Lighting the Way: Historic Women of the SouthCoast expands the historical narrative by illuminating the influence and contributions of women from diverse backgrounds who were connected to the SouthCoast region. The profiles shared through this project have the potential to inspire young people, spark their imagination, and give them an entry point into historical research. Through these stories, learners of all ages can engage in historical thinking, perspective taking, connection making, and critical questioning. Below is a list of resources for educators, students and researchers who are interested in learning more about untold stories and the vibrant history of the SouthCoast.
Topic Areas Quick Links
> Local History, Local Women & Related Projects
> Local History of Black, Indigenous & People of Color
> Educator Resources for History Content & Pedagogy
> Related Teaching Standards & Frameworks
Local History, Local Women & Related Projects
Boston Women’s Heritage Trail
https://bwht.org/
From their website: For the past three decades, the Boston Women’s Heritage Trail (BWHT) has worked to restore women to their rightful place in the history of Boston and in the school curriculum by uncovering, chronicling, and disseminating information about the women who have made lasting contributions to the City of Boston.”
Commonwealth Museum
https://www.sec.state.ma.us/mus/index.html
From their website: The first public schools, the first battles for American independence, the first abolitionist newspaper, Massachusetts has always been a leader in the quest for equal rights and opportunities. The Commonwealth Museum brings the story to life with state of the art interactive exhibits.
Dartmouth Historical Society
https://www.dartmouthhas.org/index.html
From their website: The Dartmouth Historical & Arts Society’s mission is to support, promote, preserve, and disseminate the historic and cultural diversity of Dartmouth, Massachusetts. The DHAS will seek to collect significant objects and artifacts that document the material culture of Dartmouth. It will also nurture and sponsor visual, literary, and performance art in the community.
Digital Commonwealth: Massachusetts Collections Online
https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/
From their website: This site provides access to photographs, manuscripts, books, audio recordings, and other materials of historical interest that have been digitized and made available by members of Digital Commonwealth, a statewide consortium of libraries, museums, archives, and historical societies from across Massachusetts.
Extraordinary Women of the East Bay (RI)
https://sites.google.com/rwu.edu/exhibit-eastbay-women/welcome
From their website: Spanning more than three centuries of Rhode Island’s history, the Extraordinary Women of the East Bay Exhibition recognizes and celebrates women who have made a difference in their communities – Barrington, Bristol, Jamestown, Little Compton, Middletown, Newport, Portsmouth, Tiverton, and Warren.
Fall River Historical Society
https://lizzieborden.org/
From their website: Founded in 1921, Fall River Historical Society (FRHS), the oldest cultural institution in Fall River, Massachusetts, is an important resource for scholars, researchers, other museums and historical societies, and the local community. Dedicated to preserving the history of Fall River and sharing it with the public, we maintain significant collections of costumes and accessories, decorative arts, furniture, ephemera, photographs, paintings, drawings, sculpture, and manuscripts. We also have distinguished maritime and Fall River textile industry collections.
Fairhaven Historical Society
https://www.fairhavenhistory.org/
From their website: The Fairhaven Historical Society is a member-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the history of Fairhaven, Massachusetts for future generations.
Lighting the Way: Historic Women of the Southcoast
http://historicwomensouthcoast.org
New Bedford Whaling Museum’s project Lighting the Way: Historic Women of SouthCoast explores the historical impact of women from the region. Lighting the Way has unearthed over 100 remarkable stories of women’s callings that required grit, tenacity, and enduring commitment to their families, careers and communities. A walking trail and mobile app also provides an opportunity to look for place-based women’s history.
Maps of Native Land & Links to Local Tribes
https://native-land.ca/
From their website: Native Land Digital is a registered Canadian not-for-profit and a British Columbia Society; governed by an Indigenous Board of Directors and funding is provided by individual donors and supporters.
Map of our region: https://native-land.ca/maps/territories/wampanoag/
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe
https://mashpeewampanoagtribe-nsn.gov/
From their website: The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, also known as the People of the First Light, has inhabited present day Massachusetts and Eastern Rhode Island for more than 12,000 years. After an arduous process lasting more than three decades, the Mashpee Wampanoag were re-acknowledged as a federally recognized tribe in 2007.
