Smithsonian's History Explorer Resources Related To "Reading Mama Went to Jail for the Vote"

The Voting Machine and Election Reform

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 14:05:55 GMT

This object-based learning activity revolves around an 1898 Standard Voting Machine, the fight against voting fraud and the extension of voting rights in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Students will learn how voting technology was used to democratize the voting process in the United States. After exploring the Voting Machine and its importance as a source of historical information, students will visit the forum section of the site to hear NMAH curators and historians discuss the object and then use what they have learned to complete the Virtual Exhibit Activity.

This resource is included in The Object of History, a cooperative project between the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and George Mason University's Center for History and New Media.

Treasures of American History: National Challenges

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 14:56:27 GMT

In this section of the online exhibition Treasures of American History, students will learn that by understanding the challenges of the past, they can draw lessons and inspiration for confronting new challenges in the present and future. The topics discussed in this section are: the American Revolution; slavery; westward expansion; the Civil War, women's suffrage, the Great Depression and World War II, the Civil Rights movement and AIDS. A Spanish version of the exhibition is available on the exhibition's homepage.

Vote: The Machinery of Democracy Homepage

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 16:09:00 GMT

In this online exhibition, students will explore the history of voting methods in the United States, study how ballots and voting systems have evolved over the years as a response to political, social, and technological change, transforming the ways in which Americans vote. The exhibit includes sections on paper ballots, reform, the gear & lever voting machine, Florida 2000, and present and future ballots.

Reading Martin’s Big Words

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 13:18:46 GMT

Martin's Big Words is an illustrated biography of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Included in an OurStory module entitled Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Nonviolence, this activity includes strategies that will help adults and children actively read Martin's Big Words together. OurStory is a series of modules designed by the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History to help children and adults enjoy exploring history together through the use of children's literature, everyday objects, and hands-on activities.

Winning the Vote for Women

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 13:50:48 GMT

For more than a century, women in the United States struggled to obtain the right to vote. In 1920, the suffrage movement finally achieved victory with the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution. By using this OurStory module, children and adults can enjoy exploring the history of the women's suffrage movement and women's role in civic life today. Focused on actively reading Mama Went to Jail for the Vote, a historical fiction picture book about the women's suffrage movement, this module also includes links to a hands-on activity, field trip, object-based learning experience, and technology exploration.

Meet Your Local League

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 15:16:18 GMT

Take a trip or conduct a phone interview with a member of the League of Women Voters. The League of Women Voters was created in 1920 to help organize women voters and encourage their active participation in civic life. Part of an OurStory module entitled Winning the Vote for Women, this activity includes recommendations for learning about and contacting a local chapter of the League of Women Voters, along with suggested discussion questions for either a trip to a meeting or a phone interview with a local member of the League. OurStory is designed to help children and adults enjoy exploring history together through the use of children's literature, everyday objects, and hands-on activities.