ABC order. Provide
students with a list of historically important American woman, such as those
found at the Distinguished
Women Web site. (That site's list includes Rosa Parks, Jeannette
Rankin, Amelia Earhart, Elizabeth Blackwell, Susan B. Anthony, Clara Barton,
and Eleanor Roosevelt.) Ask students to put the names in alphabetical order (by
last name)..
Write a letter. Invite
students to read about Michelle Obama to
learn about our current first lady. Encourage students to write her a letter or
send an e-mail. Students can tell her about an issue that concerns them.
Younger students might ask a question about the role of the first lady.
Geography. Invite
students to go to the Amelia Earhart Web
site to learn about her life. Provide students with a map of the world and ask
them to trace the path of her final flight.
History/art. Encourage
students to design a U.S. postage stamp in honor of this year's Women's History
Month.
Career
education/art. Arrange students into groups and assign each
group a career category, such as technology, medicine, or entertainment. Ask
students to research as many jobs as possible within their assigned category
and create a poster encouraging other students to enter that career field.
Remind older students to research and include specific information on their
posters, such as job descriptions, educational requirements, and salary ranges.
History. Students
will: Write the name of each first lady
on a separate index card and ask the other students to pick a card. (Some students
might pick more than one card.) Have students research the first lady they
chose and write a brief description of that first lady on the card. (Students
might use the First Ladies'
Gallery as a resource.) Arrange students into teams and have
teams take turns reading the descriptions and guessing the identity of each
first lady. When the game is over, invite students to name the president
married to each first lady.
More geography. Invite
students to go to the Goals Online site featuring Karen Thorndike, the first woman to sail
around the world alone. Print the map under Positions and have students plan a trip around
the world that includes the places they would like to visit. Ask students to
calculate how many countries they would visit, how many miles they would
travel, and how long their trip would take.
Write a biography. At
the Encyclopedia of
Women's History, kids can read biographies of famous women and
submit an original biography of a famous woman they admire. Younger students
might write a biography of an important woman in their lives.
Genealogy. Have
students use this tool to
create their family tree. Younger students might just include their parents and
grandparents.
Take a quiz. Invite
students to test their Women's History
I.Q. (Here is an another quiz.) print out
results
History/art. Create a poster, using the style of a Famous Woman Artist and write a paragraph on the Artist and the influence they have had in the Art World. (explain your answer with 3-6 reasons why to prove your point)
Literature/drama. Read aloud
a fairy tale to students and ask volunteers to act out the story. Discuss with
students how the girls or women in the story behaved. Were they strong or weak,
happy or sad? Ask: If you were the girl in the story, what would you
have done? Encourage students to perform the story again, showing how
else it might have happened.
Literature. Write a journal as if you were Sacagawea ~ research
her and what she did and create a journal in her way .
ABC order. Provide students with a list of historically important American woman, such as those found at the Distinguished Women Web site. (That site's list includes Rosa Parks, Jeannette Rankin, Amelia Earhart, Elizabeth Blackwell, Susan B. Anthony, Clara Barton, and Eleanor Roosevelt.) Ask students to put the names in alphabetical order (by last name)..
Article by
Linda Starr
Education World®
Copyright © 2010 Education World
********************************************************************************************************************************
This
Is How March Became Women’s History Month
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
Before women had the whole month, the U.S.
recognized Women’s History Week; before that, a single International Women’s
Day. Dedicating the whole month of March in honor of women’s achievements may
seem irrelevant today. But at the time of the conception of Women’s History
Week, activists saw the designation as a way to revise a written and social
American history that had largely ignored women’s contributions.
