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1977 - 2001 End of the Twentieth Century Key Ideas:
1. Women contributed to the conservative movement (and resistance to it) in the 1980s as well as the resurgence of progressive politics in the 1990s.
2. Greater access to information and technology changed the daily lives of women from many different backgrounds.
3. The gains of the 1970s feminist movement allowed women greater access to opportunities in education, politics, and the workplace, although these opportunities were different for women of diverse backgrounds.
4. The experiences of women in this period varied widely based on race, class, age, gender identity, and geographic region.
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1948 – 1977 Growth and Turmoil Key Ideas
1. The federal government and popular culture sought to promote the
superiority of democracy over communism by celebrating the suburban
family, which was held together by the American housewife. This
middle-class ideal, however, excluded most Americans.
2. Ongoing racism and segregation led to a wave of civil rights
activism, including and extending far beyond the African American
community. Women played a significant role in leading this work.
3. The Vietnam War provided women with new opportunities for service
and activism. Women were vocal participants in both the pro- and
anti-war movements.
4. The activism of the 1960s was a major catalyst in the growth of
the women’s liberation movement. Feminists from diverse backgrounds
fought for equality, but they did not always agree on the best way to
achieve it.
5. Not all American women supported gender equality and progressive feminist ideals."
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1920 – 1948 Confidence and Crises Key Ideas
1. Major social, economic, and political shifts in this period forced Americans to once again question what it meant to be an American.
2. Women of all backgrounds continued to feel the tension between traditional expectations of domesticity and expanding opportunities in work, education, social interaction, and politics.
3. After the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, women activists lacked a unifying issue. Instead, they focused on an increasingly diverse array of social and political issues.
4. Although women’s experiences varied depending on age, race, ethnicity, geography, and economic status, women across all these categories actively contributed to reform and activated their citizenship in creative ways throughout the era.
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1889 – 1920 Modernizing America This unit is broken into four sections: Modern Womanhood, Fighting for Social Reform, Woman Suffrage, and Xenophobia and Racism. Each section includes primary source materials and life stories that bring that aspect of the era to life. The sections are not mutually exclusive and intentionally overlap. America at the turn of the century was chaotic. Social reformers debated suffrage. College-educated women promoted racist, nativist policies. Young immigrants juggled long work hours with voluntary political activism. Housewives fought for influence outside the home while vehemently defending their role as the nation’s caretakers. Modernizing America truly comes to life when materials from multiple sections are examined together.
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1866 - 1904 Industry and Empire Industry and Empire, 1866–1904 is divided into three sections that allow you to consider the many ways in which women contributed to and were influenced by societal changes during this time. Labor and Industry explores how women of different races, classes, and national origins were influenced by industrialization and urbanization. Expansion and Empire considers the effects of westward expansion and American imperialism on Indigenous women and settlers. Fighting for Equality focuses on the contributions of women to end inequalities in American society.
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1832 - 1877 A Nation Divided A Nation Divided, 1832–1877 provides resources to allow you to easily discover and teach the history of the Civil War—from the early formation of abolitionist groups to the end of Reconstruction—through the lens of women’s history. The unit contains three sections: Antebellum, which examines the activities of women in the United States from 1832 through the eve of the war; Civil War, which covers the activities of women in the Union, Confederacy, border states, and territories; and Reconstruction, which focuses on how women responded to and were affected by the major social and political changes that swept the nation after the war ended.
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1820 - 1869 Expansions and Inequalities In most histories of the United States, the mid-19th century is dominated by the narrative of the Civil War. . .These decades also proved to be a critical period in the history of American womanhood. . . Expansions and Inequalities, 1830–1869, provides resources to allow you to explore the complicated and fascinating history of this period. The unit contains three sections: Westward Expansion, Industry and Immigration, and Politics and Society. The questions surrounding slavery and freedom as well as the events of the Civil War and Reconstruction appear throughout, but you’ll find a more thorough examination of all these topics in A Nation Divided: 1832–1877.
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1776 - 1831 Building a New Nation 1820 - 1869 Expansions and Inequalities Building a New Nation, 1776–1831 provides resources to allow you to easily explore all the ways women contributed to [what became the U.S. during] the Federal period. The unit contains three sections: Navigating the New Government, which explores women’s relationships with the new federal and state governments; “American” Woman, which covers the ways women contributed to the formation of a uniquely American identity; and Early Expansion, which focuses on how women responded to and were affected by the major social and political changes of the United States’s geographic expansion."
