Chapter 7: Forging a National Republic, 1776-1789





The following activities accompany the Legacy for a People and a Nation on "Women's Education" in Chapter 7. Refer to page 193 of Norton, A People and a Nation, Sixth Edition for the complete text of this Legacy. There are three parts to this web page: Questions to Consider, Investigation, and Further Exploration.



Questions to Consider
1. Why does the government support higher education?

2. Is American society the only society that seeks, or has sought, to educate women so that they can better train their children?

3. Have women achieved equality in education? Is Title IX, which enforces equal opportunity in college athletics, important to improving educational opportunities for women?

4. Do we still have a need for women's colleges in the 21st century? How has the role of women's colleges changed, if any?

5. Has the opportunity for education (and the dramatic increase in the number of degrees earned by women) reduced or revealed divisions in gender roles in American society?


Investigation
The Five College Archives Digital Access Project gives researchers and students access to oral histories, photographs, diaries, and more for five northeastern colleges. You may search by individual institution or search the entire collection. 1) Search on women in the workforce to learn about comparative statistics to other nations; 2) read four oral histories from the graduating class of 1919 (two men and two women) and discover differences in their respective educational requirements; 3) read several diaries, including an account of travels abroad; and 4) follow internal university accounts on discrimination against women such as those regarding Title IX.

After working with this material, write a brief essay assessing the similarities and differences between women's education in the early and late 20th century.



Further Exploration
1. Click here for a listing of Women’s Colleges on Lycos.

2. Read a 1995 government report on The Educational Progress of Women by the National Center for Education Statistics

3. Visit the Women’s College Coalition which lobbies for separate-sex education for women and represents approximately 80 women’s colleges in the United States and Canada. Review arguments for single-sex education and read a short history of women’s colleges in North America.