The celebratory month has its roots in the socialist
and labor movements — the first Women’s Day took place on Feb. 28, 1909, in New
York City, as a national observance organized by the Socialist Party. It
honored the one-year anniversary of the garment worker’s strikes in New York
that had taken place a year earlier, when thousands of women marched for
economic rights through lower Manhattan to Union Square. (That strike in turn
honored an earlier 1857 march, when garment workers rallied for equal rights
and a 10-hour day.) Within two years, Women’s Day had grown into an
international observance that spread through Europe on the heels of socialism.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., feminist activists took
issue with how the history books largely left out the story or contributions of
women in America. In light of that imbalance, one group during the 1970s set
about revising the school curriculum in Sonoma County, Calif., according to the
National Women’s History Project. Their idea was to create a “Women’s History
Week” in 1978, timed around International Women’s Day, which the U.N. had begun
officially marking in 1975.
The observance spread to schools around the county,
and grew into a cause for celebration. Organizers held an annual “Real Women”
essay contest, hundreds of women took part by giving presentations to students
in their classrooms and the whole week culminated in a Santa Rosa, Calif.
parade.
In 1979, Molly Murphy MacGregor, one of the week’s
organizers, traveled to Sarah Lawrence College in New York for a conference
with the Women’s History Institute. The participants heard about the week in
Sonoma County, and the celebration soon spread across the country.
Gerda Lerner chaired the Institute at the time of
the conference, and backed the movement to garner national recognition. As the
week picked up steam, organizers lobbied Congress and President Jimmy Carter
proclaimed the first national Women’s History Week for March 2-8, 1980.
“Women’s history is women’s right—an essential,
indispensable heritage from which we can draw pride, comfort, courage, and long
range vision,” Lerner was quoted saying in Carter’s proclamation.
President Ronald Reagan passed further proclamations
announcing Women’s History Weeks, but by then some areas had already extended
their celebrations for a month. The Women’s National History Project lobbied
for a longer observation, and Congress passed a proclamation in 1987
establishing Women’s History Month.
Now, Presidents pass annual proclamations announcing
Women’s History Month, and the National Women’s History Project declares a
theme each year. The 2016 theme is “Working to Form a More Perfect Union:
Honoring Women in Public Service and Government.”
Women’s History Month – History
Local
Celebrations
As recently
as the 1970’s, women’s history was virtually an unknown topic in the K-12
curriculum or in general public consciousness. To address this situation, the
Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status
of Women initiated a “Women’s History Week” celebration for 1978.
In 1979, Molly Murphy MacGregor, a member of our group, was invited to
participate in The Women’s History Institute at Sarah Lawrence College, which
was chaired by noted historian, Gerda Lerner and attended by the national
leaders of organizations for women and girls. When the participants learned
about the success of the Sonoma County’s Women’s History Week celebration, they
decided to initiate similar celebrations within their own organizations,
communities, and school districts. They also agreed to support an effort to
secure a “National Women’s History Week.”
Presidential and Congressional Support
The first steps toward success came in February 1980 when President Carter
issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8th 1980
as National Women’s History Week. In the same year, Representative Barbara
Mikulski, who at the time was in the House of Representatives, and Senator
Orrin Hatch co-sponsored a Congressional Resolution for National Women’s
History Week 1981. This co-sponsorship demonstrated the wide-ranging political
support for recognizing, honoring, and celebrating the achievements of American
women.
A National Lobbying Effort
As word spread rapidly across the nation, state departments of education
encouraged celebrations of National Women’s History Week as an effective means
to achieving equity goals within classrooms. Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York,
Oregon, Alaska, and other states developed and distributed curriculum materials
for all of their public schools. Organizations sponsored essay contests and
other special programs in their local areas. Within a few years, thousands of
schools and communities were celebrating National Women’s History Week,
supported and encouraged by resolutions from governors, city councils, school
boards, and the U.S. Congress.
National Women’s History Month
By 1986, 14 states had already declared March as Women’s History Month. This
momentum and state-by-state action was used as the rational to lobby Congress
to declare the entire month of March 1987 as National Women’s History Month. In
1987, Congress declared March as National Women’s History Month in perpetuity.
