
  • Additional activities include comparing parts of primary sources to prepare students for the lesson and an exercise to recognize how these responsibilities may shift and change over time. 
  • Lastly, the lesson includes sources used in this lesson for further reading and suggestions for cross-curricular connections.

Standards

Check whether this resource aligns with your state’s standards →