For Women’s History Month, Annenberg Classroom, a project of the Leonore Annenberg Institute for Civics at the Annenberg Public Policy Center, offers four films this March in partnership with The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands.
- “The 19th Amendment: A Woman’s Right to Vote”: Voting is the most basic right of a citizen, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says in this documentary, and the most important right in a democracy. When you vote, you are choosing the people who will make the laws. For almost a century and a half of our nation’s history, women were barred from exercising this fundamental right. This 25-minute film explores their long, difficult struggle to win the right to vote. It’s about citizenship, the power of the vote, and why women had to change the Constitution with the 19th Amendment to get the vote.
- “A Call to Act: Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.”: Lilly Ledbetter just wanted to make tires at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. Then she learned she was being paid less than a male colleague. This 23-minute documentary tells the story of Ledbetter’s battle to win equal pay for equal work. Although she lost her case at the Supreme Court, she didn’t give up and urged Congress to pass legislation to address the issue. Congress eventually passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009.
- “A Conversation on the Constitution: Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.”: In this 9-minute film, Justice Stephen G. Breyer and a group of high school students discuss separation of powers and the three branches of government in connection with the pay discrimination case Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., which led to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
- “A Conversation on the Constitution: The 14th Amendment”: Incorporating three integral constitutional tenets – due process, equal protection, and privileges and immunities – the 14th Amendment was originally intended to secure rights for former slaves. But over the years, it has been expanded to protect all people. In this 42-minute film, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg discusses with students the importance of the 14th Amendment and how it came to embody and protect the principle of “We the People.”
Annenberg Classroom provides a free comprehensive multimedia curriculum for teaching the Constitution to middle and high school students and learners of all ages that includes films, games, lesson plans, timelines, books, and the Annenberg Guide to the Constitution: What It Says, What It Means.
The Civics Renewal Network, another project of the Leonore Annenberg Institute for Civics at the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, is an alliance of 37 nonprofit, nonpartisan organizations committed to improving civics education in the nation. Additional free online resources for Women’s History Month from the partner organizations can be found here.
