. This is the time of year to recognize the experiences and contributions of America's women.
Congress recognized the second week of March as "Women's History Week." In 1987, it was upgraded to a month-long commemoration.
counted 143,368,343 women in the population, which is 50.9% of the total. In that year, only 10 states had larger male populations than female (Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming). The other 40 states (plus DC and Puerto Rico) had larger female populations.
1781 -
Margaret Catherine Moore Barry (aka Kate Barry) served as a messenger and scout for American forces at the
Battle of Cowpens in South Carolina during the American Revolutionary War.
1782-83 Deborah Sampson, of Massachusetts, disguised herself as a man and served in the
Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. When her true identity was discovered she was honorably discharged.
The Female Review: Life of Deborah Sampson, the Female Soldier of the War of Revolution by Herman Mann
1790 Judith Sargent Murray published her essay "
On the Equality of the Sexes."
First Lady of Letters: Judith Sargent Murray and the Struggle for Female Independence by Sheila L. Skemp
1792 Sarah Pierce founded the
Litchfield Female Academy school for girls.
1805-06 Sacagawea served as a guide and interpreter on the
Lewis and Clark Expedition.
The Making of Scagawea: A Euro-American Legend by Donna J. Kessler
1821 Emma Willard founded the Troy Female Seminary (now known as the
Emma Willard School) the first women's higher education institution in the United States.
Emma Willard, a Pioneer Educator of American Women by Alma Lutz
1834 Female
factory workers in Lowell, MA staged one of the first strikes in American history in protest of wage cuts.
Women at Work: The Transformation of Work and Community in Lowell, Massachusetts, 1826-1860 by Thomas Dublin
 |
Lowell Mills factory workers circa 1870.
[Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons. |
1835 Angelina and Sarah Grimké became active in the abolitionist
and women's rights movements. They were the first female agents of the American Anti-Slavery Society. Angelina was the first woman to address a legislative body in America when she presented anti-slavery petitions to the Massachusetts legislature in 1838.
The Grimké Sisters from South Carolina: Rebels Against Slavery by Gerda Lerner
Letters on the Equality of the Sexes and the Condition of Women by Sarah Moore Grimké
1841 Dorothea Dix began her investigation of the poor treatment of mentally ill people in Massachusetts. In 1843, she presented her findings to the Massachusetts legislature, which convinced them to make reforms. In later years, she conducted similar investigations in other states.
Memorial to the Legislature of Massachusetts, 1843 by Dorothea Lynde Dix
1844 Sarah Bagley formed
the Lowell Female Labor Reform Association. It was the first labor union for women in the US.
The Lowell Offering: A Repository of Original Articles, Written Exclusively by Females Actively Employed in the Mills by Maria Louise Thomas
1848 Elizabeth Cady Stanton organized a women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, NY. Attendees signed the "Declaration of Sentiments" which included a demand for women's voting rights.
The Road to Seneca Falls: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the First Women's Rights Convention by Judith Wellman
1849 Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery. Over the next 10 years she helped hundreds of slaves escape the South via the Underground Railroad.
Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom by Catherine Clinton
 |
Harriet Tubman (1821-1913) in 1880.
By H. B. Lindsley [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. |
1851 Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony began a life-long partnership advocating for a variety of social reform movements. In 1852, they formed the the New York Women's State Temperance Society. In 1863, they formed the Women's Loyal National League, which supported the abolition of slavery. In 1866, they founded the American Equal Rights Association. In 1868, they began publishing a women's rights newspaper called The Revolution. In 1869, they founded the National Woman Suffrage Association, which advocated for women's voting rights.
The Selected Papers of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony by Elizabeth Cady Stanton
The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony: Revolution [Streaming Video]
Former slave
Sojourner Truth gave her famous "
Ain't I a Woman?" speech at a women's rights convention in Ohio.
Sojourner Truth: A Life, a Symbol by Nell Irvin Painter
1869 - Wyoming granted women the right to vote. They were followed by several other western territories/states: Utah in 1870, Colorado in 1893, and Idaho in 1896.
1872 Susan B. Anthony, and 14 other women, were
arrested for voting in Rochester, NY.
1874 Frances Willard founded the
Women's Christian Temperance Union.
Frances Willard: A Biography by Ruth Birgitta Anderson Bordin
 |
Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony ( sometime between 1880-1902)
By David B. Edmonston [Public Domain]. |
1881 Clara Barton, who served as a nurse in the US Civil War (1861-65), founded the
American Red Cross.
The American Red Cross: From Clara Barton to the New Deal by Marian Moser Jones
Clara Barton: In the Service of Humanity by David H. Burton
1889 Jane Addams and
Ellen Gates Starr opened
Hull House, which provided social services for Chicago's working poor. It is the most famous and longest-lived example of the
Settlement House Movement in America.
