Women in History
Collection by US National Archives
The origin of Women's History Month began in 1981 when Congress passed Pub L. 97-28 that authorized the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as "Women's History Week." For the next five years, Congress continued this tradition of designating a week in March as "Women's History Week." In 1987, Congress finally passed a resolution to proclaim March of each year as Women's History Month.
19th Amendment
September Centennial Calendar page
Susan B. Anthony recognized that many of the legal disabilities women faced were the result of their inability to vote. Anthony worked tirelessly her whole adult life fighting for the right to vote, and she was instrumental in bringing the issue to the forefront of American consciousness.
June Centennial Calendar page
June's featured suffragist is Shirley Chisholm. She was elected to Congress in 1968 from New York’s 12th Congressional District. As the first African American woman to ever serve in Congress, her rise to office was propelled by her campaign slogan: “Fighting Shirley Chisholm—Unbought and Unbossed.” #19thAmendment #RightfullyHers #Archives19thAt100
May Centennial Calendar page
May's featured suffragist is Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, who began writing and speaking publicly about woman suffrage while a teenager. Notably, in May of 1912 she joined other suffragists to lead a parade (on horseback!) down the streets of New York City,. Lee marched for women’s enfranchisement even though she was barred from becoming a U.S. citizen because of her race. As a result, she remained unable to vote when New York adopted woman suffrage in 1917 and after the 19th Amendment was…
July Centennial Calendar page
While Abigail Adams’s reminder to her husband to “remember the ladies” is often mentioned, her full thoughts on the matter were rather more fiery. Her concerns were well founded. Women of the time had no legal identity apart from their husbands. They could not vote, they could not own property, or gain custody of their children if divorced. #19thAmendment #19thAt100 #RightfullyHers
April Calendar Page
Native American lawyer and suffragist Marie Louise Bottineau Baldwin was a prominent advocate on behalf of Native women and on Native Americans’ position in mainstream America. In 1911, Baldwin chose to be photographed in traditional dress for her personnel file photo for the Office of Indian Affairs. This photograph was a radical act for its time, when she would have been expected to assimilate into white American culture. Download our commemorative calendar pages for free!
March lockscreen for your phone
Celebrate Women's History Month with the advice of trailblazer Shirley Chisholm. We’ve released our first of several lockscreens for your mobile phone! Think about the women who fought for the #19thAmendment every time you use your #1stAmendment rights. #RightfullyHers #Archives19thAt100
March Calendar Page
On March 3, 1913, more than 5,000 suffragists marched along Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC. Despite attempts to keep women of color out of the march, many—Ida B. Wells among them—attended. Many women were verbally and physically assaulted along the parade route while the police stood by, either unwilling or unable to control the crowd. Download our commemorative calendar for free! Each month we post a new story about the women who fought for the right to vote.
19th Amendment at 100: Mary Church Terrell
February's featured image shows activist Mary Church Terrell. During the lead-up to the passage of the 19th Amendment, Terrell marched at 1913 Suffrage Parade alongside the sisters of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority. She picketed at the White House with members of the National Woman’s Party. We’re commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment with 12 suffrage stories from our holdings for you to save, print, or share.
January Facebook image for 19th Amendment Centennial
Women were the first to protest the White House. Beginning on January 10, 1917, women seeking voting rights stationed themselves outside the White House, where they would become known as the Silent Sentinels. We’re commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment with 12 suffrage stories from our holdings for you to save, print, or share on social.
January page of 19th Amendment Centennial Calendar
We’re commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment with 12 suffrage stories from our holdings for you to save, print, or share. January's featured image shows Alison Turnbull Hopkins protesting at the gates of the White House in January of 1917. Women were the first organized group to protest at the gates of the President’s house. Beginning on January 10, 1917, women seeking voting rights stationed themselves outside the White House. They became known as the Silent Sentinels.
