GIRL SCOUT RANGER

19th Amendment

Centennial Program
Girl Scouts hiking in the woods. (Photo courtesy of the NPS.)

A Girl Scout troop poses for a photo on a winter hike at 

Rocky Mountain National Park. (Photo courtesy of the NPS.)

Girl Scouts is a registered trademark of Girl Scouts of the USA, 

as is the Trefoil logo and other names and marks.
19th Amendment Centennial Patch Program 1

GIRL SCOUT RANGER

19th Amendment

Centennial Patch Program

The Girl Scout Ranger program invites Girl Scouts to participate in projects at national 

park sites to spark their awareness of the national parks and Girl Scouting; to provide 

them with the opportunity to learn more about protecting our natural and cultural resources; 

and to promote their exploration of natural and cultural resources, environmental science, 

and conservation careers.

Through the Girl Scout program model, girls Discover, Connect, and Take Action. As a result 

of cooperative and experiential learning, girls acquire skills that build courage, confidence, 

and character.

In 2020, for the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gained 

some women access to the vote, we will celebrate the advances for women that came about 

from the suffrage movement—and the key historical figures that led the movement. While 

the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution was a significant step for women’s civil rights in 

our country, there were still many women who were discriminated against and denied equal 

rights.1

 As the nation commemorates the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th 

Amendment, the NPS will explore the complex history and its legacy at the places where it 

Girl Scout Rangers at New River Gorge National River. (Photo courtesy of the NPS.)
2 GIRL SCOUT RANGER

happened. From the young, immigrant women who worked the textile mills at Lowell National 

Historical Park,2 to the female shipyard workers at Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front 

National Historical Park,3 to the women who work to protect and preserve national parks, 

women’s history can be found at every park. The Girl Scout Ranger program encourages girls 

to learn more about the full history of women’s suffrage and the 19th Amendment. They are 

encouraged to think about their own role in the world they live in today because of advances 

made in the past. Participants will receive a limited-edition commemorative patch.

This program aligns with the existing Girl Scout national program model and recognizes the 

Girl Scout handbooks and earned age-level awards, which include extensive civic engagement 

and history components and an emphasis on volunteering and serving communities near and 

distant from national parks.

The patch program:

2 Exposes girls to the rich social history that is found in our national parks in a thoughtful, 

and interactive way.

2 Gives NPS professionals and Girl Scouts and their adult volunteers a fun and educational 

way to become more familiar with NPS sites so that both groups understand the benefits 

that come from working collaboratively.

2 Encourages leaders and girls to go to environmental and history experts when they are 

seeking opportunities to work toward earning badges, Take ActionTM projects, and the Girl 

Scout Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards.

19th Amendment Girl Scout Ranger limited edition patch.
19th Amendment Centennial Patch Program 3

GIRL SCOUT RANGER

19th Amendment Centennial Patch

Women in America fought for 

suffrage—the right to vote—for 

more than a century. Organized efforts 

to demand the vote began in 1848 at the 

Seneca Falls Convention in New York. 

On August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment 

became part of the US Constitution, 

and the right to vote in the United States 

could no longer be denied on the basis of 

sex. The suffrage movement faced many 

struggles often related to race and class. 

The movement was by no means settled 

with the passage of the 19th Amendment, 

which did not ensure equal access for all 

women, including African Americans, 

Native Americans, and Chinese 

immigrants. The fight for women’s 

suffrage was eventually successful, yet it was complex 

and interwoven with issues of civil and political rights 

for all Americans. See “Who Was Excluded?: Women’s 

Suffrage”1

 for more information.

As the nation commemorates the 100th anniversary 

of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the NPS will 

explore the complex history and its legacy at the places where it happened. Women’s history 

can be found at every park. If you want to understand our nation’s history, come explore the 

remarkable legacies of American women at NPS sites.

Girl Scout Rangers take the pledge.

(Photo courtesy of the NPS.)

Links to resources 

referenced in the text 

can be found at the 

back of the booklet.
4 GIRL SCOUT RANGER

A Note for Adult Leaders:

Ask the girls to think about activities that interest them. NPS park websites 

describe the public interpretive and educational programs, along with 

various volunteer opportunities. Think about how these can enhance 

girls’ JourneysTM or meet badge requirements. Make a list of ideas for 

possible activities. The 

historic centennial in 2020 

offers an opportunity to 

commemorate a milestone 

of democracy and to 

explore its relevance 

to the issues of civic 

engagement and equal 

rights today. As part of 

the Girl Scout Ranger 

Program, Girl Scouts can 

receive a limited-edition 

commemorative patch 

for their participation in 

activities that will enhance 

their understanding of the 

significance of the 19th 

Amendment.