Jane Addams and the Dream of American Democracy: A Life by Jean Bethke Elshtain
Twenty Years at Hull House by Jane Addams
1890 The
National Woman Suffrage Association and the
American Woman Suffrage Association merged to form the
National American Woman Suffrage Association.
1892 Ida B. Wells published
Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases, an expos
é into the
lynching of African Americans in Memphis, TN.
'They Say': Ida B. Wells and the Reconstruction of Race by James West Davidson
1893 Florence Kelley shared the findings of her investigation into the conditions of child laborers in Chicago with the Illinois legislature. The state followed her recommendations, and also appointed her the state's chief factory inspector. In 1899, she became head of the
National Consumers League and used that position to encourage consumers not to buy products from companies that employed children.
Civilizing Capitalism: The National Consumers' League, Women's Activism, and Labor Standards in the New Deal Era by Landon R.Y. Storrs
Some Ethical Gains through Legislation by Florence Kelley
1904 Muckraking journalist
Ida Tarbell published
History of the Standard Oil Company. It exposed the company's corrupt practices. In 1911, the company was
dissolved and split into several separate companies due to its monopolistic practices.
Taking on the Trust: The Epic Battle of Ida Tarbell and John D. Rockefeller by Steve Weinberg
1910 Washington state granted women the right to vote. They were soon followed by California (1911), Kansas, Oregon, Arizona (1912), Alaska (1913), Nevada, and Montana (1914).
 |
Image of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.
Picture published in The New York Work in 1911 [Public Domain] via Wikimedia Commons. |
1911 The
Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire in New York City caused the deaths of 146 workers, 123 of whom were female. As a result the
International Ladies' Garment Workers Union, along with other groups, organized a massive protest over poor working conditions. New York state passed legislation to address their concerns.
The Triangle Fire by Leon Stein
1914 Margaret Sanger was arrested in New York for disseminating information about birth control. In 1916, she opened the first birth control clinic in the US and was arrested again. In 1921, she founded the
American Birth Control League, and by 1942 this organization merged with others to become
Planned Parenthood.
The Margaret Sanger Story and the Fight for Birth Control by Lawrence Lader
The Selected Papers of Margaret Sanger by Margaret Sanger
1916 Jeannette Rankin, of Montana, became the first woman elected to the US House of Representatives.
1917 Members of the
National Woman's Party held a silent protest over voting rights outside the White House. Known as the "
Silent Sentinels," they were arrested and went on a hunger strike in jail. Their force-feeding by prison officials gained national attention.
The Story of the Women's Party by Inez Haynes Gillmore
 |
Women march in New York City in 1917, displaying placards containing signatures of over 1 million women demanding the right to vote.
[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
1920 The
19th amendment to the Constitution was ratified. It granted women the right to vote across the United States. The National American Woman Suffrage Association thus transformed itself into the
League of Women Voters.
Victory, How Women Won It: A Centennial Symposium, 1840-1940 by National American Woman Suffrage Association
1924 Nellie Ross, of Wyoming, became the first woman elected governor of a US state.
Florence Prag Kahn, of California, became the first Jewish woman elected to the US House of Representatives.
1932 Hattie Caraway, of Arkansas, became the first woman elected to the US Senate.
Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1937, she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting a flight around the Earth.
Lost Star: The Search for Amelia Earhart by Randall Brink
1933 Francis Perkins became the first woman to serve on the US Cabinet. She served as Secretary of Labor until 1945.
Madam Secretary, Francis Perkins by George Whitney Martin
1941-45 During World War II women's participation in the workforce increased dramatically, and the military created women's branches in each of the armed services:
WAVES (Navy);
WAC (Army);
SPARS (Coast Guard); and
WASP (Air Force).
Angles of the Underground: The American Women Who Resisted the Japanese in the Philippines in World War II by Theresa Kaminski
Bands of Sisters: U.S. Women's Military Bands during World War II by Jill M. Sullivan
Beyond Rosie the Riveter: Women of World War II in American Popular Graphic Art by Donna B. Knaff
Clipped Wings: The Rise and Fall of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) of World War II by Molly Merryman
Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II by Liza Mundy
 |
Four WASPs in 1944: Frances Green, Margaret Kirchner, Ann Waldner, and Blanche Osborn.
By U.S. Air Force photo [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. |
1955 Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man, thus sparking the Montgomery bus boycott.
She would not be Moved: How We Tell the Story of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Herbert R. Kohl
1960 The first birth control pill was approved by the Food and Drug Administration and made available on the market.
America and the Pill: A History of Promise, Peril, and Liberation by Elaine Tyler May
1963 Betty Friedan published
The Feminine Mystique, which sparked the
second-wave feminist movement.
Betty Friedan: The Personal is Political by Susan Oliver
1964 Title VII of the
Civil Rights Act prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sex.
