Lesson Plan - History Makers: Mabel Ping-Hua Lee

Watch a Video
Watch the video “The Struggle for Women’s Rights” and ask: What were some of the important victories in women’s fight for equality?

Preview Words to Know
Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.

• suffrage
• discrimination

Set a Purpose for Reading
As students read, have them think about the qualities that helped Lee succeed.

1. What was the Chinese Exclusion Act, and why were Mabel Ping-Hua Lee’s parents exceptions?
The Chinese Exclusion Act was an 1882 law that banned nearly all Chinese immigrants from entering the U.S. Mabel Ping-Hua Lee’s parents were exceptions to the law because of their jobs. The article notes, “Her father was a missionary at a church in New York City’s Chinatown neighborhood. Lee’s mother was a teacher.”
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2. Why did Lee believe it was important for women and immigrants to have suffrage?
The article explains that Lee believed it was important for immigrants to have suffrage because “voting would give them a say in the issues that affected them.” She also “thought it was unfair that women did not have the same rights that men had.”
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3. What are two facts you can learn from the illustrations in the sidebar, “Let Us Vote!”?
Sample response: One fact you can learn from the sidebar illustrations is that in the 1912 New York City suffrage parade, many women dressed in white and wore red or blue sashes. Another fact you can learn is that many marchers carried signs with slogans like “Votes for Women.”
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FEATURED SKILL: Text Features
Distribute the skill builder “Marching for Change” and explain that it is an excerpt from a real news story that appeared after the New York City parade that Lee helped organize. After students complete the activity, discuss how the writing in the 1912 article compares with newswriting of today.
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