Read the daily newspaper's news article reviewing this wall chart.
Overview
Our “synchronous
chronological encyclopedia”
features a number of teaching devices and instruments designed to provide an
instant historical context of each woman’s life that might otherwise require a
fair amount of personal research or study in order to achieve the same insights.
For example, within moments, a
casual reader might discover that "Grandma Biddy" Mason, Lucy Stone, Susan
Warner, Clara Barton, Susan B. Anthony, and Harriet Tubman were born within the
same three-year period, survived the horrific American Civil War, saw the
completion of the transcontinental railroad, witnessed the introduction of
Bell’s telephone and Edison’s electric light, and read about Custer’s
Battle of Little Big Horn.
Objective
The Synchronopedia of Women Who Shaped American History wall chart
is a visually exciting and highly informative reference wall chart that chronicles approximately 155 of the most influential women throughout all of American history - from the 1580's to the present - as well as portraying some of their "non-traditional” roles. With the wall chart, we are striving to create a:
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Dynamic and energetic tone
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Sense of the
patience, understanding and conviction required by these women to overcome
seemingly insurmountable obstacles
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Sense of awe
of the
accomplishments and success of women
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Light academic
tone that readers can nevertheless rely upon for knowledge-building
and inspiration
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Enlightenment to
the unsung praises of women in history, but not to antagonize
dissenters nor evangelize specific causes.
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Features
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155 individual biographical entries (available
chart space is the limiting factor)
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About 90% of the biographies are accompanied by a portrait
photograph
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Timeline of World Epochs (eg. Industrial Revolution, Age of
Reasoning, etc.) along top of wall chart
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Below World Epochs is a timeline of American History Epochs (eg.
Colonial America, Expansion, Gilded Age, etc.)
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Below the epoch timelines are approximately 200
of the most impacting and significant events in American history,
from the mid-1500's to the present, to provide a historical context
for each biographical entry.
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Below "events" are bars representing the
life spans of each woman, to place their period of living and
accomplishments within the context of the epochs and significant
events happening in their day.
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Each biography
encapsulates the contributions of each woman, and also includes:
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Full legal name,
and popular name if any – for example: Norma Jean [née Mortenson]
Baker "Marilyn" Monroe
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Birth and death
dates
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State- or
country-of-birth flag, representing a source of regional pride and
contribution
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11 profession
categories, colour-coded for quick visual appreciation of the types
of professions that shaped American history. For example, Science &
Technology has 32 entries representing 20.6% of the total.
Profession |
No. Entries |
% of Total |
Adventure |
11 |
7.1% |
Arts &
Entertainment |
30 |
19.4% |
Education |
4 |
2.6% |
Home Life |
5 |
3.2% |
Humanitarianism |
19 |
12.3% |
Religion |
5 |
3.2% |
Science &
Technology |
32 |
20.6% |
Sports |
5 |
3.2% |
Statecraft |
16 |
10.3% |
Women's Rights |
13 |
8.4% |
Work Life |
15 |
9.7% |
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Portrait photograph of each woman.
About 10% have some other relevant image
representation.
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A flag in each entry identifies the U.S.
state in which they were born or, if they immigrated, where they made
their home.
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Pictorial bar
chart representation of the life spans of all biographical entries,
so as to identify peers, contemporaries, and the historical events
that occurred within their lifetime.
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A
comprehensive on-chart cross-reference index is used to easily locate each
biography as well as significant organizations, books, awards, and other
achievements of the respective individuals. For example, a cross reference
listing for Elizabeth Cady Stanton would comprise the following entries:
|
Stanton, Elizabeth Cady |
S |
1815 |
|
Women's Bible, The |
S |
1815 |
|
1st
W.'s rights convention |
S |
1815 |
|
Declaration of
Sentiments |
S |
1815 |
|
Nat'l
Am. W. Suffrage Assoc. |
S |
1815 |
Any
entry is quickly found on the wall chart by using the year of the birth date
of the individual for the “X” axis coordinate, and a letter for the “Y” axis
coordinate. The “Y” axis is an ascending alphabet sequence running down the
left and right margins. Together they form a coordinate similar to the grid
system used for looking up streets and addresses on road maps.
