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The Magic Sash, Episode 1: "The Sash" Lesson Plan

Banner image saying The Magic Sash with an illustration of a black boy and white girl next to the title

This lesson plan accompanies Episode 1 of The Magic Sash podcast, produced through a partnership of the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission, National Park Service, public media organization PRX, and Gen-Z Media.

Guiding Question

How do people express their support for social and political issues or candidates?

Learning Objectives

  1. Students will identify and summarize the history of the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, one of the convention's organizers.
  2. Students will analyze information from text and audio podcast and draw conclusions from information.
  3. Students will support an argument or opinion with evidence drawn from the text and audio podcast.
  4. Students will create a poster that supports an issue or opinion using images and text to convey a message to a specific audience.

Meet the Main Characters

Aly Raisman American gymnast and captain of the U.S. Olympic gymnastics teams in 2012 and 2016.

Young Florence Born in 1838, she lives in Seneca Falls, New York. She helps her father post political posters for their favorite candidates.

Mr. Whitaker Young Florence's father.

Lotty and Isaiah Modern fifth-grade students in Mrs. Alvarez's class in Seneca Falls in 2020. Both students are assigned to prepare an oral presentation on the history of the women’s suffrage movement.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815–1902) Leader in the women's suffrage movement, she also promoted women's rights and the abolition of slavery. At the 1848 Seneca Falls convention, Stanton presented the "Declaration of Sentiments," a document modeled after the Declaration of Independence that outlined the goals of the women's suffrage and women's rights movement.

Listen to the Podcast

Listen to The Magic Sash, Episode 1: The Sash.

  • The Magic Sash, Episode One: "The Sash"


    As the adventure begins, Lotty and Isaiah are partnered up for a school project about the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. When they discover a suffragist’s sash in Lotty’s basement, it transports them all the way back to 1848, where they meet a very special girl named Florence.

    Credit / Author:
    PRX, WSCC, NPS, Gen-Z Media
    Date created:
    08/05/2020
    Audio Transcript

Find the Location

A map of the United States in 1850 showing the states and territories. It is color coded to show free states and slave states. Seneca Falls is marked with a star.

This map shows the United States in 1850, two years after the 1848 Women's Rights Convention. Notice that there are not 50 states as there are today. The different colors show which states allowed slavery and which states made slavery illegal. Use the map to complete the following activities:

  • Find the star on the map locating Seneca Falls, New York.
  • Count the total number of U.S. states found on the map.
  • Count the number of slave states and the number of free states. How do they compare?
  • Can you find any U.S. territories? Where are they located?
  • Is Seneca Falls in a free state or a slave state?

Background History

The Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 and Elizabeth Cady Stanton

A middle-aged white woman sitting with a young boy on either side of her. They are all dressed in old fashioned clothes.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton with two of her seven children.

Library of Congress

On July 19, 1848, more than 300 women and men met at the Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls to discuss "the social, civil, and religious condition and rights of women." Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Mary Ann M'Clintock, Jane Hunt, and Martha Coffin Wright organized this convention. Upstate New York was a center of reform at that time, leading the way for antislavery movements. Seneca Falls certainly was the place to hold a convention for women's rights.

The five women were happily surprised when they saw how many people had gathered. Elizabeth was nervous. She was 32 years old and had spoken publicly only once before. The Declaration of Sentiments expressed the rights women did not have: the right to own property, rights in marriage and divorce, and the right to vote. It was signed by 100 members of the audience, 68 women and 32 men.

The second day of the convention was filled with discussion. They agreed on 12 resolutions. The only resolution that received resistance was the one giving women the right to vote. Elizabeth argued that the vote was important for women if they were to take their place in the world.

A Black man wearing a suit jacket and a collared shirt.
Frederick Douglass, 1840s.

Chester County Historical Society, PA

Frederick Douglass, an abolitionist living in Rochester, New York, was present on the second day of the convention. Born enslaved, Douglass escaped as a young man. He spent the rest of his life speaking out against slavery and for equal rights for all people. Douglass gave a powerful speech at the convention that was credited with helping pass the Declaration of Sentiments resolution.

A group of bronze statues of men and women wearing nineteenth-century clothing.
Statues at Women’s Rights National Historical Park represent some of the people who attended the convention. At this park in Seneca Falls, New York, you can visit the home of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Wesleyan Chapel, and more.

Women’s Rights National Historical Park

Think About It

  1. Does Mr. Whitaker have a positive or negative opinion about the upcoming women's rights meeting at the Wesleyan Chapel? Why do you think he feels that way?
  2. What do you think Abigail Adams' letter to her husband and the 1848 Seneca Falls meeting for women's rights had in common? What kinds of rights for women were Abigail Adams and the organizers of the Seneca Falls meeting seeking?
  3. Why did Isaiah think Seneca Falls, New York, might not be a safe place for African Americans in 1848? What existed in the United States in 1848 that might have made Isaiah feel that way?

Activity

Make a poster to express your opinion.

At the beginning of this episode, young Florence Whitaker and her father are putting up posters to support Martin Van Buren for president in the 1848 election. Posters have been a way people throughout history have expressed their opinions, ideas, and support for issues and political candidates.

Think about an issue that is important to you that you would like to tell others about. Perhaps you want to encourage people to volunteer at a local pet shelter or explain why littering is harmful to the environment. What do you feel strongly about? Gather up some paper, pencils, crayons, paint, or markers and put your ideas on a poster. Some points to consider:

  • What is the issue you want to talk about?
  • Who do you want to see your poster? How will you design your poster to specifically reach your audience?
  • What message do you want to tell the people who see your poster?
  • Where would a good place be to display or present your poster?
  • What words or images will best express your opinion?

Places Associated with This Lesson

  • A three-story brick building with large windows along the front.
    Women's Rights NHP

    The park includes the Wesleyan Chapel and the Elizabeth Cady Stanton House.

  • A square, two-story, red brick building with white-trimmed windows
    Wesleyan Chapel

    The 1848 Women's Rights Convention was held in Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls, New York.

  • Two-story white house with green shutters and a covered front porch
    Elizabeth Cady Stanton House

    The home of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, one of the leaders of 1848 Seneca Falls Convention and the author of Declaration of Sentiments.

Tags

Women's Rights National Historical Park

Last updated: August 7, 2024