A special Presidential Proclamation is issued every year which honors the
extraordinary achievements of American women.
President Jimmy Carter’s Message to the nation designating March 2-8, 1980 as
National Women’s History Week.
Stone, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Harriet Tubman, and
Alice Paul.
Understanding the true history of our country will help us to
comprehend the need for full equality under the law for all our people.
Growing out of a small-town school event in
California, Women’s History Month is a celebration of women’s contributions to
history, culture and society. The United States has observed it annually
throughout the month of March since 1987. The 2012 theme, “Women’s
Education—Women’s Empowerment,” honors pioneering teachers and advocates who
helped women and other groups gain access to advanced learning.
Article by
Linda Starr
Education World®
Copyright © 2010 Education World
Education World®
Copyright © 2010 Education World
********************************************************************************************************************************
This
Is How March Became Women’s History Month
Julia Zorthian @jzorth
Feb. 29, 2016
Jimmy Carter ~ Barry Thumma—AP
President Jimmy Carter signs document at the White House in
Washington on Feb. 28, 1980, proclaiming March 2-8 "National Women's
History Week."
"Women’s history is
women’s right"
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Many things have come to womankind surprisingly
recently: The right to vote. The right to own property. And, perhaps less
surprisingly, the existence of Women’s History Month.
Before women had the whole month, the U.S.
recognized Women’s History Week; before that, a single International Women’s
Day. Dedicating the whole month of March in honor of women’s achievements may
seem irrelevant today. But at the time of the conception of Women’s History
Week, activists saw the designation as a way to revise a written and social
American history that had largely ignored women’s contributions.
The celebratory month has its roots in the socialist
and labor movements — the first Women’s Day took place on Feb. 28, 1909, in New
York City, as a national observance organized by the Socialist Party. It
honored the one-year anniversary of the garment worker’s strikes in New York
that had taken place a year earlier, when thousands of women marched for
economic rights through lower Manhattan to Union Square. (That strike in turn
honored an earlier 1857 march, when garment workers rallied for equal rights
and a 10-hour day.) Within two years, Women’s Day had grown into an
international observance that spread through Europe on the heels of socialism.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., feminist activists took
issue with how the history books largely left out the story or contributions of
women in America. In light of that imbalance, one group during the 1970s set
about revising the school curriculum in Sonoma County, Calif., according to the
National Women’s History Project. Their idea was to create a “Women’s History
Week” in 1978, timed around International Women’s Day, which the U.N. had begun
officially marking in 1975.
The observance spread to schools around the county,
and grew into a cause for celebration. Organizers held an annual “Real Women”
essay contest, hundreds of women took part by giving presentations to students
in their classrooms and the whole week culminated in a Santa Rosa, Calif.
parade.
In 1979, Molly Murphy MacGregor, one of the week’s
organizers, traveled to Sarah Lawrence College in New York for a conference
with the Women’s History Institute. The participants heard about the week in
Sonoma County, and the celebration soon spread across the country.
Gerda Lerner chaired the Institute at the time of
the conference, and backed the movement to garner national recognition. As the
week picked up steam, organizers lobbied Congress and President Jimmy Carter
proclaimed the first national Women’s History Week for March 2-8, 1980.
“Women’s history is women’s right—an essential,
indispensable heritage from which we can draw pride, comfort, courage, and long
range vision,” Lerner was quoted saying in Carter’s proclamation.
President Ronald Reagan passed further proclamations
announcing Women’s History Weeks, but by then some areas had already extended
their celebrations for a month. The Women’s National History Project lobbied
for a longer observation, and Congress passed a proclamation in 1987
establishing Women’s History Month.
Now, Presidents pass annual proclamations announcing
Women’s History Month, and the National Women’s History Project declares a
theme each year. The 2016 theme is “Working to Form a More Perfect Union:
Honoring Women in Public Service and Government.”
