Happy Women's History Month!!
Because women haven't gotten the same historical commentary that men have gotten, let's take a moment to remember some of the cool stuff that women have done since day 1.
In a letter to John Adams dated March 31, 1776, Abigail Adams reminds to tell the Continental Congress to "remember the ladies & be more generous & favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of husbands. Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care & attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, & will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation."
On May 29, 1851, former slave turned abolitionist & women's rights activist, Sojourner Truth, delivers her famous "Ain't I a Woman Speech" at a women's rights convention in Akron, Ohio.
Here is a video of Kerry Washington performing "Ain't I a Woman": Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman” Performed by Kerry Washington
The legislature of the Wyoming territory passed America's first women's suffrage law in December, 1869, granting women the right to vote & hold office within the territory. In 1890, Wyoming becomes the 44th state admitted tot he Union & as a result, becomes the first state to allow general women's suffrage. (They beat the United States government by 50 years.)
Jeannette Rankin of Montana was a longtime activist with the National Woman Suffrage Association. On April 2, 1917, she is sworn in as the first woman elected to Congress as a member of the House of Representatives.
The Nineteenth Amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920. Thanks to the work of Jeannette Rankin, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, & many others.
Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman & second ever pilot (behind Charles Lindbergh) to fly solo non-stop across the Atlantic. Her flight lasted May 20th through 21st, 1932.
On March 4, 1933, Frances Perkins became the Labor Secretary under Franklin Delano Roosevelt & is the first female in the role.
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat to a white man on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. This is a moment that helps to launch the civil rights movement.
Title IX of the Education Amendments is signed into law by President Richard Nixon on June 23, 1972. It states "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."
On January 22, 1973, the US Supreme Court declares that the Constitution protects a woman's legal right to an abortion in landmark decision of Roe v. Wade. Ultimately, the Supreme Court overturned this ruling in June 2022 & the states have taken to codifying reproductive rights for women.
In the "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match on September 20, 1973, Billie Jean King beats Bobby Riggs in straight sets during an exhibition match that aired on primetime tv & drew 90 million views. After the match, Billie Jean King is quoted as saying "I thought it would set us back 50 years if I didn't win that match. It would ruin the women's tennis tour & affect all women's self-esteem."
On July 7, 1981, President Ronald Reagan announced that he would nominate Sandra Day O'Connor as an associate justice of the Supreme Court. O'Connor would go on to become the first woman Supreme Court justice.
Janet Reno is sworn in as the first female Attorney General of the United States on March 12, 1993 & Madeleine Albright was sworn in as the first female Secretary of State on January 23, 1997. Both served in their positions under President Bill Clinton.
On January 4, 2007, US Representative Nancy Pelosi becomes the first female Speaker of the House. In 2019, she reclaimed the title & became the first lawmaker to hold the office two times in more than 50 years.
On January 20, 2021, Kamala Harris is sworn in as the first woman & first woman of color Vice President of the United States. To quote Vice President Harris, "While I may be the first women in this office, I will not be the last."
Yes, women's history is American History. Yes, it is the history of groups who have been repressed in the US. Yes, women's history happened during key moments. Saying that does not make the women less impressive, nor does shining a light on females through time negate any of the previous statements. Both things can be true at the same time.
The Quincy Public Library can help get your hands on a physical copy of "Ain't I a Woman" (if that is your preferance), biographies of all of the ladies who were mentioned above, materials on the suffrage movement, materials on the civil rights movement, women's health, reproductive rights, women & the American Revolution, women in politics.
While you wait on that, stop by the library & check out our Women's History Month display, featuring materials by women with female protagonists.