For Girl Scouts: Get started!

Choose your site. With the help of an adult, search https://www.nps.gov to find parks 

by state or to search on a map. If you are not near a national park, you can visit a National 

Heritage Area (NHA), a National Historic Landmark (NHL), or a property listed on the 

National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).4 Please first make sure the one you choose to 

visit is open to the public! Some NHL and NRHP places are privately owned. You can also try 

a museum or historical society in your community. If you are not able to visit, take a look at 

the park or historic site’s webpage. These are often full of photos, videos, history, and other 

educational resources. Many also have Facebook and Instagram accounts. Another great 

source of information is the NPS women’s history webpages.5

Girl Scout Rangers work together at New River Gorge

National River. (Photo courtesy of the NPS.)
19th Amendment Centennial Patch Program 5

Find out who was there.

Once you’ve selected your site, complete one or more of the following to find answers to the 

questions below:

2 With help from an adult, research the site’s web page.

2 Visit the site and take a tour or attend a ranger-led program, if applicable.

2 Look for books or trusted websites that explain the history commemorated at the site.

Consider the following questions:

2 Who were the women/girls who lived or worked here?

2 What was life like for women/girls at the time?

2 Did they have any rights? (Could they work? Obtain an education? Own property? Manage 

their wages? Did they have rights to their own children?)

2 What were their biggest concerns?

Girl Scouts attend a National Park Service educational program. (Photo courtesy of the NPS.)
6 GIRL SCOUT RANGER

2 Were the women who lived/worked here different from other women at this time? Were 

they free or enslaved? Were they wealthy or poor? Did they practice a religion? Were they 

mothers?

2 Did the women who lived/worked at this site belong to any groups or reform movements?

2 Did they have the right to vote yet? Would/did having the right to vote help them improve 

their lives?

2 How have things changed for women since the time these women lived/worked here?

2 What contributions are women making today to help protect and preserve this site?

Taking what you know about women’s lives at this place:

2 Do any of the same issues still exist?

2 If so, what is being done (and by whom) to change things today?

2 Do they use any of the same strategies today that suffragists did 100 years ago?
19th Amendment Centennial Patch Program 7

Activities

Choose from the following activity options to earn your patch! Or, if you have an idea of 

your own, contact the park to coordinate. Call ahead—some parks may have their own 

centennial activities you can do.

Color a Suffrage Cat!

Did you know that the cat was a 

symbol of the women’s suffrage 

movement?6 In April of 1916, 

suffragists Nell Richardson and Alice 

Burke started a cross-country road 

trip. Setting out from New York City, 

these two women stopped in cities 

and towns across America to talk 

about the importance of women’s 

suffrage. Along the way, the women 

adopted a cat that became their 

unofficial mascot. The cat became a 

symbol of suffrage!

Suffrage Cat is part of the National Park Service’s 2020 

commemoration of the 19th Amendment, marking the 

centennial (100th anniversary) of its passage.7

 It was 

an important addition to our constitution because it 

recognized women’s voting rights. Suffrage means the 

right to vote in political elections.

Find a new adventure with Suffrage Cat! Print this feline and add your own artistic touch 

with crayons, markers, or other fun decorations.7 Take your new friend to visit a national park 

or a national historic site. Get a picture of you and your new buddy.

Suffrage Cat. (Photo courtesy of the NPS.)

Links to resources 

referenced in the text 

can be found at the 

back of the booklet.
8 GIRL SCOUT RANGER

Make a Suffrage Star!

With help from an adult, research and find out why these are symbols for women’s rights. 

After decades of people fighting for women’s right to vote, the United States House of 

Representatives and Senate passed the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. Even though 

Congress passed the amendment in June 1919, it was not yet law. Constitutional amendments 

have to be approved, or ratified, by three quarters of the states. In 1920, there were 48 states. 

That meant that 36 states had to approve the 19th Amendment. Each time a state voted to 

ratify the amendment, members of the National Woman’s Party sewed a star onto their 

purple, white, and gold Ratification Banner. It had room for 36 stars. When the last star was 

added, it would symbolize that the 19th Amendment was the law of the land. The last star was 

sewn on to the Ratification Banner on August 18, 1920, when Tennessee voted yes. Design 

your own 19th Amendment Ratification Star.8 How will it represent you? Your town? Or the 

country? The sky’s the limit!

Visit a park...

Learn about the girls and women 

who lived or worked there. Choose 

the one that interests you most.

2 Create a poster showing a day in 

her life.

2 Dress up as that person and tell 

your family or your troop about 

her life.

Design your own flag!

