Mary Williams: Exploring Race, Gender and Class

In this online workshop, PhD student Cat Tully uses the case of Mary Williams (1874) to explore race, gender and class prejudice and its impact on 19th century criminal justice.

To continue discussing this topic with your class try using the below task as a class exercise. You can find futher exercises and discussion points available to download in Mary Williams Worksheet 1 and Mary Williams Worksheet 2.

Task: Early reflections on the case

Immediately after watching the presentation about Mary Williams's case, write down three words to describe:

Mary Williams
The community/environment in which she lived
The judgement against her

Discuss the different words that come up within your class.