Women at the time of WWI were still fighting for Universal Suffrage (twelve states in the west had given women the right to vote), but when the Great War
broke out it created opportunities for women. Telephone Operators in the United States were mainly women and General Pershing of the American Expeditionary Forces needed their help with communication on the front lines. These “Switchboard Soldiers” were given the name “Hello Girls”.
They faced grueling hours and dangerous working conditions close to the front lines. These women were denied veteran benefits and status until 1977. Within this lesson, students will look at the essential question, How did American women support or oppose World War I? As students read the book, “Grace Banker and her Hello Girls Answer the Call, The Heroic Story of WWI Telephone Operators” by Cludia Friddell, they will analyze primary and secondary sources and create a propaganda poster to persuade women to participate in the war effort.
