NY Social Studies 11.4b
The Standard
The 14th and 15th amendments failed to address the rights of women.
New York State K–12 Social Studies Framework
Key Idea 11.4
POST-CIVIL WAR ERA (1865 – 1900): Reconstruction resulted in political reunion and expanded constitutional rights. However, those rights were undermined, and issues of inequality continued for African Americans, women, Native Americans, Mexican Americans, and Chinese immigrants.
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students read key clauses from both amendments and identify which rights were protected and which were left open to sex discrimination. They connect those limits to Susan B. Anthony’s arguments, organizing, and voting trial.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain how the word “male” in the 14th Amendment affected the suffrage debate. They can show why the 15th Amendment barred racial voting discrimination but did not bar sex discrimination.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think the 15th Amendment gave every citizen the vote or that the 14th Amendment gave women no rights at all. They may also credit Susan B. Anthony alone for winning women’s suffrage or assume property laws were the same nationwide.
How to Assess It
- Give students short excerpts from both amendments. Ask: “What voting protection did each amendment provide, and what discrimination against women remained legal?”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Have students sort amendment clauses, property laws, and Anthony’s actions into three groups: rights gained, rights denied, and rights challenged.
Ask students to write whether citizenship without guaranteed voting rights counted as equal citizenship, using one amendment clause as evidence.
Run a claim-check game where teams label statements accurate or inaccurate, then correct claims about citizenship, voting, property, and Susan B. Anthony.
Compare a modern voter registration form with the amendment excerpts, then list which eligibility rules and protections are stated in each source.
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