Women’s History Month – History
Local
Celebrations
As recently as the 1970’s, women’s history was virtually an unknown topic in the K-12 curriculum or in general public consciousness. To address this situation, the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women initiated a “Women’s History Week” celebration for 1978.
As recently as the 1970’s, women’s history was virtually an unknown topic in the K-12 curriculum or in general public consciousness. To address this situation, the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women initiated a “Women’s History Week” celebration for 1978.
The week March 8th,
International Women’s Day, was chosen as the focal point of the observance. The
local Women’s History Week activities met with enthusiastic response, and
dozens of schools planned special programs for Women’s History Week. Over
one-hundred community women participated by doing special presentations in
classrooms throughout the country and an annual “Real Woman” Essay Contest drew
hundreds of entries. The finale for the week was a celebratory parade and
program held in the center of downtown Santa Rosa, California.
Mobilizing a Movement
In 1979, Molly Murphy MacGregor, a member of our group, was invited to participate in The Women’s History Institute at Sarah Lawrence College, which was chaired by noted historian, Gerda Lerner and attended by the national leaders of organizations for women and girls. When the participants learned about the success of the Sonoma County’s Women’s History Week celebration, they decided to initiate similar celebrations within their own organizations, communities, and school districts. They also agreed to support an effort to secure a “National Women’s History Week.”
In 1979, Molly Murphy MacGregor, a member of our group, was invited to participate in The Women’s History Institute at Sarah Lawrence College, which was chaired by noted historian, Gerda Lerner and attended by the national leaders of organizations for women and girls. When the participants learned about the success of the Sonoma County’s Women’s History Week celebration, they decided to initiate similar celebrations within their own organizations, communities, and school districts. They also agreed to support an effort to secure a “National Women’s History Week.”
Presidential and Congressional Support
The first steps toward success came in February 1980 when President Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8th 1980 as National Women’s History Week. In the same year, Representative Barbara Mikulski, who at the time was in the House of Representatives, and Senator Orrin Hatch co-sponsored a Congressional Resolution for National Women’s History Week 1981. This co-sponsorship demonstrated the wide-ranging political support for recognizing, honoring, and celebrating the achievements of American women.
The first steps toward success came in February 1980 when President Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8th 1980 as National Women’s History Week. In the same year, Representative Barbara Mikulski, who at the time was in the House of Representatives, and Senator Orrin Hatch co-sponsored a Congressional Resolution for National Women’s History Week 1981. This co-sponsorship demonstrated the wide-ranging political support for recognizing, honoring, and celebrating the achievements of American women.
A National Lobbying EffortAs word spread rapidly across the nation, state departments of education encouraged celebrations of National Women’s History Week as an effective means to achieving equity goals within classrooms. Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Oregon, Alaska, and other states developed and distributed curriculum materials for all of their public schools. Organizations sponsored essay contests and other special programs in their local areas. Within a few years, thousands of schools and communities were celebrating National Women’s History Week, supported and encouraged by resolutions from governors, city councils, school boards, and the U.S. Congress.
Each year, the dates
of National Women’s History Week, (the week of March 8th) changed and every
year a new lobbying effort was needed. Yearly, a national effort that included
thousands of individuals and hundreds of educational and women’s organizations
was spearheaded by the National Women’s History Project.
National Women’s History MonthBy 1986, 14 states had already declared March as Women’s History Month. This momentum and state-by-state action was used as the rational to lobby Congress to declare the entire month of March 1987 as National Women’s History Month. In 1987, Congress declared March as National Women’s History Month in perpetuity. A special Presidential Proclamation is issued every year which honors the extraordinary achievements of American women.
Presidential Message 1980
President Jimmy Carter’s Message to the nation designating March 2-8, 1980 as National Women’s History Week.
President Jimmy Carter’s Message to the nation designating March 2-8, 1980 as National Women’s History Week.