Massachusetts History Alliance
https://masshistoryalliance.org/
From their website: The mission of the Massachusetts History Alliance and its annual conference is to support and advocate for all public history organizations and their work in Massachusetts by maximizing connections and cross-fertilization, and supporting skills development in the field of public history in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts Historical Society
https://www.masshist.org/
From their website: Founded in 1791, the Massachusetts Historical Society is an invaluable resource for American history, life, and culture. Its extraordinary collections tell the story of America through millions of rare and unique documents, artifacts, and irreplaceable national treasures.
Massachusetts Humanities Teacher Resources
http://masshumanities.org/teachers/
From their website: Mass Humanities mission is to lead and support programs using history, literature and other humanities disciplines to improve civic life in Massachusetts.
Mattapoisett Museum, Historical Society
https://www.mattapoisettmuseum.org/
From their website: The Mattapoisett Museum is dedicated to the preservation of significant artifacts from Mattapoisett’s past which demonstrate the life and culture of this old New England town.
The Museum of African American History
https://www.maah.org/
From their website: The Museum of African American History is New England’s largest museum dedicated to preserving, conserving and interpreting the contributions of African Americans. In Boston and Nantucket, the Museum has preserved two historic sites and two Black Heritage Trails® that tell the story of organized black communities from the Colonial Period through the 19th century.
New Bedford Historical Society
http://nbhistoricalsociety.org/
The New Bedford Historical Society Inc. was founded in October 1996 and awarded 501(c)(3) status in September 1999 as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to documenting and celebrating the history, legacy and presence of African Americans, Cape Verdeans, Native Americans, West Indians and other people of color in New Bedford, Massachusetts. We are an all-volunteer grassroots organization.
Organizing New Bedford: Women Who Mobilized Change
https://historicwomensouthcoast.org/things-to-do/organizing-new-bedford-women-who-mobilized-change/
Organizing New Bedford: Women Who Mobilized Change is a digital exhibit and mobile tour that explores the countless ways women have mobilized residents of “The City that Lit the World” to create positive change. Through stories, images, videos and supplemental resources, trace the history of these movements and the legacies of seven historic New Bedford women from Lighting the Way.
Pokanoket Nation Site
https://pokanokettribe.com/
From their website: The Pauquunaukit Wampanoag (anglicized as Pokanoket, literally, “land at the clearing” in Natick) is an indigenous group in present-day Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Prior to European colonization, the Pokanoket were the leadership of the tribal groups that make up the modern-day Wampanoag
The Pocasset Wampanoag of the Pokanoket Nation–Descendants of the Nemasket and Assawompsett
http://www.pocassetpokanoket.com/pocasset/
From their website: As Nutayunean (We Still Live Here). Descendants of the Algonquin Language Bands, The Pocasset Wampanoag Tribe is a member of the original Pokanoket Federation led by Grand Sachem Massasoit otherwise known as Ousamequin (Yellow Feather). The Pocasset Tribe encompassed present-day Tiverton, RI, and parts of Southeastern Massachusetts including Fall River, Freetown, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Westport, and Middleboro. The Pocasset Tribe was a first contact tribe headed by Chief Corbitant, father of Female Sachem Weetamoe, King Phillips’ Sister in Law. The Pocasset was one of the largest and most powerful tribes in the Pokanoket Federation.
Rochester Historical Society page on Plumb Library Site
https://www.plumblibrary.com/services/rochester-historical-society/
From their website: The Society was established in 1967 to promote the appreciation and understanding of the history of the Town of Rochester. The Rochester Historical Society extends a welcome to anyone interested in the history of the Town of Rochester, Massachusetts.
Sippican Historical Society
https://sippicanhistoricalsociety.org/
From their website: The Sippican Historical Society was founded in 1963 for the purpose of fostering interest in the history of Marion, encouraging historical research and writing, and establishing a museum to preserve and display artifacts, documents, and artwork pertaining to the town. The museum and society are housed in the historic Walton Nye Ellis house at the corner of Main and Front Streets in Marion.
