Ragtime - Shaw Festival Theatre

Turn of the century feminism was an important
movement for social change. At this time, the feminist
movement was focused on women’s suffrage, securing
the right for women to vote and run for office.
At the same time in history, the fantasy of the “Gibson
Girl” (a stylish, independent woman) is created by
magazine illustrator Charles Dana Gibson (Ragtime’s
real life character, Evelyn Nesbit is the original Gibson
Girl). In reality, most women in 1900 are still very
dependent upon men. Many women hope to “marry
Feminist Suffrage Parade. NYC, May 6, 1912 well” in order to better their lives, yet some women
choose careers instead of husbands. Not an easy decision as many high-paying careers were closed
to women at this time.
ACTIVITIES
RESEARCH: What kinds of jobs did women typically hold in 1900? What roles did women have at
home, at work, and in society in 1900? What groups in society benefited from denying women the
right to own property, belong to a union, or vote? When did women gain the right to vote in Canada?
Are you surprised by the answer?
What rights have women achieved by 1900? What rights will women still have to fight for? Make a
class list. What rights do women still have to fight for today?
Write a monologue or dialogue contrasting the life of a nurse, teacher, factory worker, or secretary
around 1900 with the life of a woman in that job today. Have students do an oral presentation of
their work to the class.
IMMIGRATION
Immigrants land in New York at Ellis Island, where people are sorted, re-named, detained and even
sent home if they are old or ill. The frustrations of poverty and illness greet and overwhelm many
newcomers who struggle just to survive in a country that they believed was the answer to their
prayers.
- Half a million immigrants arrive during 1900, part of the largest wave of immigration in American
history.
- Nearly one-third of these immigrants return home.
- Millions of people move west looking for a better life and many immigrants become workers in
America’s industrial revolution. They work 12-16 hours a day, 6 days a week, for as little as $1.35 a
day. Thousands of people each year are maimed by machines, burned by molten steel, or buried by
coal mine explosions.
- America runs on coal. Fuel companies recruit workers from Europe, paying their way to America in
exchange for work in the coal mines. There are no federal mine regulations and few state laws to protect
workers and their families.
SOURCE: http://pbskids.org/bigapplehistory/immigration/topic7.html
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C ONNECTIONS
Shaw Festival Study Guide