Flags are powerful symbols used to represent and unify people, places, organizations, and 

movements. This includes the suffragists. Alice Paul sewed a star of the National Woman’s 

Party suffrage flag each time a state voted to ratify the 19th Amendment. Work on your own 

or with your troop to design a flag representing the women’s suffrage movement or women’s 

rights. Find out more about the National Woman’s Party at the Belmont-Paul Women’s 

Equality National Monument in Washington, DC.9 The site tells the story of more than a 

century of activism by American women.

Alice Paul and other suffragists sew a star onto the 

suffrage flag after another state ratified the 19th 

Amendment. (Photo courtesy of Library of Congress.)
19th Amendment Centennial Patch Program 9

Cook for a Cause!

Take a look at The Woman Suffrage Cookbook,

10 edited and 

published by Hattie A. Burr in 1886 and/or The Suffrage 

Cook Book,

11 compiled by Mrs. L. O. Kleber and published 

in 1915 by The Equal Franchise Federation of Western 

Pennsylvania. Both include recipes submitted by prominent 

citizens of the time, helpful hints for living well, some funto-read advertisements, and pro-suffrage information.

2 Why did suffragists, who were trying to expand 

opportunities for women, publish cookbooks to 

spread their message?

2 Would this strategy be effective today?

2 Make one of the recipes to share with your 

family or friends!

Investigate!

Find out more about the current conditions of 

the park or historic site you’ve selected. What 

challenges does it face? Is it being threatened by 

new development, environmental issues, or funding 

challenges? Have women been active in 

addressing those issues? How would you 

persuade others to join you in advocating 

action on that issue? Hint: Think about it 

from your audience’s point of view and 

consider their interests.

Speak up!

At the time it was considered inappropriate 

behavior for women to speak publicly, 

march, and picket. However, public 

speaking was such an important tool that 

Title page of The Suffrage Cookbook. 

(Courtesy of the Project Gutenburg.)

Suffragist Maud Malone speaking to crowds on 

May 2, 1914. (Photo courtesy of Library of Congress.)

Fun fact!

Women had important 

roles in preserving 

historic places in the 

United States as far 

back as the mid-1800s.
10 GIRL SCOUT RANGER

“suffrage schools” were organized to train women to be effective communicators. Experienced 

speakers traveled to other locations to help build the skills of brand-new suffragists. Read a 

speech presented by one of the suffragists and try performing it yourself for your friends or 

family. Or, write your own on a topic you feel strongly about and present that.

Do you want to make a change?

Learn about the history and process for amending the US Constitution.12 Develop a campaign 

for an amendment you would support.

2 Research and develop a proposed amendment.

2 Present your proposed amendment with a group 

of your peers and/or adults.

2 Develop a campaign to petition for this proposed 

amendment to go to Congress.

Express yourself!

Posters and cartoons have been used to great effect 

in many political and social movements, including 

women’s suffrage. Take a look at the many pro- and 

anti-suffrage posters and cartoons online and design 

your own. With help from an adult, go to the NPS 

Women’s History webpages “In the Press: Women’s 

History”13 and “From Mannish Radicals to Feminist 

Heroes: Suffragists in Popular Culture”14 or search 

online for “suffrage cartoons” and/or “suffrage 

posters,” and you’ll turn up a rich selection of images. 

You may also look at Crusade for the Vote’s “Imagery 

and Propaganda”15 and “American Suffrage Cartoons”16 

in the collections of the Library of Congress.

Career exploration

Talk with a woman working at the park or historic 

site you have chosen. What is her title? What does 

she do? What qualifications did she need to attain 

Anti-women’s suffrage postcard 

depicting a man taking over 

housework including washing 

laundry and taking care of a baby. 

(Courtesy of the Curt Teich Postcard 

Archives Digital Collection, original in the 

Brian L. Bossier Collection, The Newberry, 

item BB94. http://collections.carli.illinois.

edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/nby_teich/

id/942/rec/1)
19th Amendment Centennial Patch Program 11

her position? As a woman, would she have 

been considered for that position 100 years 

ago? Would she have had an opportunity to 

pursue the qualifications that allow her to 

perform that job today? If you aren’t able to 

connect with someone in person, check out 

the Women of the NPS page at https://www.

nps.gov/subjects/womenshistory/women-ofthe-nps.htm.

25

Be a history detective...

The presence of women is more obvious at 

some historic sites than others, such as the 

Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National 

Monument9 in Washington, D.C.; the Rosie 

the Riveter WWII Home Front National 

Historical Park3 in California; the Pauli 

Murray Family Home National Historic 

Landmark17 in North Carolina; and Women’s 

Rights National Historical Park18 in New York. 

