Cause and Effect in Wheels of Change, Part 4
In Chapter 1 of Wheels of Change, the improvement of the nation's roads is best characterized as a
long-term effect of the increased popularity of cycling.
Read the excerpt from Chapter 1 of Wheels of Change . Sometime between May and November, 1876, Colonel Albert Augustus Pope took a trip that changed American life forever. It didn't happen overnight. But this one sojourn, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from Pope's home near Boston, Massachusetts, was the first step in a chain of events that ultimately led to the rise of the bicycle, the fall of the horse, the paving of America's roadways, the dawn of modern advertising, and the development of the automobile. Equally important, it helped American women gain increased independence, better health, freedom from restrictive clothing, and eventually, the right to vote. This paragraph primarily describes the
long-term effects of Colonel Pope's visit to Philadelphia.
Read the excerpt from Chapter 2 of Wheels of Change . Smith blamed the bicycle for the downfall of women's health, morals, and religious devotion. Her accusations brought a swift and impassioned response. The Reverend Dr. A. Stewart Walsh, a respected clergyman in New York City and a cyclist himself, wrote a letter to the editor of the Brooklyn Eagle declaring, "I have associated with thousands of riders . . . and I have not seen among them . . . anything that could begin to approach the outrageous and scandalous indecency of the resolutions of the alleged rescue league." The underlined portion of the excerpt is best characterized as a
short-term effect of Smith's attempts to limit women's use of the bicycle.
Read the excerpt from Chapter 3 of Wheels of Change . In 1881, as women in the United States continued to struggle with hoops and corsets and other fashion architecture, their counterparts in England formed the Rational Dress Society. This society called for more reasonable clothing solutions, including limiting the weight of a woman's undergarments to seven pounds. Why was the Rational Dress Society formed?
to promote safer, more comfortable styles of dress for women
Look at the Pope Manufacturing Co. advertisement. Which detail from Chapter 1 of Wheels of Change does this image enhance?
Pope knew that he also had to build a market by raising the excitement level of the American people for his product.
Read the excerpt from Chapter 3 of Wheels of Change . In the 1890s, riding a bicycle in traditional clothing could be hazardous to a woman's health. Witness this all-too-typical account of a female cyclist whose adventure came to an abrupt end: "The wind was behind me, the road good, with just the least bit of down-slope, and I was skimming along like a bird, when there was an awful tug at my dress and a cracking sound," recalled the unnamed woman, who was quoted in the journal Sporting Life in October 1891. "Before I knew what was the matter I found myself lying in the road with the safety on the top of me." Which best characterizes the effect of the woman wearing "traditional clothing"?
Short-term effect: The rider fell off the bicycle after her skirt got caught.
Read the excerpt from the introduction to Wheels of Change . When I was a kid, I took great pleasure in jumping on my bike and riding to the corner candy store about half a mile away. Although I had no knowledge of the part the bicycle had played as a vehicle of change for turn-of-the-20th-century women, I was acutely aware that it allowed this 1960s girl a unique measure of independence. On my bike, I could break free of the bonds that held me in my neighborhood to go buy Necco Wafers and candy necklaces and Atomic FireBalls. If I felt particularly adventurous, I could even ride a bit farther for a fresh ice-cream cone at Applegate Farm. Which statement best characterizes this excerpt?
The author describes the short-term effects of having a bicycle as a child.
Read the excerpt from Chapter 3 of Wheels of Change. Since early in the century, women's clothing seemed to be designed more for beauty and style than for comfort and practicality. One undergarment in particular, the corset, made the very act of getting dressed a challenge. What was the effect of the way in which women's clothes were designed?
The clothing was difficult to put on.
Read the excerpt from Chapter 3 of Wheels of Change . Bloomers did gain some converts in the 1850s, but the backlash was so strong that Amelia Bloomer and her colleagues gave up the fight. Some like-minded women formed the Dress Reform Association in 1857, aiming to win women the right to decide what they would and would not wear. However, the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 stalled their efforts. Why did Amelia Bloomer stop advocating for bloomers?
The opposition to her cause overwhelmed her.
That same year, the very concept of bloomers caused the Board of School Trustees in the village of College Point, New York, to take an unusual vote. It seems that three female teachers in the village school system made a practice of riding their bicycles to work, and the trustees were aghast. So they voted to prohibit female teachers from riding to and from school. Which statement best fits in the "Cause" portion of this chart?
The school board was offended by female teachers wearing bloomers.
Look at the image from the Boston Sunday Journal, published in 1896. Which details from Chapter 3 of Wheels of Change does the image help the reader better understand? Check all that apply.
This combination of a shortened dress and flowing trousers became known as the Bloomer costume. As female cyclists continued to choose from a variety of styles for their wheeling outfits, images of women in bloomers entered popular culture in some surprising ways.
Read the excerpt from Chapter 3 of Wheels of Change . Driven by a desire for comfort and physical well-being, several groups of women introduced alternative approaches to fashion in the 1850s. Most combined a dress shortened to about four or five inches below the knee with some sort of baggy pantaloons worn underneath. What was the effect of women wanting safe and comfortable clothing?
Various groups promoted new styles of dress.
Read the excerpt from Chapter 3 of Wheels of Change . Repeated injuries to women riding in long, full skirts propelled female cyclists to look for new clothing options and others to at least consider the need for them. But for every suggestion of a cycling outfit that was comfortable and safe, there seemed to be a corresponding warning to women not to overstep their bounds. Which statement best fits in the "Cause" portion of this chart?
Women often suffered injuries while cycling due to their clothing.
Look at the image of a woman riding a bicycle in the 1890s. Read the excerpt from Chapter 3 of Wheels of Change. In the 1890s, riding a bicycle in traditional clothing could be hazardous to a woman's health. Witness this all-too-typical account of a female cyclist whose adventure came to an abrupt end: "The wind was behind me, the road good, with just the least bit of down-slope, and I was skimming along like a bird, when there was an awful tug at my dress and a cracking sound," recalled the unnamed woman, who was quoted in the journal Sporting Life in October 1891. How does the photograph enhance the text?
by showing how a long skirt could cover a bicycle's machinery
Look at the photograph and read the caption. Caption: This is a Columbia Model 51 Ladies' Chainless bicycle from 1898. How could this image enhance readers' understanding of Chapter 1 of Wheels of Change?
by showing what a typical bicycle looked like at the turn of century