US Women’s History Series

This is Session 1 of 2 in the Women’s U.S. History series

PREREQUISITE: It is not required, but it is highly recommended that students first complete U.S. History Series 2, 3, and 4 before taking this class.

Note: This Women’s History course series is scheduled a bit differently:

CLASS DESCRIPTION

From Puritans to Pioneers is the first of a two part series about the roles of women in the United States. From the earliest days of Jamestown and Plymouth, women were instrumental in the formation and the perpetuation of the country; and they contributed in ways that often get completely overlooked. Let’s give these women the credit they deserve through studying the contributions to the American Dream. (The history studied in this course lines up near perfectly with the historical context that is studied in US History Series 1. It serves as a deeper look into the people who formed and fought for the United States.)

DISCLAIMER: As this course focuses on US history from the perspective of women, a discussion about the role and evolution of sex in women’s history is important, relevant, and will be briefly discussed at times in this course.

CLASS FORMAT

No live classes—view lessons on YOUR schedule. In general, expect 1.5-2.5 hours to work through the lesson plan each week, and an additional 2-5 hours working on assignments (it really depends what assignment your child chooses to do and how they manage their time). For classes with two levels, the material is the same for both—the depth of the assignments differs. Younger students should usually be placed in Level 1. Older students, or younger students who want more of a challenge, should be placed in Level 2.

Each lesson consists of a fully narrated PowerPoint presentation with images and videos to enhance the topics. Students will have access to our learning management system, Canvas, for viewing their lesson, printing worksheets, taking quizzes, viewing/submitting assignments, participating in discussions, and viewing grades/feedback.

Read more details about class format.

Week 1: Colonial Women

The first week of this course begins with the earliest European women who arrived in the New World. Focusing on the early American colonies, we will explore the role of women in the formative years of the United States. Women in the New World often found themselves in new situations but in the same old traditional gender roles.

Week 2: Revolutionary Women

As the American colonies grew into a major power in Britain’s imperial system, they found themselves looking away from the Crown and towards independence and the West. In this week, we will be looking into the roles of women as the colonies became more settled and the Revolutionary War loomed over the heads of many.

Week 3: Antebellum Belles

After the United States gained its independence from the British, the roles of women developed further. In some cases, these women filled roles as ladies of the house, posh women who were relegated to the luxurious plantation homes of the Antebellum South.; but in others, they stepped into lives of drudgery and difficulty. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, women were on the precipice of changing the spheres in which they operated in American society.

Week 4: Abolitionists and African Americans

As the drastic changes in American life due to the Civil War approached, so too did changes in the way women acted. This week covers African American women living in slavery and the women who worked to free them. Though it was not clear at first, women in the mid-nineteenth century were setting themselves up for a wave of revolution over the next 150 years.

Week 5: War and the West

Women played important roles in both the Civil War and westward expansion. Through a variety of jobs and careers, women contributed to the war effort and the building of the American West. This week focuses on those brave pioneers who focused took to battlefields and unknown territories and paved the way for both men and women to follow in their footsteps.

This is Session 2 of 2 in the Women’s U.S. History series

PREREQUISITE: It is not required, but it is highly recommended that students first complete U.S. History Series 2, 3, and 4 before taking this class.

Note: This Women’s History course series is scheduled a bit differently:

CLASS DESCRIPTION

This six-week course is the second and final section of the U.S. Women’s History series. The twentieth century was a crucial time for women in the United States. Over the course of the century, women saw a wide variety of new freedoms and opportunities. From gaining the right to vote to increased chances to go to college and pursue careers, the idea of womanhood changed significantly in a short time. This class is dedicated to learning about those changes and the women who made them happen.

DISCLAIMER: At times, mature subject matter will be discussed in this class that may not be suitable for students under 13. As this course focuses on US history from the perspective of women, a discussion about the role and evolution of sex in women’s history is important, relevant, and will be briefly discussed at times in this course.

CLASS FORMAT

No live classes—view lessons on YOUR schedule. In general, expect 1.5-2.5 hours to work through the lesson plan each week, and an additional 2-5 hours working on assignments (it really depends what assignment your child chooses to do and how they manage their time). For classes with two levels, the material is the same for both—the depth of the assignments differs. Younger students should usually be placed in Level 1. Older students, or younger students who want more of a challenge, should be placed in Level 2.

Each lesson consists of a fully narrated PowerPoint presentation with images and videos to enhance the topics. Students will have access to our learning management system, Canvas, for viewing their lesson, printing worksheets, taking quizzes, viewing/submitting assignments, participating in discussions, and viewing grades/feedback.

Read more details about class format.

Week 1: The Late 1800s

The first week in the class picks up where Series 1 left off. After the events of the Civil War and Reconstruction, women across the country began fighting “en masse” for rights and equalities they had never been granted before. From the small mining towns of the American West to the bustling cities of the Gilded Age, we will see how women lived at the end of the nineteenth century.

Week 2: Immigration in the early 1900s

Femininity and womanhood began drastically changing in the twentieth century. We will begin our look into this important century with an examination of the ways womanhood shifted during the early decades of this century. There will be a special focus on the stories of immigrant women and how they adjusted to their new homes and roles.

Week 3: Progressivism, War, and the Right to Vote!

In this week of the class, we will be learning about the events surrounding the progressive suffragist movement of the early 1900s that led to women receiving the right to vote in federal elections. Many factors led to this fateful decision, and we will be spending this unit covering the hows and whys of women’s suffrage.

Week 4: The Great Depression and World War II

As the country experienced the hardships of major economic depression, women found themselves filling more roles in providing for the home and the family. Their newfound roles as providers peaked in World War II, where they were once again propelled into new jobs and opportunities while the able-bodied men were off fighting. Unlike in previous wars, women’s roles changed forever as a result of their hard work and tenacity.

Week 5: The 1950s and 1960s

The world changed after World War II, and the lives of women in the United States changed along with it. The traditional values of the 1950s were met with a new wave of feminism in the 1960s that worked to cement women as equals to men in American politics, economics, and society. We will explore these two important decades in depth in the fifth week of the course.

Week 6: Women Heading into the 21st Century

The final week of the course focuses on the last three decades of the twentieth century. Women during this time found new roles in politics and careers during this time period, and the stage for the modern American woman was set. We will wrap up the class by providing the context for women’s roles heading into the twenty-first century.