Let Her Own Works Praise Her

An episode of The Alabama Experience documentary series

STUDY GUIDE

Suggested Grade Levels: 9-12

INTRODUCTION

Julia Tutwiler (1841-1916) was a remarkable educator and social reformer. She was a devoted teacher to thousands of Alabamians and was one of the first women in Alabama to become politically active. She crusaded for better treatment of the state's prisoners, convinced the University of Alabama to admit women, and created a unique school where women could learn a trade. She was a beloved figure in Alabama and wrote the state song.

OBJECTIVE

Let Her Own Works Praise Her introduces students to this remarkable woman and her times. Students will learn about an intelligent, forceful, and charitable woman who was not content to do what was expected of women in America in the nineteenth century. She lived life on her own terms, going by this simple credo: "Do right."

PRE-TEST

Before viewing the documentary ask your students to look for the answers to these questions as they watch the program, and to be ready for discussion after viewing.

1. In which foreign country did Julia Tutwiler receive part of her education? (Germany)

2. At what age did Julia Tutwiler first begin teaching? (Seven)

3. Why is the women's prison in Wetumpka, Alabama, named for Julia Tutwiler? (She was instrumental in prison reform and convinced the state to build the first prison for women.)

4. Which university admitted women at Julia Tutwiler's insistence? (The University of Alabama)

5. Why did Ms. Tutwiler feel that women needed a school where they could learn a trade? (Thousands of women had been widowed during the Civil War and could not earn a living.)

AFTER THE VIEWING

• Review Multiple choice quiz.
• Ask students to compare the restrictions placed on the women of Julia Tutwiler's day with the barriers that women face today. (Example: the so-called "glass ceiling" that prevents women from reaching management positions in business.) How far have women come in the past 100 years? How far do they have to go? What specific changes need to be made?
• Ask students how they feel about the laws against teaching slaves to read. What was the purpose of such laws? How does restricting the knowledge of a group prevent them from advancing? Are there students today who are denied an adequate education? Why?
• Under pressure from Julia Tutwiler, the University of Alabama began accepting women in 1893. How long do you think it would have taken without her efforts? Why? Would life be different for women if they were not allowed to attend colleges and universities?
• Kathryn Tucker Windham says in the program that Ms. Tutwiler suffered from some handicaps. (She was single and she was smarter than most men she had to deal with.) What were they, and why were they considered handicaps? Are they considered handicaps for a woman today?
• Select one student to portray Henry Tutwiler, Julia's father, and another to act as the brother who accompanied her to Europe. Ask them to imagine how the brother told his father about Ms. Tutwiler's decision to stay in Germany. Then have them re-create before the class that conversation.
• Ask your students what causes they think Ms. Tutwiler would be involved with if she were alive today.
• Review with your students the first verse of the state song, which was written by Ms. Tutwiler. ("Alabama, Alabama, we will aye be true to thee. From thy Southern shores where groweth by the sea thy orange tree, to thy Northern vale floweth deep and blue thy Tennessee. Alabama, Alabama, we will aye be true to thee.") Ask your students to write a new verse for the state song, writing about something besides Alabama's geography.

ABOUT THE HOST

Kathryn Tucker Windham has written cookbooks, history books, and stories about growing up in Alabama. But she is probably best known for her collection of superstitions, folk tales, and short stories such as those found in her book Thirteen Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey. She has also written a weekly newspaper column and has been a commentator on the National Public Radio program "All Things Considered."

Ms. Windham's name first appeared in print in Thomasville, Alabama, where she reviewed movies for her uncle's newspaper. She attended Huntingdon College in Montgomery. After college she became the first female police reporter for the Alabama Journal, and she later became the a correspondent for several of the state's daily newspapers.

Let Her Own Works Praise Her is based on Ms. Windham's one-woman play, "My Name is Julia."

Produced by The University of Alabama Center for Public Television & Radio.

For additional information about using these materials in your classroom, call Alabama Public Television Educational Services 1-800-239-5233.

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