Women’s History Archives

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Feminism

Feminism, a belief in the political, economic and cultural equality of women, has roots in the earliest eras of human civilization. It is typically separated into three waves: first wave feminism, dealing with property rights and the right to vote; second wave feminism, focusing on equality and anti‑discrimination, and third wave feminism, which started in […]

Women’s History Milestones: A Timeline

Women’s history is full of trailblazers in the fight for equality in the United States. From Abigail Adams imploring her husband to “remember the ladies” when envisioning a government for the American colonies, to suffragists like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton fighting for women’s right to vote, to the rise of feminism and Hillary […]

Margaret Mead

Margaret Mead’s Early Life Mead, who turned the study of primitive cultures into a vehicle for criticizing her own, was born in Philadelphia on December 16, 1901. Both her father, Edward Mead, an economist at the Wharton School, and her mother, Emily Mead, a sociologist of immigrant family life and a feminist, were devoted to […]

Frances Perkins

Frances Perkins (1880‑1965) achieved historic gains as U.S. secretary of labor under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. After graduating from Mount Holyoke College, she was a teacher before becoming involved in social reform. She was the first woman to serve on the New York State Industrial Commission, as well as the first to hold a U.S. […]

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Las Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo

Human Rights Organization, Las Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, fight to find their grandchildren who were kidnapped by Argentina’s Authoritarian government in the 1970s.

11 Underappreciated World‑Changing Women

Bet you’ve never heard of all 11 of these game‑changing women and their incredible accomplishments.

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Susan B. Anthony and the Long Push for Women’s Suffrage

Historian Yohuru Williams recaps the efforts of women to secure the right to vote in the 19th century.

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19th Amendment

Historian Matthew Pinsker Learn about the long arduous journey made by suffragists that eventually won them the right to vote in 1920. Hosted by historian Matthew Pinsker.

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