LibGuides: Women's History: History

History of Women's History Month

First WAVES Machine Gun Instructors
Collection: National Archives “Women in the Military” collection on Historypin

National Women’s History Month traces its roots to March 8, 1857, when women from various New York City factories staged a protest over poor working conditions.
The first Women's Day celebration in the United States was in New York City in 1909.
In 1981, Congress established National Women's History Week to be commemorated annually the second week of March.
In 1987, Congress expanded the week to a month.

[Source: US Census Bureau]

Women's History

Sojourner Truth. c1864. Library of Congress.

19A: The Brookings Gender Equality Series
Essays from the Brookings Institution analyzing how gender equality has evolved since the passage of the 19th Amendment.
Because of Her Story
Stories and objects from the Smithsonian Institute.
Crusade for the Vote
History of the US women's suffrage movement by the National Women's History Museum.
Internet Women's History History Sourcebook
Links to brief accounts of people, documents, images, and other aspects of the ancient, medieval and modern history of women from Fordham University.
National Women's History Museum
Includes general resources about women's history as well as those geared towards educators and students. The museum also sponsors programming and events, some virtual.
Teacher's Guide Women’s History in the United States
From the National Endowment for the Humanities, includes lesson plans and videos.
Women's History Month
Collaboratiion between the The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Includes exhibits, videos and audios, images, and resources for teachers.
Women's History | National Museum of American History
Collections and exhibitions with photos and videos related to women's history.
Women and the White House
Stories of women who lived and worked in the White House.
Women in American History | American Experience
PBS collection of films, interviews, articles, and images featuring significant women and milestones.
Women in Congress
Profiles and essays from the US House of Representatives History, Art & Archives.
Women | National Archives
Links to bibliographies, African-American women, biographies, politics, suffrage
and women in the military.
Women’s History
Articles and videos from the History Channel.