Some other NPS sites related to women’s 

history are Clara Barton National Historic 

Site,19 Mary McLeod Bethune Council House 

National Historic Site,20 Frederick Douglass 

National Historic Site,21 Maggie Walker 

National Historic Site,22 and First Ladies 

National Historic Site.23 If the site you’ve 

selected is recognized for something other than women’s history or does not highlight the 

lives of the girls or women who lived or worked there, use this as an opportunity to discover 

a hidden story. Women’s history is everywhere, including national parks, National Heritage 

Areas, NHLs, and NRHP properties.4

Find out what the lives of girls and women in this area of the country were like during that time 

in history. Where is the site located? What time period does the site’s history reflect? Consider 

some of the same questions as in the “Find out who was there” section on page five. Could these 

Dr. Sarah Allen, NPS marine ecologist, 

regional science leader, and research 

coordinator. (Photo courtesy of the NPS.)

Doing archival research.

(Photo courtesy of C. Turton.)
12 GIRL SCOUT RANGER

women vote? If not, why not? When did it 

change? What impact did having (or not 

having) the vote make on their lives?

In coordination with the park, present 

that information to your family or Girl 

Scout friends on site. Share it with the 

park—your work might help expand the 

stories it tells.

2 Imagine a day in the life of the girls/

women you have identified. Put 

yourself in their shoes. What were 

your typical chores and activities? 

Make a list of the rights they had and compare them to your own. How would your life be 

different if you were alive at that time? Write about it.

2 Create a poster advocating for one thing that would make a big difference in the lives of 

the girls/women that lived or worked at the site.

2 Draw a comic or write a short script for a performance that illustrates how male and 

female lives differed during that era. Record the performance if you like.

Pass it down,

pass it forward!

Visit Women’s Rights National Historical 

Park18 in Seneca Falls, New York, or BelmontPaul Women’s Equality National Monument9

in Washington, DC, to learn more about the 

struggle for women’s rights and see some of 

the original documents, images, and objects 

associated with these trailblazers. If you 

can’t make the trip, with the help of an adult, 

explore the many resources available on the 

NPS women’s history webpages.5 Develop an 

educational program to teach younger children 

about the history of the suffrage movement.

Costumed interpreters at Minuteman National 

Historical Park. (Photo courtesy of the NPS.)

Suffragists speak to crowds as part of the 

“Prison Special” tour, San Francisco, 1919. 

(Photo courtesy of Library of Congress. http://hdl.loc.

gov/loc.mss/mnwp.160057)
19th Amendment Centennial Patch Program 13

What would you do?

With your friends, family, class, or troop watch One 

Woman, One Vote (documentary) and then lead a 

conversation. If you were denied the right to vote today, 

what would you do to change the situation? National 

Women’s Party members picketed places like the White 

House to convince President Wilson to support women’s 

right to vote. Over two years, thousands of women 

protested and hundreds, including Lucy Burns, were 

arrested. Would you be willing to go to jail to fight for 

your rights? What were some of the reasons that men 

and even some women gave for why women should not 

be allowed to vote? Learn more about Alice Paul, an 

outspoken suffragist and feminist, who tirelessly led the 

charge for women’s suffrage and equal rights in the United 

States. Her story is shared at both the Belmont-Paul 

Women’s Equality National Monument9 in Washington, 

DC, and Paulsdale, the Alice Paul House National 

Historic Landmark in New Jersey.24

Explore hidden history

Conduct research to find someone who was active in the suffrage movement (for or against) in 

your own community or family. This may include men and women who fought for the vote but 

were not allowed to vote until decades later. Use primary sources for your research. Primary 

sources include photos, diaries, letters, newspaper reports from the time of the events, and 

many other resources. They can be found in libraries, local historical societies, archives, and 

online. You may also conduct or listen to recorded oral histories from those who were there.

Challenge yourself to see how much information you can find!

2 Write a letter to a suffragist that you learned about.

2 Create and act out a short skit on the suffrage movement.

2 Lead your friends on a tour and share the story you discovered.

2 Write a 500-word profile of the local or regional person or suffrage site you’ve discovered 

in your community and share it with your local national park or historic site. Make a 

Miss Lucy Burns in Occoquan Workhouse, Washington DC, November 

1917. (Photo courtesy of Library of 

Congress. https://www.loc.gov/resource/

mnwp.274009) 
14 GIRL SCOUT RANGER

persuasive argument for how the story of the person or place you discovered connects to 

the history of the site. Your research may just contribute to the broader national narrative 

of the struggle for the vote.

2 Create a work of art that represents the story of the person or place you’ve discovered.

2 Write a poem about the person or 

place and their connection to the 

suffrage movement.