“From the first settlers who came to our shores, from the first
American Indian families who befriended them, men and women have worked
together to build this nation. Too often the women were unsung and sometimes
their contributions went unnoticed. But the achievements, leadership, courage,
strength and love of the women who built America was as vital as that of the
men whose names we know so well.
As Dr. Gerda Lerner has
noted, “Women’s History is Women’s Right.” – It is an essential and
indispensable heritage from which we can draw pride, comfort, courage, and
long-range vision.”
I ask my fellow Americans
to recognize this heritage with appropriate activities during National Women’s
History Week, March 2-8, 1980.
I urge libraries, schools,
and community organizations to focus their observances on the leaders who
struggled for equality – – Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Lucy
Stone, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Harriet Tubman, and Alice Paul.
Understanding the true history of our country will help us to comprehend the need for full equality under the law for all our people.
Stone, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Harriet Tubman, and Alice Paul.
Understanding the true history of our country will help us to comprehend the need for full equality under the law for all our people.
This goal can be achieved
by ratifying the 27th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which states
that “Equality of Rights under the Law shall not be denied or abridged by the
United States or by any state on account of sex.”
By Molly Murphy
MacGregor, Executive Director and Co-founder of the National Women’s History
Project
Growing out of a small-town school event in
California, Women’s History Month is a celebration of women’s contributions to
history, culture and society. The United States has observed it annually
throughout the month of March since 1987. The 2012 theme, “Women’s
Education—Women’s Empowerment,” honors pioneering teachers and advocates who
helped women and other groups gain access to advanced learning.
· CONTENTS
o The Origins of Women’s History Month
o International Women’s Day
THE ORIGINS OF WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
Women’s
History Month in the United States grew out of a weeklong celebration of
women’s contributions to culture, history and society organized by the school
district of Sonoma, California, in 1978. Presentations were given at dozens
of schools, hundreds of students participated in a “Real Woman” essay contest
and a parade was held in downtown Santa Rosa.
Women’s
History Month in the United States grew out of a weeklong celebration of
women’s contributions to culture, history and society organized by the school
district of Sonoma, California, in 1978. Presentations were given at dozens
of schools, hundreds of students participated in a “Real Woman” essay contest
and a parade was held in downtown Santa Rosa.
DID YOU KNOW?
To coincide with Women's History Month 2011, the White House
issued a 50-year progress report on the status of women in the United States.
It found that younger women are now more likely than their male counterparts to
hold a college degree and that the number of men and women in the labor force
has nearly equalized.
To coincide with Women's History Month 2011, the White House
issued a 50-year progress report on the status of women in the United States.
It found that younger women are now more likely than their male counterparts to
hold a college degree and that the number of men and women in the labor force
has nearly equalized.
A
few years later, the idea had caught on within communities, school districts
and organizations across the country. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued
the first presidential proclamation declaring the week of March 8 as National
Women’s History Week. The U.S. Congress followed suit the next year, passing a
resolution establishing a national celebration. Six years later, the National
Women’s History Project successfully petitioned Congress to expand the event to
the entire month of March.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
International Women’s Day, a global celebration of the economic,
political and social achievements of women, took place for the first time on
March 8, 1911. Many countries around the world celebrate the holiday with
demonstrations, educational initiatives and customs such as presenting women
with gifts and flowers. The United Nations has sponsored International Women’s
Day since 1975. When adopting its resolution on the observance of International
Women’s Day, the United Nations General Assembly cited the following reasons:
“To recognize the fact that securing peace and social progress and the full
enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms require the active
participation, equality and development of women; and to acknowledge the contribution
of women to the strengthening of international peace and security.”
International Women’s Day, a global celebration of the economic,
political and social achievements of women, took place for the first time on
March 8, 1911. Many countries around the world celebrate the holiday with
demonstrations, educational initiatives and customs such as presenting women
with gifts and flowers. The United Nations has sponsored International Women’s
Day since 1975. When adopting its resolution on the observance of International
Women’s Day, the United Nations General Assembly cited the following reasons:
“To recognize the fact that securing peace and social progress and the full
enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms require the active
participation, equality and development of women; and to acknowledge the contribution
of women to the strengthening of international peace and security.”
