The Ellis School
Susan Corbesero, Ph.D. (Chair, History Department; Mary H. Grant Endowed Chair in History) / Rick Malmstrom (U.S. History)
Susan Corbesero, PhD, Lead Teacher
Pittsburgh, PA | 11th Grade
" It was so rewarding to work with the students on this project. We had wonderfully engaging and rich conversations about their family histories and the connections with the larger topic of women’s suffrage in America. "
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FEATURED WORK
My Aunt & My Grandmother
By Alena Lateef
I have been told that my grandmother was more involved in Indian politics than other women during her time. In India, the act of voting was considered a big deal among women. It required finding another person to go with you, getting properly dressed, and riding in an auto-rickshaw to the booths. These tasks may sound menial in America, but in India, it required a lot of communal effort.
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My Great-Grandmother
By Jayce Sledge
That’s what’s so great because I never met her, but in her lifetime she was still advocating for me and the rest of the black women that would come in my family.
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Eliza & Lucy Kennedy Smith
By Maggie Ginter-Frankovich
Reading how Jane Addams fought for equality on all fronts, and how Eliza Kennedy Smith and her sister Lucy Kennedy Miller rallied the suffrage movement in Pittsburgh gave me deep appreciation for the vote.
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My Great-Grandmother
By Phoebe Brown
Like Victoria Woodhull, the first woman in my family to vote viewed partaking in the American democracy as an honorable duty. Maude Helmick, my maternal great-grandmother, passed down the value of voting to my grandmother, mother, and me.
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STUDENT WORK
My Grandmother
By Aniya AhktarWhen I wrote my grandmother's story, it seemed so dramatic, but that demonstrates the true struggle of the woman experience. The tireless work of these women make our vote today so important.
My Great-Great-Great-Grandmother
By Annie TrimburWhen I connected the powerful women in history to the women in my own family and saw the roles that they played in history, I saw what women went through to get to this place in society where we have as much of a say in the government as men do.
My Great-Grandmother
By Eliana BruemmerSuffragette Belva Ann Lockwood and my great-grandmother Marie Lohmann were both very inspiring women. In reflecting on my research on both of these women, I realized that they were both very determined and were both educated, although in different ways.
The Women in my Family
By Komal Preet KaurAs my mom and her three sisters grew up as immigrants at such a young age, they initially had some trouble assimilating to American culture, but eventually everything worked out and Pittsburgh became the place they truly called home.
Sally, My "American Grandmother"
By Antonia MeierWhen we are young we have to accept that other people make decisions for us. Voting to me is important because it really gives me a voice to express what is important to me and lets me take part in making decisions.
Mama Yeager
By Alexandra WoodIt all started when I visited the state capitol of Minnesota last Summer and discovered a statue of Jeannette Rankin. At first, I didn’t know who she was or what she had done, but my curiosity was lit.
My German Grandmother
By Ricarda HillIt was important for me to know my family history and my grandmother passed away in 2018, so it was touching to honor her memory. My only regret is not having known about her involvement and opinions during her lifetime, as I now know that politics were something she was passionate about.
Catherine Boylen
By Sierrah PaolinoMy grandmother is one of the many women in my life who has inspired me to do amazing things and next year when I get the chance to vote I will take her experience and advice and use it to make my own decision as I cast my vote for the first time.
My Great-Grandmother
By Lela KrackowEven though much is still unknown about my great-grandmother’s experience as a voter, the chance to explore the women in my past has succeeded in giving me a new appreciation for the expectations upon me that I will claim my right to vote, a right that I would not have had a century ago.
My Opah
By Mastura RitzI hope that women around the world, no matter what country they live in, are given an equal right to vote because they too makeup that country and should have a voice similar to men.
Lydia Chapin Taft
By Natalie GrafI plan to follow in these women’s footsteps, including my mother and grandmothers, by becoming an active member in my community and throughout society.