The Longest Debate: A Legislative History of the 1964 Civil Rights Act by Charles W. Whalen
Patsy Mink, of Hawaii, became the first Asian American woman elected to the House of Representatives.
1965 In
Griswold v Connecticut the Supreme Court struck down laws that restricted a married couple's right to use contraceptives.
1966 The
National Organization for Women (NOW) was founded.
Governing NOW: Grassroots Activism in the National Organization for Women by Maryann Barakso
 |
Shirley Chisholm first African American woman elected to Congress (1968), and the first African American to seek the presidential nomination from a major party (1972)
By Thomas J. O'Halloran, U.S. News & World Reports.
Light restoration by Adam Cuerden [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
1968 Shirley Chisholm, of New York, became the first African American woman elected to the House of Representatives.
1972 Title IX of the Education Amendments prohibits sex discrimination in all aspects of education programs that receive federal support.
A Place on the Team: The Triumph and Tragedy of Title IX by Welch Suggs
In
Eisenstadt v. Baird the Supreme Court ruled that an unmarried person has a right to use contraceptives.
1973 In
Roe v. Wade the Supreme Court ruled that women have a right to an abortion.
Abortion: The Supreme Court Decisions, 1965-2007 by Ian Shapiro
Roe v. Wade: The Abortion Rights Controversy in American History by N.E.H. Hull
1975 In
Taylor V. Louisiana the Supreme Court ruled that women could not be excluded from juries.
1977 Patricia Roberts Harris became the first African American woman to serve on the Cabinet. She served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development until 1979.
 |
Sandra Day O'Connor being sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice in 1981.
By The U.S. National Archives [Public Domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
1981 Sandra Day O'Connor became the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court.
The Majesty of the Law: Reflections of a Supreme Court Justice by Sandra Day O'Connor
1982 The
Equal Rights Amendment failed to be ratified by the states.
The Equal Rights Amendment: The History and the Movement by Sharon Whitney
1984 Geraldine Ferraro became the first woman nominated for Vice President by a major party.
Changing History: Women, Power, and Politics by Geraldine Ferraro
Madeleine M. Kunin, of Vermont, became the first Jewish Woman elected governor of a US state.
1989 Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, of Florida, became the first Hispanic American woman elected to the House of Representatives.
1992 Carol Moseley Braun, of Illinois, became the first African American woman elected to the Senate.
Diane Feinstein, of California, became the first Jewish woman elected to the Senate.
1993 Ruth Bader Ginsburg became the first Jewish woman to serve on the Supreme Court.
2001 Elaine Chao became the first Asian American woman to serve on the Cabinet. She served as Secretary of Labor until 2009.
2007 Nancy Pelosi became the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the New American Politics by Ronald M. Peters
 |
Speaker Nancy Pelosi along side Vice President Dick Cheney during President George W. Bush's 2007 State of the Union address.
By White House photographer David Bohrer [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
2009 Hilda Solis became the first Hispanic American woman to serve on the Cabinet. She served as Secretary of Labor until 2013.
Sonia Sotomayor became the first Hispanic American woman to serve on the Supreme Court.
Sonia Sotomayor: A Judge Grows in the Bronx by Jonah Winter
2010 Susana Martinez, of New Mexico, became the first Hispanic American woman elected governor of a US state.
Nikki Haley, of South Carolina, became the first Asian American woman elected governor of a US state.
2012 Mazie Hirono, of Hawaii, became the first Asian American woman elected to the Senate.
2013 Penny Pritzker became the first Jewish woman to serve on the Cabinet. She served as Secretary of Commerce until 2017.
2016 Hillary Clinton became the first woman to be nominated for President by a major party, and the first woman to win the popular vote in a presidential election.
Living History by Hillary Clinton
Catherine Cortez Masto, of Nevada, became the first Hispanic American woman elected to the Senate.
2017 A record number of women served in the
115th Congress: 22 in the Senate (out of 100) and 89 in the House of Representatives (out of 435).
Tarleton's Dick Smith Library has a wealth of resources for learning more about women's history. Such as these titles:
The 100 Most Influential Women of All Time by Kathleen Kuiper
American Women Activists' Writings: An Anthology, 1637-2002 by Kathryn Cullen-DuPont
Antebellum Women: Private, Public, Partisan by Carol Lasser
Breaking the Wave: Women, their Organizations, and Feminism, 1945-1985 by Kathleen A. Laughlin
First Ladies: Presidential Historians on the Lives of 45 Iconic American Women by Susan Swain
Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation by Cokie Roberts
Her Story: A Timeline of the Women Who Changed America by Charlotte S. Waisman
Sisters: The Lives of America's Suffragists by Jean H. Baker
Still Paving the Way for Madam President by Nichola D. Gutgold
Women's Rights by Sharon Hartman Strom
Women's Suffrage by Richard Haesly
Let us know if you need any assistance with library resources at 254-968-9249 or
reference@tarleton.edu.