Article
Details:
Women’s History Month
· Author
History.com Staff
History.com Staff
· Website Name
History.com
History.com
· Year Published
2009
2009
· Title
Women’s History
Month
Women’s History
Month
· URL
http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/womens-history-month
http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/womens-history-month
· Access Date
March 01, 2016
March 01, 2016
Publisher
A+E Networks
Women’s
~ Follow Your Dreams
Beads for Education helps girls in Kenya go to school and
create brighter futures
Lisa Stevens (left) and
Debby Rooney talk to girls at a school in Kenya.
But Florence was able to pursue her dream thanks to Beads for
Education. Americans Debby Rooney and Lisa Stevens started Beads. The group
matches girls with sponsors who pay for school. Florence was the first of 320
Kenyan girls in third grade through college whom Beads sponsored.
A+E Networks
This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use
only.
©
2016, A&E Television Networks, LLC. All
Rights Reserved.
Women’s
~ Follow Your Dreams
Beads for Education helps girls in Kenya go to school and
create brighter futures
FEB 08, 2013 |
Lisa Stevens (left) and
Debby Rooney talk to girls at a school in Kenya.
When Florence Nasoore was 12 and living in rural Kenya, in
Africa, she wanted nothing more than to continue her education. But for many
Kenyan girls, school is not an option. School costs money. Families are more
likely to spend it on educating boys. Many girls are forced to marry.
But Florence was able to pursue her dream thanks to Beads for
Education. Americans Debby Rooney and Lisa Stevens started Beads. The group
matches girls with sponsors who pay for school. Florence was the first of 320
Kenyan girls in third grade through college whom Beads sponsored.
In January of 2013, Beads opened a high school. "It's the
realization of a dream to provide our girls with the best education possible
and prepare them for college and beyond," Stevens told TFK. Rooney was
there to dedicate the school.
Bead by Bead
On a 1991 visit to Kenya, Rooney heard about women who were
making and selling beaded bracelets, baskets and necklaces, and using the money
they earned to send their daughters to school. Two years later, Rooney started
Beads by selling the Kenyan crafts in the U.S. Stevens joined the project soon
after.
In 1998, Beads began matching girls with sponsors. Since then,
the group has helped build three libraries and an elementary school (see
"What Money Can Buy"). Beads also helps train teachers.
The new high school is named Tembea, which means "to
walk," in Swahili. Florence is walking toward a bright future. She
graduated from college in 2010 and is now a teacher. "Florence is the
first in her family to finish high school and college," says Stevens.
"She is an example of the potential for all girls in Kenya."
Celebrating Women's History
The U.S.
celebrates Women’s History Month every March
International Women's Day Is Born
The U.S.
celebrates Women’s History Month every March
MARCH 01, 2013
By TIME For Kids Staff
Every March, the country
celebrates the accomplishments of women in American history. Even though these
accomplishments go back a long way, most schools didn't start focusing on women
pioneers and their achievements until recently. Today, most colleges offer
classes in women's history and most schools teach kids about the many
contributions women have made to our country. How did this shift come about?
NATIONAL ARCHIVES
International Women's Day Is Born
On March 19, 1911, a German woman named Clara Zetkin organized
the very first International Women's Day. Inspired by American working women,
the annual event took on the causes of peace (in an effort to end World War I)
as well as women's rights. Over the years, interest in International Women's
Day dwindled. It gained momentum again in the 1960s, when the women's movement
caused women to wonder why they weren't included in the history books.