An
example biographical entry:
|
Elizabeth Smith [née Cady] Stanton 1815-1902 |
 |
|
|
|
Social reformer. Org.
1st W.'s rights convention - Seneca Falls (1848), co-authored
Declaration of Sentiments
defining document of US W.'s movement. Co-fnd.
Nat'l W. Suffrage Assoc.
(1868), co-authored History of Woman
Suffrage (1881). Merged 2 major US W.'s groups into
Nat'l Am. W. Suffrage Assoc.
(1890), becoming its 1st president. Pub.
The Women's Bible (1895) – a
study of sexism in Old Testament - condemned by her colleagues. Omits
“obey” from marriage vows.
|
|
|
The
use of abbreviations results in substantial wall chart real estate savings,
allowing for additional biographies and other information. For example
shortening “Women/Woman” to “W.” saves 3.5 characters per entry. With perhaps
70 iterations of the word on the chart, this one abbreviation saves 245
characters – enough space for one additional biography.
_____________________________________________________________
Standard
Size Specification
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The standard format size measures 40"
long x 28" high (101.6 cm x 71.12 cm) - standard movie poster size
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The standard format size is printed on a
high-quality 100 lb. bright white gloss EuroArt Silk stock paper and
sealed in a 0.5 mil plastic laminate (both sides) that is extremely hard to
tear, resists UV (ultraviolet) fading, and can be
written on with and erasable marker.
You may wish to
view this wall chart's "starting"
bibliography.
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Candidate Selection Criteria
The 155 names on the Women Who Shaped American History
wall chart were selected from the biographies of
1,305 candidates.
(Note: this long list may take a while to display.)
No consideration was given to a particular period in history
or a particular profession. The honorees were all selected exclusively for their
contribution, which was weighted according to impact on American history and/or
the scope of the challenges they had to overcome.
We have two general principal criteria that we are applying to
the creation of the candidate list for this wall chart.
We have chosen "Influential" rather than "famous" as one
criterion. The second criterion is that the nature of the influence should have
impact on the then-known national or international views, positions, or status quo.
For example, Lauren Bacall and Zasu Pitts might be considered
world-famous, certainly in their time but their fame and accomplishments might arguably not have the same
impact as those of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Mary Kay Ash, Eleanor Roosevelt or
Madame Sarah Breedlove Walker.
A "de-selection" criterion has also been included. Generally, we
are excluding women in entertainment (not literature) unless they have made a
world-impacting contribution beyond their status as a "star." For example, the
1980's pop singer Madonna may have exerted tremendous attitude and fashion
influences on young women the world over for a few years but that influence was
arguably not of a lasting material consequence. In contrast, however, Oprah
Winfrey has notable outstanding achievements and accomplishments to her credit,
and her lasting influence has been felt throughout the world.
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Statistical Breakdown
Click here for a
statistical
breakdown for Birth Date,
Country of Birth and Profession of the 155 biographies on the wall
chart.
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Feedback
The authors acknowledge that this project will never
satisfy everyone. The list is based on extensive opinion polling and pedagogical
research. However, in the end, the list is still subjective. The authors regret
any disappointments any omissions may cause.
If you have
any suggestions, comments, feedback, criticisms, points of view, etc.
we encourage you to send us your
feedback. Be assured
that every comment will be reviewed and considered.
Everyone on
the mailing list will be notified of the official release date prior
to that date.
If you do
not wish to complete the survey but do wish to be notified when the
project is completed please add your name to our
e-Mailing List and
check off the option "Notify me about new products."
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To order, please click on the
+ buy
button at the bottom-right corner of this screen.
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