Marching with Aunt Susan: Susan B. Anthony and the Fight for Women's Suffrage by Claire Rudolf Murphy

Title: Marching with Aunt Susan: Susan B. Anthony 

and the Fight for Women's Suffrage 

Author: Claire Rudolf Murphy

Illustrated by: Stacey Schuett

Reading Level: Grades 3-4

Publisher: Peachtree Publishers

Interested in finding out more about Marching with Aunt Susan: Susan B. Anthony 

and the Fight for Women's Suffrage, 

purchase it HERE!

Click here for additional resources! 

Summary: 

Bessie is a young girl that wants to be treated as an equal to the boys in her family and entitled to the same privileges. Instead, she is constantly reminded of the divide between men and women. The distinction that women need more rights becomes evident to her and confirmed when she attends a suffrage tea. She quickly learns that women need the right to vote and have their voices be heard. Aunt Susan inspires Bessie to become apart of the women’s rights movement. She learns by partaking in social movements that change is possible. She also learns that change can be big and at times small like being able to go hiking with her father and brothers. 

Element #4: Social Movement and Social Change: 

Marching with Aunt Susan: Susan B. Anthony and the Fight for Women’s Suffrage is a compelling story that shares the struggles women faced to reach equality within society. Bessie learns that people must stand up for what they believe in even if change is not immediate. Change can be big or small, but the act of standing firm in what one believes in is crucial and can result in change at a later time. This book is a perfect representation of Element #4: Social Movement and Social Change because it  showcases how to engage in a social movement and how social change occurs/cannot occur even when it is greatly desired.

Implementation into the Classroom:

This children's book is ideal when discussing past and current social movements/social changes. Marching with Aunt Susan: Susan B. Anthony and the Fight for Women’s Suffrage shares a story when women were treated as minorities within society and this is a powerful message to convey in the classroom. This book brings awareness to the women's suffrage movement and how young students can become involved in social movements/changes that are meaningful to them. This discussion can also lead to current social movements that resonate with the children and how they can act upon it as a class to create social change. Essentially, this book models how to create social change and how they must have courage to stand for what they believe in--regardless of their age!