Picture it: two classrooms, side-by-side. One for girls, the other for boys. Each learning totally different versions of U.S. history. That was my first thought when I heard that two teachers from my school were trying to make U.S. Women’s History part of the AP curriculum. But would that really be the case?

Background

Throughout history, women have been prohibited from everything from holding office to voting, working, and even expressing political opinions. This relegation spills into the curriculums of history courses. Students learn about John Adams, but not his wife, Abigail, who urged him to consider women when helping draft the constitution because she could not do so herself. Without her story, is our understanding of the nation’s founding document complete?

These sorts of omissions bothered teachers Serene Williams and Kristin Kelly, who realized they shared a goal: creating a history course that foregrounded women’s contributions to our country’s history.

A Vision for the Future

While I was initially concerned that a course that only focused on women’s history might send a message that we are not an integral part of the APUSH curriculum, my mind changed when I went to one of the informational meetings hosted by Ms. Williams and Ms. Kelly.

They explained their vision for the course: one that kept the content of APUSH while focusing closely on the contributions of women. It would not focus only on women but would instead seek to better highlight their impact.

As they spoke, I thought of the sixteen individuals currently listed as required knowledge on the APUSH course. Only one of them – Jane Addams – is a woman. Something was clearly missing.

Education is a form of action. An AP U.S. Women’s History course is a positive step toward a more comprehensive understanding of our nation’s history.

Check out the full story here: Two teachers are working to create AP U.S. Women’s History