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Smithsonian American Women's History Museum

Black and white photo of Elizebeth Smith Friedman from the chest up.

Elizebeth Smith Friedman Was the U.S. Government's First Woman Codebreaker. She Cracked Nazi Secrets, Saved 8,000 Lives and Pioneered Modern Cryptography

For decades, Elizebeth Smith Friedman worked in near-total secrecy, cracking codes that shaped the outcome of two world wars. Recently declassified, the full extent of her story is still coming to light

Julia Ward Howe posed seated with a book open on her lap.

Meet Julia Ward Howe, the Remarkable Poet Who Wrote the ‘Battle Hymn of the Republic’ and Fought for Women's Suffrage

The poet, philosopher and suffragist wrote a rallying cry in 1861 that would resonate for more than a century—echoing through the Civil Rights Movement and beyond.

Martin Luther King, Jr. stands at a podium with several microphones. Behind him to his left is a crowd of seated and standing people, including Dorothy Height, turned towards him.

Excluded at the March on Washington, Dorothy Height Went on to Become the ‘Godmother of the Civil Rights Movement.’ See How She Built a Movement with Women at the Center.

As one of the only women planning the March on Washington, Dorothy Height organized the logistics, mobilized the crowds, and was never given the microphone. What she built in response helped shape the modern women's movement.

Text of the Declaration in two columns, with the names of the signers in four columns.

Every American Knows the Declaration of Independence. Almost Nobody Knows the Woman Who Printed It

As Baltimore's postmaster and printer to the Continental Congress, Mary Katharine Goddard produced the first official copy of the Declaration of Independence to include the signers' names—and added her own.

Summer Hamilton stands in front of a classroom gesturing.

Discover What a Woman's Voice Can Do That a Textbook Can't. Meet the Team Turning Oral History into Financial Education.

What's missing from financial literacy education? The Smithsonian American Women's History Museum is using first-person stories from We Do Declare to reshape the way students learn about money and financial independence.

A woman and child stand at a shop counter facing a woman behind the register.

How Four Women Built Careers on the Financial Lessons They Learned at Home

In oral histories, advocates and executives reflect on how their mothers shaped their understanding of financial independence through quiet examples and everyday conversations.

A group of people stand around a table looking at a dress laid out on top. Lighting and processing equipment is visible in the background.

How the American Women’s History Initiative Pool Lays the Groundwork for a New Museum

Since 2018, the American Women's History Initiative Pool has funded more than 200 projects across the Smithsonian, supporting research, collections, and programming that make women's history visible long before the museum has a building.

Sepia portrait of Sallie E. Pero from the chest up.

Before Computers Were Machines, They Were Women. Here Are Six Places Where Human Computers Built Modern Science

From AT&T to NASA, women working as computers performed the calculations that made modern science possible. In the early 1900s, computing joined teaching and nursing as one of the few careers open to college-educated women, and it opened doors that few other professions could

Woman holding a sign reading “Equal positions with equal pay” during an equal pay demonstration in a city plaza, with women seated behind her.

Women Who Reshaped Financial Power and Economic Opportunity

How have women built real financial power? 'We Do Declare' shares oral histories of women who opened pathways to wealth, influence, and opportunity.

Women stand together behind a rope barrier at the Women’s March for Equality.

How Women Built Networks of Support for Economic Independence

Through oral histories, 'We Do Declare' highlights women who created networks of economic support and opened pathways to opportunity and financial independence.

A group of women law students gathered around a table in a library.

How Women Researchers Changed Our Understanding of Women’s Economic Lives

How can better data drive economic change? 'We Do Declare' uses oral histories to reveal how women collected evidence, reframed the conversation about money, and shaped lasting policy and economic opportunity.

A group of smiling women pose for a picture with their hands up in a cheer in front of the U.S. Capitol.

Women Who Changed the Laws Shaping Economic Independence

'We Do Declare' shares firsthand stories of women who organized, advocated, and passed laws to expand access to credit, work, and lasting financial independence.

Gail Winslow sits at a desk reviewing documents with another woman.

What Oral Histories Reveal About Women’s Pursuit of Economic Independence

What does independence really mean for women? Through oral histories spanning generations, 'We Do Declare' explores how access to money, credit, and opportunity shaped women’s lives and the economic freedom that makes true independence possible.

Rebecca Northen seated with her hands crossed in her lap facing the camera.

Where Are All the Women? Notability and Digital Discovery

Rebecca Northen was called the 'Julia Child of Orchids,' yet her story is hard to find online. Discover why women disappear from digital history and what can be done to change it.

Three women pose for a photo in front of a Victorian-style house.

Exploring Clara Barton’s Legacy: A Field Trip into Women’s History Preservation

Explore Clara Barton’s legacy with Smithsonian interns at historic sites that preserve women’s history, from the Missing Soldiers Office to the Red Cross.

Black and white photograph of an Indigenous woman with short, dark hair wearing a long-sleeve floral patterned blouse with a darker piece of floral fabric draped over her shoulder and tied at her waist.

Fragments of Ancient Pottery Inspired Maria Martinez

Discover how Maria Martinez revolutionized Pueblo pottery with her innovative black-on-black ceramics, inspired by ancient fragments and created through experimental firing techniques at San Ildefonso Pueblo.

Althea Gibson in mid-swing on a tennis court, positioned in an athletic stance with her racket extended. A large crowd of spectators fills the stadium seating in the background.

Every Coin Tells a Story: Althea Gibson’s Family Reflects on Her Legacy

An interview with Don Felder, Althea Gibson's second cousin, where he shares personal memories of the tennis legend and reflects on her new commemorative quarter and lasting legacy.

Barbara Franklin seated in the center of a room surrounded by lighting and sound equipment. Rachel Seidman sits facing her approximate five feet away with papers in her lap.

How Oral History Can Empower Women’s Voices

Smithsonian intern shares her experience observing an oral history interview for We Do Declare, highlighting how women’s voices are preserved and amplified through storytelling.

Sally Ride wearing a blue flight suit and helmet with her hands on either side of the helmet.

A Woman’s Place: In Outer Space

Learn about Sally Ride, Mae Jemison, and Eileen Collins, some of the pioneering women at NASA who were among the first to suit up for spaceflight.

Three young women pose together for a photo in front of the Smithsonian Castle.

Explore Women’s History Through Smithsonian Internships

Discover how the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum’s 2025 interns explored women’s history through hands-on research, public programming, and digital projects across the Smithsonian.

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