2 Write an article for your local 

newspaper to share your discovery 

with your community.

Your work may be linked to a major 

project mapping the social networks of 

suffrage activists from the 19th through 

the 20th centuries. The map will show 

social connections between people on 

the landscape, revealing less obvious links 

between people and places and illustrating 

where the suffrage movement 

intersected across the United 

States from the mid-19th century 

through the present day. 

Get Outside!

Women often hiked or did other 

outdoor activities to prove they 

were just as capable as men and 

worthy of participation in the 

political process. Cora Smith 

Eaton led a group up Mount 

Rainier and planted a “Votes for 

Women” flag on top.25 “General” 

Rosalie Jones led a group of Suffrage Pilgrims on a hike from New York City to Washington, 

DC, to march in the 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession. 

Visualization of suffrage activists’ social networks.

Early visitors to Yellowstone National Park. 

(Photo courtesy of the NPS.)
19th Amendment Centennial Patch Program 15

Bicycles for freedom!

Susan B. Anthony said, “Let me tell you what I think about bicycling. I think it has done more 

to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and 

self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel... the picture of 

free, untrammeled womanhood.”

Until the bicycle, women were primarily dependent on men for transportation. The bicycle 

gave women a safe and inexpensive means to go where they wanted, when they wanted. 

As cycling became more common, women’s fashions also evolved to allow more freedom 

of movement. Imagine the first 

women to ride bicycles with heavy 

skirts, bustles, and corsets.

Go to a park with your troop or 

your family and explore nature. 

Take pictures or draw the variety of 

birds, plants, and animals to create a 

scavenger hunt or collage showing 

what you see along your route. Using binoculars to explore nature. (Photo courtesy of the NPS.)

A woman rides a bicycle at Coney Island. Alfred S. Campbell, Publisher, 1897.

(Photo courtesy of Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/item/2017656928/)
16 GIRL SCOUT RANGER

Links to Resources

1 “Who Was Excluded? Women’s Suffrage,” https://www.nps.gov/articles/who-was-excluded-women-s-suffrage.htm

2 Lowell National Historical Park https://www.nps.gov/lowe

3 Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park https://www.nps.gov/rori

4 National Heritage Areas https://www.nps.gov/heritageareas; National Historic Landmarks https://www.nps.gov/

nationalhistoriclandmarks; National Register of Historic Places https://www.nps.gov/nationalregister

5 NPS Women’s History webpages https://www.nps.gov/womenshistory

6 “Women’s Suffrage and the Cat,” https://www.nps.gov/articles/womens-suffrage-and-the-cat.htm

7 “Suffrage Cat,” https://www.nps.gov/articles/suffrage-cat.htm

8 “Design Your Own 19th Amendment Ratification Star,” https://www.nps.gov/articles/design-your-own-19th-amendment-ratification-star.htm

9 Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument https://www.nps.gov/bepa

10 The Woman Suffrage Cook book, Michigan State University Libraries https://d.lib.msu.edu/fa/74/datastream/OBJ/View/

11 The Suffrage Cookbook, Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26323

12 “Constitutional Amendment Process,” National Archives https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/constitution

13 “In the Press: Women’s Suffrage,” https://www.nps.gov/articles/in-the-press-women-s-suffrage.htm

14 “From Mannish Radicals to Feminist Heroes: Suffragists in Popular Culture,” https://www.nps.gov/articles/frommannish-radicals-to-feminist-heroes-suffragists-in-popular-culture.htm

15 “Imagery and Propaganda,” National Women’s History Museum http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/propaganda/

16 “American Suffrage Cartoons,” Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/photos/?q=American+suffrage+cartoons

17 “Pauli Murray Family Home,” https://www.nps.gov/places/pauli-murray-family-home.htm

18 Women’s Rights National Historical Park https://www.nps.gov/wori

19 Clara Barton National Historic Site https://www.nps.gov/clba

20 Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site https://www.nps.gov/mamc

21 Frederick Douglass National Historic Site https://www.nps.gov/frdo

22 Maggie L Walker National Historic Site https://www.nps.gov/mawa

23 First Ladies National Historic Site https://www.nps.gov/fila

24 Paulsdale, Alice Paul Institute https://www.alicepaul.org/

25 Mount Rainier National Park https://www.nps.gov/mora

26 Women of the NPS https://www.nps.gov/subjects/womenshistory/women-of-the-nps.htm
Girl Scouts learn from a ranger at a national park.

NPS photo.

A group of Girl Scouts pose for a photo during a hike.

NPS photo.
U.S. Department of the Interior 

National Park Service

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