Overview
Goals/Rationale
Students gather historical evidence about gender discrimination by analyzing a primary document.
Objectives
Students will be able to:
- Analyze a primary source to gather evidence and generate questions for further research.
- Identify arguments made in a persuasive letter.
- Discuss gender barriers during the Kennedy Administration.
Preparation
Historical Background and Context
In response to the Soviet Union’s achievements in space exploration, President Kennedy set an ambitious goal: he challenged the United States to land a “man on the moon” before the end of the decade. With generous funding and a national commitment, NASA moved full-throttle ahead to make Kennedy’s vision a reality. Along with intensive technological development, recruiting and training astronauts was an essential part of the effort.
The first class of astronauts were selected from a pool of about 500 naval aviators as NASA chose to recruit candidates who had served as military test pilots. Since women had been banned from serving as pilots in the military since 1944, they were excluded from the pool of candidates. There were, however, a group of women who successfully completed astronaut training – but not at NASA.
Dr. Richard Lovelace, a medical doctor who had conducted the physical testing for NASA in the selection of the first group of astronauts, recruited thirteen female aviators for a privately-funded program that applied the same physical, psychological, and technical tests that male astronaut candidates endured.
One of these trainees, Geraldyn “Jerrie” Cobb, sent President Kennedy two telegrams in the summer of 1962 requesting to meet with him to discuss putting the first woman in space. Her request was denied. Deeply concerned that the United States would miss yet another chance to move ahead of the Soviet Union, she wrote again in March 1963: “I have not wanted to bother you with this matter but I can be patient no longer. It is a fact that the American people want the United States to put the first woman in space.”
Her lobbying didn’t convince the government, and Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova would be the first woman in space three months later.
Materials
Handouts:
- March 13, 1963 Letter from Jerrie Cobb to President Kennedy
- National Archives' Analyze a Written Document Worksheet
Procedure
Analyzing the Evidence
Have students complete the National Archives Analyze a Written Document worksheet in preparation for a small or large group discussion. See the Teachers’ Guide to the Document for suggested responses to the worksheet questions.
- For elementary students: Students can focus on the first and second paragraph of the letter when analyzing the text.
- For secondary students: Explore the entire document with the NARA worksheet. Additional responses for secondary students are indicated below.
Teachers’ Guide to the NARA Worksheet
Meet the Document
- The letter is typed with a handwritten signature.
- There are special markings at the top of the document.
- The handwritten “NASA” indicates White House staff sent the original letter to NASA. The White House kept a copy of the letter which is now in the Kennedy Library collections.
- “encl” stands for enclosures which appear to have also been sent to NASA. The Kennedy Library archives does not have copies of the enclosures.
- There are two date stamps that appear to show FEB 18 1963. The date stamp usually indicates when a letter is sent to another agency (here it would be NASA). Why are there two dates? Perhaps the first did not print clearly so it was stamped again. Why is it stamped February and not March when the letter appears to have been written? Perhaps the date stamp was wrong. There are no definitive answers to these questions.
- 3/16 is a date written by someone in the mail room, and it usually indicates the day they replied, routed, or otherwise handled the letter.
Observe Its Parts
- Miss Jerrie Cobb wrote the document.
- The White House received the document. It was written to President Kennedy. It does not indicate the name of the person who received or read the document. The date stamps show it was received and sent to NASA.
- The letter is dated March 13, 1963 (see discussion of the date stamps in the “Meet the Document” section.)
Try to Make Sense of It
- The main idea of the letter is to convey the importance of the United States being the first country to put a woman in space and gain the benefits from that accomplishment.
- Two possible quotes that support this are:
- “Some of your staff are acquainted with my efforts to get the United States to put the first woman in space. For three years I have been working for this.”
- “It is a fact that the American people want the United States to put the first woman in space.”
- The letter was written because the writer “can be patient no longer.” She feels strongly that the US should move forward with putting a woman in space before the Soviet Union. She has received positive responses from the vice president and top scientists and is frustrated because NASA has refused to support the idea. She is appealing to President Kennedy to advance this effort.
Additional discussion questions with suggested responses
- What does the letter reveal about the author? (It was sent by Miss Jerrie Cobb from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Cobb has completed astronaut training. Check to see if any students have prior knowledge about her.) Additional responses for older students: She underwent astronaut training. She has been working to put a woman in space for three years. She has met with Vice President Johnson and Dr. Welsh. She is a consultant for NASA but James Webb has not used her services.)
- How would you describe the tone? (Urgent, passionate, concerned, frustrated)
- What does the document reveal about women in space? Were there female astronauts? (There were women who were training as astronauts.)
- Additional responses for older students: According to Cobb, NASA refused to put women in space. Cobb is frustrated because she is qualified and is not being allowed to serve as an astronaut. Have students find specific language in the text to support their response about Cobb’s tone.
- Do you think there is a response to the letter? If so, who might have written it and what might it have said? Student opinions with reasons.
- Note: There is no record of a response from President Kennedy or White House staff. Cobb had sent two previous telegrams to Kennedy in July and August 1962 which were forwarded to James Webb, the administrator of NASA. His response, dated August 20, 1962, explained that NASA would not be allowing women into the astronaut program.
- What else would you like to know about the document or the subject of the letter? How might you find the answers to your questions?
Follow-up suggestions
Share historical information from the introduction article to let students know that a group of women were in training to be astronauts but not by the US government. The US launched a woman into space – Dr. Sally Ride in 1983 – more than twenty years after Cobb’s telegrams were sent.
Show students the photograph of Jerrie Cobb and either share biographical information or have them research her and the other women who had been training for space exploration.
Discuss the 1962 letter from James E. Webb, Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space administration (NASA) and how that might have affected Cobb’s 1963 letter. The letter and Cobb’s telegrams can be accessed at:
July 20, 1962 Telegram from Jerrie Cobb to President Kennedy
August 13, 1962 Telegram from Jerrie Cobb to President Kennedy
August 20, 1962 Letter from James Webb to Jerrie Cobb
Connections to Curriculum (Standards)
National History Standards - US History, Era 9: Postwar United States (1945 to early 1970s)
- Standard 3: Domestic policies after World War II
- Standard 4: The struggle for racial and gender equality and for the extension of civil liberties
National History Standards - Historical Thinking Skills
- Standard 1: Chronological Thinking
- Standard 2: Historical Comprehension
- Standard 3: Historical Analysis and Interpretation
Common Core State Standards
- ELA College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading, Speaking and Listening, and Language
- ELA – Reading Informational Texts, Speaking and Listening, Language, and Literacy in History/Social Studies for grades 6-8
C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards
- Discipline 2 - Applying disciplinary concepts and tools (History and Civics)
- Discipline 3 - Evaluating sources and using evidence
National Council of Teachers of English: Standard 3
Massachusetts History and Social Studies Curriculum Framework
- 5.T5 Slavery, the Legacy of the Civil War, and the Struggle for Civil Rights for All
- 8.T4 Rights and responsibilities of citizens
Massachusetts English Language Arts Framework
- Reading, Speaking and Listening, and Language