Susan B. Anthony Trial 

In 1872, fifty women had successfully registered to vote in Rochester, New York. Most were turned away at the ballot box, but fourteen women were successful. Susan B. Anthony was one of them. The arrest and trial that followed made history.

Grades: 5–8

A brief introduction to the Women's Suffrage movement and what led to the arrest of Susan B. Anthony, followed by the class reenacting Susan B. Anthony on Trial. 

Teachers assign student "actors" to reenact statements made during the trial. The judge will point to themes, arguments, and challenges made in the courtroom.

Teachers requesting this lesson must prepare students for the visit using materials provided (see below). The class will then reenact the trial with assigned "actors" reading from the provided script.

Objectives:

1. Students will identify and explain the three branches of government, with a focus on the judicial branch.
2. Students will identify and explain what the 19th Amendment is.
3. Students will analyze how women gained the right to vote.

Time: One class period (approximately 50 minutes)
Available in Spanish

After the visit, be sure to collect Feedback forms!

For Teachers | For Students | For Judges

"It was a wonderful experience.  The teacher and I met ahead of time to go over everything. I included some additional handouts and it was very interactive.  Several students stayed after the allotted time and asked more questions."

"The students signed in with their chrome book and headphones.  I had prepared a Power Point presentation that Mrs. Medina shared with the class while I spoke.  I had no problem getting them to actively participate.  The one advice is that the presenter really needs to sign in twice on two different devices in order to see what the class is seeing on the shared screen and then to see all of the participants."