Civil Rights 4

You Forgot Your Skirt, Amelia Bloomer

Written by Shana Corey

Illustrated by Chesley McLaren

"Amelia Bloomer was NOT a proper lady," trumpets the text, which tells how to recognize 19th-century women of propriety: "Their dresses were so long that... their skirts swept up all the mud and trash from the street. What was proper about that?" 

 Amelia thought proper ladies were silly. She thought it was silly that ladies could not work! So she started her own newspaper. She thought it was even sillier that ladies had to wear big, heavy dresses. So she did something about it! Amelia is inspired by suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton's cousin, Libby Miller, who has the good sense to wear a knee-length skirt over baggy, gathered pants. Amelia pronounces the outfit "Brilliant!" and publicizes it in the women's newspaper that she edits. Fans and foes alike name the new look after her.

Additional Resources for Classroom Use:

-Scholastic.com extension activity: Fashion Heavyweights
In the 1800s, women wore clothing that weighed between 20 and 40 pounds. Let your students experience how difficult it was to move carrying all that weight. Place a large book-bag on a bathroom scale. Let students take turns adding books, one at a time, until the scale reads 20 pounds. Give each child an opportunity to lift the bag and walk around the classroom. Ask them to imagine wearing all that weight every day! Ask: How much do you think pants and a shirt weigh? Take out a child’s shirt and pants (bring them to school in advance), and place them on the scale. Compare the weight of the pants and shirt to the weight of women’s clothing in the 1800s.

-Women Who Changed History (read about other women who have made a difference)