Themes
Gender
Latinx History
Western History
Women’s History
Periods & Events
18th Century
Skills & Document Types
Close Reading
Wills and Testaments
Overview and Instructional Use
In this activity, middle school students will analyze a will to learn about gender, Latinx history, and western history during the 18th century while practicing close reading.
This activity can be used:
- As part of a unit on women’s history.
- To practice close reading.
- As part of a unit on Latinx history.
Materials
- A copy of “The Will of Eduarda Rita Garduño” activity plan.
- A transcription of Eduarda Rita Garduño’s will.
Procedure
- Display or distribute the will. Give students time to take notes on the document, generate questions, and attempt to answer them.
- Discuss the source as a class, supplementing with background information when appropriate.
Curriculum Connections: Latinx History, Women’s History, Women’s Rights
The source in this activity comes from the book Their Lives, Their Wills: Women in the Borderlands, 1750-1846 by Amy M. Porter in the Newberry’s collection. The original document is at the New Mexico State Records Center and Archive.
Step 1: Display or Distribute the Will
Display or distribute the will to the class. Give students time to take notes on the document, generate questions, and attempt to answer them. Use the questions below as a guide.
Questions
- What kind of source is this?
- An official document, a will
- Is it a primary source?
- Yes, because Eduarda Rita Garduño tells us about herself, what she did and what she owned and what she wanted.
- What information about Eduarda Rita Garduño can you find in this excerpt?
- She was alive in 1785 and had been married for forty years, so she was born in the early 1700s.
- She was married to Commander José Mares and had one child who died. She raised three orphans. She was Catholic.
- What information can you find about what she owned?
- She owned 266 varas of land that she inherited from her parents; a piece of land with a house and a fruit tree; 1,100 varas of land that she acquired during her marriage; a male mule (or goat), a horse, a cow, a copper pot, and some coral bracelets.
- Who did she leave her belongings to?
- The orphans she raised and her husband.
- What questions do you have after reading this?
- How much land is a vara?
- If she was married to a man named Commander Vares, why is her last name Garduño, and who is Juan Gregorio Garduño?
- How did she acquire the 1,100 varas of land during her marriage?
Step 2: Discuss the Source as a Class
Using the information in the “Background” section below, explain to students that the laws were in force in many places until at least the nineteenth century that prevented married women from owning property. Then discuss how Eduarda Garduño’s situation was different and how her personal financial authority may have affected her life.
Background
Historically, married women in many countries have not been allowed to own property, sign contracts, make wills, or otherwise control any part of their financial lives. If a single woman who owned property got married, her husband became the owner of that property. If a married woman inherited property, her husband became the owner of that property. This was true in the United States until 1839, when Mississippi passed the Married Women’s Property Act, which said that a woman could own property that could not be seized for her husband’s debts. Gradually, other states began to pass similar laws and, by the 1870s, most married women in the U. S. had some control over their own property.
Texas and California, both influenced by Spanish legal traditions, had more progressive laws earlier than the other states. In Spain, married women were allowed to own property privately, although most of the family’s money was managed by the husband. Spain also had a stronger history of adoption, although it was often informal.
Additional Resources
Enstam, Elizabeth York. “Women and the Law,” Texas State Historical Association.
Illinois Social Science Standards
This lesson supports the following standards from the Illinois Learning Standards for Social Science:
History
- SS.6-8.H.1.MdC. Analyze connections and disconnections among events and developments in broader historical contexts and identify the effects of events on groups of people who have been marginalized.
- SS.6-8.H.2.LC. Explain how and why perspectives of people have changed over time.
Common Core
This lesson supports the following Common Core Literacy in History/Social Science standards:
English Language Arts: History/Social Studies
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.2: Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.1: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.1: Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts
The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework
This lesson supports the following C3 Framework standards:
Dimension 2, History
- D2.His.3.6-8. Use questions generated about individuals and groups to analyze why they, and the developments they shaped, are seen as historically significant.
- D2.His.4.6-8. Analyze multiple factors that influenced the perspectives of people during different historical eras.
- D2.His.13.6-8. Evaluate the relevancy and utility of a historical source based on information such as maker, date, place of origin, intended audience, and purpose.
Download the following materials below:
- A copy of “The Will of Eduarda Rita Garduño” activity
- A transcription of Eduarda Rita Garduño’s will