National Women's History Week Is Celebrated
By the 1970s, more female historians began to look back at the
contributions of women in history. In 1978, a California school district
started Women's History Week to promote the teaching of women's history. School
officials picked the week of March 8 to include International Women's Day. It
was so popular that, in 1981, Congress passed a resolution making the week a
celebration for the entire country. The concept of studying women's history
continued to grow in popularity. In 1987, a group of women (supported by people
working in museums, schools and libraries) asked Congress to expand the
celebration. That same year, Congress declared the entire month of March
National Women's History Month.
National Women's History Museum
Today, schools and communities across the country celebrate the
month with special lessons and activities designed to teach the ways women have
helped shape the U.S. The women who have worked hard to make Women's History
Month a reality would like to see women's history studied all year, not just
every March. In 1996, the National Women’s History Museum was founded. It is a
non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and celebrating the various
historic contributions of women. The organization is working with Congress to
open a permanent museum site in Washington, D.C.
Women’s History Milestones
Travel through our timeline and meet some amazing women
who helped shape our country's history.
Travel through our timeline and meet some amazing women
who helped shape our country's history.
MAR 01, 2011 |
1851
Sojourner Truth delivers her famous "Ain't I a
Woman" speech at a women's rights convention in Akron, Ohio. The former
slave spent 40 years of her life preaching a message of equality for all
people.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Susan
B. Anthony stands beside her longtime friend Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
1869
Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony organize the
National Woman Suffrage Association to fight for women's rights, especially the
right to vote. More than a century later, Anthony was honored when the U.S.
Mint created a coin using her image.
1920
After 72 years of struggle, women win the right to vote with the
19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Shortly afterwards, the League of
Women Voters is formed to push for more reforms.
1942
About 350,000 women serve in the armed forces during World War
II. Many more provide support services. About 100,000 of those women serve in
the U.S. Navy as WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service).
1968
Shirley Chisholm becomes the first African American woman
elected to Congress. Four years later, the New Yorker became the first black
person to run for President in the Democratic primaries.
1972
Congress passes the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), 49 years after
it was first introduced! ERA calls for equal rights for both men and women.
However, a constitutional amendment requires both Congress' and the states'
approval, and the measure later failed when too few states approved it.
A federal law known as Title IX ensures equal funding for both
male and female sports in schools. As a result, women and girls have more
opportunities to participate in sports. In fact, many female Olympic athletes
say Title IX gave them the opportunity to attend college, participate in
sports, and receive athletic scholarships.
1981
Sandra Day O'Connor becomes the first woman appointed to the
U.S. Supreme Court. At the time, just six percent of all federal judges were
women.
1983
Sally Ride becomes America's first female astronaut when she
spends six days in space. Today, about 25 percent of NASA's astronauts are
women.
2002-2005
Young women make their mark in the music industry. Singer,
songwriter and piano whiz Alicia Keys took home five Grammy Awards in 2002, and
four more in 2005. Piano-playing singer and songwriter Norah Jones and her
album Come Away with Me snagged eight Grammys in 2003. Jones won three more of
music's biggest awards in 2005.
2005
Hillary Clinton becomes the first First Lady to be elected to
public office. She joins Congress as a U.S. Senator from New York.
2009
President Barack Obama nominates Sonia Sotomayor as the 111th
U.S. Supreme Court Justice. Sotomayor becomes the first Hispanic American and
only the third woman to serve on the nation's top court.
Hillary Clinton becomes Secretary of State on January 21, 2009.
As the President's top advisor on foreign policy, Clinton is the most powerful
woman in President Barack Obama's Cabinet. She is the third woman in U.S. history
to hold the important position. After four years on the job, she stepped down
at the start of 2013.
2012
Taylor Swift releases her fourth album, Red. In just one week,
the album sold 1.2 million copies. Her previous album, Speak Now, also sold
more than one million copies in the first week. Swift becomes the first female
artist in musical history to have two opening weeks with more than one million
album sales.
2013
Angela Merkel becomes first female German
Chancellor. Merkel is also the first former citizen of the German
Democratic Republic to lead the reunited Germany and the first woman to lead
Germany since it became a modern nation-state in 1871.
