Picture Writing

Introduction

Women of American history should be taught in elementary schools. The stories of courageous, determined women are left out of typical fifth-grade texts. Children should know about Molly Pitcher, Juana Inez de la Cruz, Stagecoach Mary Fields, Molly Bannaky, Bessie Coleman, Maggie Gee, and Fannie Lou Hamer, as well as more recognizable names like Sacajawea, Harriet Tubman, Annie Oakley, Wilma Rudolph, and Eleanor Roosevelt. America's story is multicultural. It is the story of people from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. America's women had myriad points of view and aspirations. Women always played a role in our political culture, although it took decades for women to gain political equality with men. Correspondence between Abigail and John Adams gives us a flavor for the times when the Founding Fathers were framing our nation. Abigail wrote over two thousand letters to her husband. On March 31, 1776, she wrote, "And by the way in the new Code of Laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make I desire you would Remember the Ladies...." ¹ Her wishes were not taken seriously by her husband. He characterized her attitude as "saucy." It is this very characteristic that appeals to children. American history can be bland. I urge teachers to add the spicy stories of America's women as they teach American history.

I want kids to feel inspired, as I am, by the strength, nerve, and perseverance of American women. I get emotionally connected as I read about each one of them. The achievements behind their words compel me to listen. Many of the women I want to share with my students came from poverty, enslavement, and oppression. Their quality of character illuminates each story. They are examples from the past that can strengthen my students' present. My school's community is economically depressed. Most of my students speak a language other than English at home. Many struggle with reading comprehension. In working to break down barriers to understanding, I have found significant success using picture books. Images provide and support the gathering of background knowledge. The illustrations give context for the story. They scaffold meaning for English-language learners. Without pictures my street-smart city dwellers would be hard-pressed to imagine Stagecoach Mary Field's wild 1880s Montana. Equally unimaginable to them is Eleanor Roosevelt absorbing political knowhow as FDR's supportive wife among the elite of 1920s New York. Illustrations set the historic scene, color the emotions, and make the story accessible by bridging cultural, generational, and linguistic gaps. Women who made their mark on America encourage this generation to conquer their fears and follow their dreams.

While digging around for information on Harriet Tubman, I came across this mournful comment by James Baldwin in The Fire Next Time: "I have great respect for that unsung army of black men and women. ... I am proud of these people not because of their color, but because of their intelligence and their spiritual force and their beauty. The country should be proud of them, too, but, alas, not many people in this country even know of their existence." ² In many ways, times haven't changed since Baldwin made this comment in 1963. Not many people know about the remarkable men and women who took risks, stood up to stereotypical slights, and fought for their rights to the betterment of our nation. Women of the Civil Rights Movement, such as Diane Nash, Minnijean Brown-Trickey, and Myrlie Evers-Williams, should be household names. They represent a vital part of our history that simply isn't taught in public schools. For instance, in the 1950s and 60s people died for the right to vote, but since the story isn't broadly taught, only a muted outcry could be heard this summer when the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act. Senator John Lewis broke down in tears, yet few young people know who he is or have a clue that their own enfranchisement is threatened by state lawmakers who today would put restrictions on voting eligibility. Stories of the youth of the 1960s are powerful examples of the potential of politically active youth. It is our responsibility as teachers to bring out these stories in our classrooms as we teach civics, social studies, and history.

History textbooks drop the ball while telling the story of America. In California, fifth-grade students get a sketchy view of Native peoples, a robust description of explorers, and some idea of early European settlement life. Then much time is devoted to the Founding Fathers and the Declaration, the Revolution, and Constitution. The textbook History Alive! ³ does a respectable job introducing the Middle Passage and the causes of the Civil War, but slogs through details of battles, generals, and politics. Finally, modern American history gets short shrift. Brief mention is made of both World Wars and Viet Nam. In our history book, the Civil Rights Movement gets a half page of print under a photo of Martin Luther King. The textbook is written in third person by what Sam Wineburg, professor of history education at Stanford, calls a "corporate author who speaks from a position of transcendence, a position of knowing from on high." ⁴ Wineburg points out that textbook writers don't show primary sources, offer varying points of view, or tell children that historians actually argue over what a historical fact means. Textbook writers generalize. They condense the complex story of our nation into simplified chunks of time. Reading these texts, children learn about the founding fathers, battles, inventions, documents, and geography, but miss out on the personalities and the diversity of class, race, and gender. Moreover, textbooks gloss over significant numbers of people whose struggles and triumphs are the foundation of our present society. American history needs to be about "we, the people." It's time we told the story of the unsung army of people who built America.