Why is it important for students to learn that private citizens such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton (women’s right to vote), William Lloyd Garrison (abolition of slavery), and Martin Luther King, Jr. (equal rights for African Americans) have made a positive difference in American society?

Answer:

Student responses will vary but should include a discussion of why it is important for students to learn that private citizens such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, William Lloyd Garrison, and Martin Luther King, Jr. have made a positive difference in American society. Students may include the idea that such knowledge confirms the power of the individual in American government and society and offers hope that, through determined effort, change is possible.