Designed as a supplemental teaching tool for upper elementary and middle school use, this unit contains information on the circumstances under which women of various cultures lived in the United States during the colonial and revolutionary periods and presents a perspective that is seldom included in textbooks. The unit includes biographies of ten women who lived between the years 1630 and 1800. The women selected (Abigail Adams, Mary Brant, Elizabeth Freeman, Mary Katherine Goddard, Anne Hutchinson, Mary Jemison, Eliza Pinckney, Tituba, Weetamoo, and Phillis Wheatley) were limited to the area of the 13 British colonies. Some of these women were Native Americans whose ancestors had inhabited the region for hundreds of years. Some were Europeans who came to take part in the development of a new nation. Others were black women brought from Africa to work as slaves for the white settlers. The questions that follow each biography are designed to foster classroom discussion of the context in which each woman lived and her response to her situation. They also attempt to link the past with the present and encourage students to see this connection. The class activities that follow the biographies are designed to enhance understanding of the events and times being discussed. A bibliography lists additional sources of information including general information on women in history, curriculum materials, reference books, and biographies. (JB)