Westport Historical Society
https://wpthistory.org/
From their website: The mission of the Westport Historical Society is to engage the public in the exploration of the town’s rich history and culture, to inspire a spirit of discovery through educational programs and encourage active participation in the preservation and interpretation of our past.
Women’s Suffrage Coalition of MA
www.Suffrage100ma.org
From their website: Suffrage100MA is dedicated to commemorating the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1920, prohibiting the federal and state governments from denying citizens the right to vote on the basis of sex.
Local History of Black, Indigenous & People of Color
New Bedford Historical Society
http://nbhistoricalsociety.org/
From their website: The New Bedford Historical Society Inc. was founded as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to documenting and celebrating the history, legacy and presence of African Americans, Cape Verdeans, Native Americans, West Indians and other people of color in New Bedford, Massachusetts. We are an all-volunteer grassroots organization.
The Museum of African American History
https://www.maah.org/
From their website: The Museum of African American History is New England’s largest museum dedicated to preserving, conserving and interpreting the contributions of African Americans. In Boston and Nantucket, the Museum has preserved two historic sites and two Black Heritage Trails® that tell the story of organized black communities from the Colonial Period through the 19th century.
Maps of Native Land & Links to Local Tribes
https://native-land.ca/
From their website: Native Land Digital is a registered Canadian not-for-profit and a British Columbia Society; governed by an Indigenous Board of Directors and funding is provided by individual donors and supporters.
Map of the SouthCoast region: https://native-land.ca/maps/territories/wampanoag/
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe
https://mashpeewampanoagtribe-nsn.gov/
From their website: The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, also known as the People of the First Light, has inhabited present day Massachusetts and Eastern Rhode Island for more than 12,000 years. After an arduous process lasting more than three decades, the Mashpee Wampanoag were re-acknowledged as a federally recognized tribe in 2007.
Pokanoket Nation Site
https://pokanokettribe.com/
From their website: The Pauquunaukit Wampanoag (anglicized as Pokanoket, literally, “land at the clearing” in Natick) is an indigenous group in present-day Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Prior to European colonization, the Pokanoket were the leadership of the tribal groups that make up the modern-day Wampanoag
The Pocasset Wampanoag of the Pokanoket Nation Descendants of the Nemasket and Assawompsett
http://www.pocassetpokanoket.com/
From their website: Descendants of the Algonquin Language Bands, The Pocasset Wampanoag Tribe is a member of the original Pokanoket Federation led by Grand Sachem Massasoit otherwise known as Ousamequin (Yellow Feather). The Pocasset Tribe encompassed present-day Tiverton, RI, and parts of Southeastern Massachusetts including Fall River, Freetown, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Westport, and Middleboro. The Pocasset Tribe was a first contact tribe headed by Chief Corbitant, father of Female Sachem Weetamoe, King Phillips’ Sister in Law. The Pocasset was one of the largest and most powerful tribes in the Pokanoket Federation.
Educator Resources for History Content & Pedagogy
Digital Public Library of America: Primary Source Sets & Artifacts
https://dp.la/
From their website: The Digital Public Library of America amplifies the value of libraries and cultural organizations as Americans’ most trusted sources of shared knowledge. We do this by collaborating with partners to accelerate innovative tools and ideas that empower and equip libraries to make information more accessible.
Facing History and Ourselves
https://www.facinghistory.org/
At Facing History and Ourselves, we believe the bigotry and hate that we witness today are the legacy of brutal injustices of the past. Facing our collective history and how it informs our attitudes and behaviors allows us to choose a world of equity and justice.
International Coalition of Sites of Conscience
https://www.sitesofconscience.org/en/home/
From their website: A Site of Conscience is a place of memory – such as a historic site, place-based museum or memorial – that prevents this erasure from happening in order to ensure a more just and humane future.
Library of Congress Themed Resources
https://loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/themes/
From their website: Created by teachers for teachers, these ready-to-use materials provide easy ways to incorporate the Library’s unparalleled primary sources into instruction.