Women in Politics and Government
Representative Martha Griffiths's Discharge Petition for the Equal Rights Amendment, 06/11/1970
Original Caption: From 1923 to 1970, some form of the Equal Rights Amendment was introduced in every session of Congress but was generally held up in committee and so never put to a vote. Representative Martha Griffiths's petition forced the legislation out of committee so that it could be considered by the House, which passed it. The Senate subsequently attempted to add provisions exempting women from the draft, effectively preventing the bill from passing Congress that session. Created By…
Form Letter from E. Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Lucy Stone, 12/26/1865
Original Caption: Form Letter from E. Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Lucy Stone Asking Friends to Send Petitions for Woman Suffrage to Their Representatives in Congress, 12/26/1865 Created By: U.S. House of Representatives. Committee on the Judiciary.(06/03/1813 - ) From: Record Group/Collection: 233 From: Petitions and Memorials Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, compiled 06/03/1813 - 1998 Production Dates: 12/26/1865 Persistent URL…
Photograph of Suffrage Parade, 1913
Title: Photograph of Suffrage Parade, 1913 U.S. National Archives’ Local Identifier: 208-PR-14M-3 From: Record Group/Collection: 208 Record Hierarchy Level: Item Reference Unit: Still Picture Records Section Persistent URL: catalog.archives.gov/id/593561 Repository Contact Information: Still Picture Records Section, Special Media Archives Services Division (NWCS-S), National Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD, 20740-6001. For information about ordering…
Eleanor Roosevelt votes in Hyde Park, New York, 11/03/1936
Original Caption: Eleanor Roosevelt votes in Hyde Park, New York, 11/03/1936 From:: Franklin D. Roosevelt Library Public Domain Photographs, compiled 1882 - 1962 Created By:: Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945 Production Date: 11/03/1936 Persistent URL: research.archives.gov/description/196125 Repository: Franklin D. Roosevelt Library (NLFDR) For information about ordering reproductions of photographs held by the Still Picture Unit, visit…
Petition of E. Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Lucy Stone, and others...ca. 1865
Original Caption: Petition of E. Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Lucy Stone, and others asking for an amendment of the Constitution that shall prohibit the several States from disfanchising any of their citizens on the ground of sex, ca. 1865 From:: Series: Petitions and Memorials, compiled 1813 - 1968 Created By:: U.S. House of Representatives. Committee on the Judiciary. (06/03/1813 - ) Production Date: ca. 1865 Persistent URL: arcweb.archives.gov/arc/action/ExternalIdSearch?id=306684…
The Lady and the Tiger, 11/07/1917
Original Caption: This cartoon depicts the two big winners on Election Day, 1917, in New York. Voters adopted a woman suffrage amendment to the state constitution, a measure backed by Tammany Hall, New York City's Democratic political machine. On the same day, Democrat John F. Hylan defeated both the Republican Mayor of New York City, John Purroy Mitchel, and Socialist candidate Morris Hillquit. The victory was a major triumph for Tammany Hall, here represented by the proud Tammany Tiger…
Photograph of Jimmy Carter Signing Extension of Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) Ratification, 10/20/1978
Original Caption: Photograph of Jimmy Carter Signing Extension of Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) Ratification, 10/20/1978 U.S. National Archives’ Local Identifier: From:File Unit: Jimmy Carter - Meeting with Irvine Sprague; At ERA Signing with Rosalynn Carter, 10/20/1978 - 10/20/1978 Created By:President (1977-1981 : Carter). White House Staff Photographers. (01/20/1977 - 01/20/1981) Production Date:10/20/1978 Persistent URL: arcweb.archives.gov/arc/action/ExternalIdSearch?id=181981…
Petition from Women of Brookline, Massachusetts, Praying that the Gag Rule be Rescinded, 02/14/1838
Original Caption: Petition from Women of Brookline, Massachusetts, Praying that the Gag Rule be Rescinded, 02/14/1838 Created By: U.S. House of Representatives.(03/04/1789 - ) From: Record Group/Collection: 233 From: Petitions and Memorials Which Were Tabled Relating to the Rescinding of the Resolution of December 21, 1837 Tabling All Memorials, Petitions, and Papers on Slavery. Production Dates: 02/14/1838 Persistent URL: arcweb.archives.gov/arc/action/ExternalIdSearch?id=306638 Reference…
Washington, D.C. Women members of United States Congress...