The Equal Pay Act celebrates its 50th
anniversary. President John F. Kennedy signed the act into law in 1963 to
help combat wage discrimination based on gender. Since that time, the gender
gap in wages has improved, particularly since the late 1970s.
2014
On August 15, 2014, Mo'Ne Davis becomes the first girl in Little
League World Series history to pitch a winning game and the first girl to pitch
a shutout in Little League postseason history.
The Day Women Went on Strike
The
Day Women Went on Strike
Today marks the 45th anniversary of the Women's Strike for Equality
March
The Women's Strike for Equality March took place in New York City on August
26, 1970.
Today marks the 45th anniversary of the Women's Strike for Equality
March
AUGUST 26, 2015
By Stephanie Kraus with
reporting by TIME’s Sascha Cohen
The Women's Strike for Equality March took place in New York City on August
26, 1970.
Today is Women's Equality Day in the United States.
The occasion was introduced in 1971 by Representative Bella Abzug. Why August
26? The date commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the
right to vote in 1920. It also celebrates the Women’s Strike for Equality
March, which took place on August 26, 1970. A full 50 years after the passage
of the 19th Amendment, women were still calling for equality. More than 50,000
feminists marched down New York City’s Fifth Avenue. They stood arm-in-arm,
blocking traffic during rush hour.
Today is Women's Equality Day in the United States.
The occasion was introduced in 1971 by Representative Bella Abzug. Why August
26? The date commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the
right to vote in 1920. It also celebrates the Women’s Strike for Equality
March, which took place on August 26, 1970. A full 50 years after the passage
of the 19th Amendment, women were still calling for equality. More than 50,000
feminists marched down New York City’s Fifth Avenue. They stood arm-in-arm,
blocking traffic during rush hour.
A Historic March
The National Organization for Women (NOW) organized
the march, which was lead by American writer and feminist Betty Friedan.
Friedan wanted to show the American media the power of the new feminist
movement.
Friedan’s original idea for August 26 was a national
work stoppage. She wanted women to stop cooking and cleaning to send a message
about unequal roles in the home and workplace. It isn’t clear how many women
truly took part, but the march served as a powerful symbol. Participants held
signs with slogans like “Don’t Iron While the Strike is Hot.” Feminism took
center stage in America.
The number of marchers exceeded Friedan’s “wildest
dreams.” TIME described the event as “easily the largest women’s rights rally
since the suffrage protests.” “We marched throughout the ‘60s,” said historian
Joyce Antler, who participated in the equality march. “We had faith that this
mattered.”
Spreading the Message
The Women’s Strike for Equality reached beyond New
York City, as thousands of feminists across the country organized similar
events. Activists went to “all male” restaurants, held teach-ins and sit-ins,
picketed and rallied in major cities. One thousand women marched on the
nation’s capital, holding a banner that read “We Demand Equality.”
The event organizers agreed on specific goals,
including equal opportunity in employment and education and the establishment
of full-time childcare centers. Over the next several years, activists tried to
turn these goals into realities.
Where We Stand
Today The women’s movement was most successful in
pushing for gender equality in workplaces and universities. The passage of
Title IX in 1972 banned sex discrimination in any educational program that
received funding from the federal government. The amendment helped level the
playing field in girl’s athletics. Women’s participation in college, graduate
school, and the workplace has increased over the past several decades, although
a gender wage gap still exists.
Perhaps the least amount of progress has been made
in the area of childcare. While President Obama has spoken about creating more
affordable childcare, there are no current plans to offer government-funded,
round-the-clock care in the U.S. As of 2014, the national average cost to
enroll an infant in a daycare center ranged between $15,000 and $22,500 per
year.
The long-term results of the Strike for Equality
March have been mixed. But in the short-term, the event accomplished a major
goal: it helped make the feminist movement more visible.
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