Library of Congress Using Primary Sources
https://loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/
From their website: Primary sources are the raw materials of history — original documents and objects which were created at the time under study. They are different from secondary sources, accounts or interpretations of events created by someone without firsthand experience. Examining primary sources gives students a powerful sense of history and the complexity of the past. Helping students analyze primary sources can also guide them toward higher-order thinking and better critical thinking and analysis skills.
National Archives Educator Resources for Document Analysis
https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets
From their website: Document analysis is the first step in working with primary sources. Teach your students to think through primary source documents for contextual understanding and to extract information to make informed judgments.
National Park Service: Teaching with Historic Places, Women’s History Feature
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/teachingwithhistoricplaces/women-history-feature.htm
From their website: Teaching with Historic Places features lesson plans that consider important aspects of women’s history. Created by National Park Service interpreters, preservation professionals, and educators, these lessons are free and ready for immediate classroom use by students in history and social studies classes.
National Portrait Gallery: Reading Portraiture Guide for Educators
https://npg.si.edu/learn/classroom-resource/reading-portraiture-guide-educators
From their website: Here at the National Portrait Gallery, we use the visual clues found in our objects (painting, photography, drawing, and sculpture) to learn about the individual featured in the artwork.
National Women’s History Museum
https://www.womenshistory.org/
From their website: The National Women’s History Museum’s mission is to tell the stories of women who transformed our nation. We will do that through a growing state-of-the-art online presence and a future physical museum to educate, inspire, empower, shape the future, and provide a complete view of American history.
PBS: The Vote
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/vote/
From their website: Exploring how and why millions of 20th-century Americans mobilized for — and against — women’s suffrage, The Vote brings to life the unsung leaders of the movement and the deep controversies over gender roles and race that divided Americans then — and continue to dominate political discourse today. Two-part documentary.
Smithsonian American Art Museum: (SAAM) Using Art to Teach History and Language Arts grades 5-12
http://americanexperience.si.edu/
From their website: The American Experience in the Classroom is a resource that features artworks from the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s collection that bring to life selected key moments in our nation’s history, from the emergence of our nation to contemporary life.
Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access
https://learninglab.si.edu/collections/womens-history-in-america-highlights-collections/uEhPiV9koLUeYsHs#r
From their website: At the Smithsonian Learning Lab you can discover more than a million resources, create personal collections and educational experiences, and share your work.
Teaching History: National History Education Clearinghouse
https://teachinghistory.org/
From their website: Teachinghistory.org is designed to help K–12 history teachers access resources and materials to improve U.S. history education in the classroom. With funding from the U.S. Department of Education, the Center for History and New Media (CHNM) has created Teachinghistory.org with the goal of making history content, teaching strategies, resources, and research accessible.
Teaching Teaching Women’s Suffrage
hthttps://mass.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/teaching-womens-suffrage/tps://teachinghistory.org/
From their website: This collection of video clips, lesson plans, and primary sources details key figures, events, and regional movements of the decades-long fight to win the right to vote for women in the United States. Students will encounter activists including Sojourner Truth, Carrie Chapman Catt, and Grace Abbott, and examine key regional efforts within the movement. Primary source documents offer evidence for a study of the chronology of campaign for women’s suffrage, from the movement’s beginnings through the ratification of the 19th Amendment.
Unladylike2020 for Educators
https://mass.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/unladylike2020/
From their website: These digital resources present the rich history of 26 little-known Progressive Era women, diverse in profession, race, ethnicity, geographical and class backgrounds, sexual orientation and gender expression, who broke barriers in then-male-dominated fields such as science, business, journalism, exploration, and the arts. These resources develop students’ historical thinking skills and help them make connections between past and present.
Related Teaching Standards & Frameworks
Massachusetts 2018 History and Social Science Framework
http://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/hss/2018-12.pdf
Massachusetts 2017 English Language Arts and Literacy Framework
http://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/ela/2017-06.pdf
Teaching Tolerance Social Justice Standards
https://www.tolerance.org/frameworks/social-justice-standards