Original Caption: Washington, D.C. Women members of United States Congress: Seated, Senator Maurine Newberger, Oregon; Representative Frances Bolton, Ohio; Senator Margaret Chase Smith, Maine; Standing, Representatives, Florence Dwyer, New Jersey; Martha Griffiths, Michigan; Edith Green, Oregon; Patsy Mink, Hawaii; Leonor Sullivan, Missouri; Julia Hansen, Washington; Edna Kelly, New York; Charlotte Reid, Illinois., ca. 1950 - 1975 U.S. National Archives’ Local Identifier: 306-PS-D65(1940)…
Historic Women
Other Pins
September Centennial Calendar page
Susan B. Anthony recognized that many of the legal disabilities women faced were the result of their inability to vote. Anthony worked tirelessly her whole adult life fighting for the right to vote, and she was instrumental in bringing the issue to the forefront of American consciousness.
June Centennial Calendar page
June's featured suffragist is Shirley Chisholm. She was elected to Congress in 1968 from New York’s 12th Congressional District. As the first African American woman to ever serve in Congress, her rise to office was propelled by her campaign slogan: “Fighting Shirley Chisholm—Unbought and Unbossed.” #19thAmendment #RightfullyHers #Archives19thAt100
May Centennial Calendar page
May's featured suffragist is Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, who began writing and speaking publicly about woman suffrage while a teenager. Notably, in May of 1912 she joined other suffragists to lead a parade (on horseback!) down the streets of New York City,. Lee marched for women’s enfranchisement even though she was barred from becoming a U.S. citizen because of her race. As a result, she remained unable to vote when New York adopted woman suffrage in 1917 and after the 19th Amendment was…
July Centennial Calendar page
While Abigail Adams’s reminder to her husband to “remember the ladies” is often mentioned, her full thoughts on the matter were rather more fiery. Her concerns were well founded. Women of the time had no legal identity apart from their husbands. They could not vote, they could not own property, or gain custody of their children if divorced. #19thAmendment #19thAt100 #RightfullyHers
April Calendar Page
Native American lawyer and suffragist Marie Louise Bottineau Baldwin was a prominent advocate on behalf of Native women and on Native Americans’ position in mainstream America. In 1911, Baldwin chose to be photographed in traditional dress for her personnel file photo for the Office of Indian Affairs. This photograph was a radical act for its time, when she would have been expected to assimilate into white American culture. Download our commemorative calendar pages for free!
March lockscreen for your phone
Celebrate Women's History Month with the advice of trailblazer Shirley Chisholm. We’ve released our first of several lockscreens for your mobile phone! Think about the women who fought for the #19thAmendment every time you use your #1stAmendment rights. #RightfullyHers #Archives19thAt100
March Calendar Page
On March 3, 1913, more than 5,000 suffragists marched along Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC. Despite attempts to keep women of color out of the march, many—Ida B. Wells among them—attended. Many women were verbally and physically assaulted along the parade route while the police stood by, either unwilling or unable to control the crowd. Download our commemorative calendar for free! Each month we post a new story about the women who fought for the right to vote.
19th Amendment at 100: Mary Church Terrell
February's featured image shows activist Mary Church Terrell. During the lead-up to the passage of the 19th Amendment, Terrell marched at 1913 Suffrage Parade alongside the sisters of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority. She picketed at the White House with members of the National Woman’s Party. We’re commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment with 12 suffrage stories from our holdings for you to save, print, or share.
January Facebook image for 19th Amendment Centennial
Women were the first to protest the White House. Beginning on January 10, 1917, women seeking voting rights stationed themselves outside the White House, where they would become known as the Silent Sentinels. We’re commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment with 12 suffrage stories from our holdings for you to save, print, or share on social.
January page of 19th Amendment Centennial Calendar
We’re commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment with 12 suffrage stories from our holdings for you to save, print, or share. January's featured image shows Alison Turnbull Hopkins protesting at the gates of the White House in January of 1917. Women were the first organized group to protest at the gates of the President’s house. Beginning on January 10, 1917, women seeking voting rights stationed themselves outside the White House. They became known as the Silent Sentinels.