Unit Plan
Stanford University

Stanford History Education Group: Women in the 1950's

For Teachers 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] Were American housewives of the 1950's as happy as images depict them? This resource examines the women of the era closer to find out.
Primary
US National Archives

Eisenhower Presidential Library: Women in the 1950s

For Students 9th - 10th
Find links to primary sources in the Eisenhower Presidential Library that refer to women who were in federal service or political office during the Eisenhower administration.
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Us History: 1945 1980: Women in the 1950s

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the myths and realities of women's lives during the 1950s.
Article
Other

Constructing the Past: Shaping the American Women

For Students 9th - 10th
This article from a history periodical looks at advertising aimed at women in the 1950s. After refuting conclusions made in a study in the 1970s that claimed that women in the 1950s were little more than domestic workers in their home,...
Unit Plan
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: American Masters Collection: Lorraine Hansberry

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a collection of eight video lessons about Lorraine Hansberry and her famous play "Raisin in the Sun."
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "Who Is Katherine Johnson?" by Nasa

For Students 7th - 8th
CommonLit.org is a wonderful resource to use in a Language Arts classroom. Each story or article is accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. In addition, students can click on words to see...
Handout
Digital History

Digital History: Margaret Chase Smith: The Conscience of the Senate

For Students 9th - 10th
Margaret Chase Smith was the first woman elected to both houses of Congress. She was the first woman to enter the Senate without being appointed to the position. During World War II, she was the only civilian woman to go to sea in a Navy...
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Us History: 1945 1980: The Dark Side of Suburbia

For Students 9th - 10th
Some background information that sheds light on how suburbia wasn't paradise for everyone especially women and African Americans in the 1950s and 60s.
Graphic
Curated OER

Smithsonian Institution Archives: Marguerite Stagira Wilcox

For Students 9th - 10th
Botanist Marguerite Stagira Wilcox worked at the Bureau of Plant Industry, U.S. Department of Agriculture, from 1921 through the mid-1950s, where her research focused on fungus diseases of small fruit. She served as Secretary of the...