Amelia Bloomer

Introduce young historians to Amelia Bloomer, an influential 19th century women's rights activist, in this reading comprehension worksheet. Bloomer is remembered for being the first woman to own and operate a newspaper, The Lily, in the United States, where she wrote about topics such as voting, education, and marriage rights for women. She is also well known for advocating for and popularizing pants for women, to the extent that these early trousers became known as "bloomers." After reading about Amelia Bloomer, fifth graders answer a series of who, what, where, why, and how nonfiction comprehension questions designed to help them reflect on what they have learned.