Celebrate Law Day | Learn About the Women’s Suffrage Centennial
May 1st of each year is Law Day which is both a celebration and an educational opportunity to learn about the crucial role of the rule of law and the legal process in protecting the freedoms that all Americans share. In 2020, many local celebrations have been postponed due to the current health emergency. Law Day still offers educational opportunities for both people working from home and students doing online school. The 2020 Law Day theme is Your Vote, Your Voice, Our Democracy: The 19 Amendment at 100. The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, granting the right to vote to American women, was ratified in 1920 and many groups are celebrating while educating. We have included below a list of resources with online exhibits, videos, image galleries, biographies and lesson plans on the 19th amendment and the fight for voting rights by minority groups.
On Thursday, April 30, 12:30 PM-1:30 PM PST the Law Library of Congress, along with the American Bar Association, will celebrate the centennial of the 19th Amendment during a free online program titled Social Movement Changing America: The Legacies of the 19th Amendment. Registration is required for the event but it is free and open to the public. The Library is also holding an exhibition titled Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote celebrating the ratification of the 19th Amendment which can be explored on their website. Another online exhibit is hosted by the National Archives Museum titled Rightfully Hers — American Women and the Vote. Additional exhibits and programs (many of which have been postponed due to the current health emergency) can be found at the 2020 Women’s Vote Centennial Initiative.
19th Amendment Lesson Plans and Links
American Bar Association Law Day — lesson plans, image gallery, timeline, biographies and more
US Courts — lesson plans, video links
2020 Women’s Vote Centennial Initiative — Centennial Learning Center
Open Educational Resources (OER) Commons — Washington — 19th Amendment Centennial — Women’s Suffrage — videos from the Washington State Women’s Commission
League of Women Voters of Washington — Centennial information including reading lists and a timeline
Washington State Historical Society — Women’s Suffrage Curriculum
Washington Votes for Women Centennial (Washington State Historical Society and Washington State Women’s Commission) — curriculum
Civics Renewal Network — Resources for Teaching the 19th Amendment
National Park Service — African American Women and the Nineteenth Amendment
Voting Lesson Plans and Links
Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction — Social Studies Resources — #FutureVoter resources
Open Educational Resources (OER) Commons — Elections and Voting Teacher Resources
Teach with TVW: Voting in Washington
Center for Civic Education — lesson plans on voting and women’s history
Anti-Defamation League’s Voting Rights Then and Now — lesson plan on understanding the difference between the right to vote and the ability to vote
League of Women Voters of Bellingham/Whatcom County — Find out more: Who got the vote? Who fought for the vote?
Library of Congress — Voting rights for women, Native Americans and African Americans (WB)
