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Women's History

“Wise and Valiant: Women and Writing in the Golden Age of Spain” spotlights Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (left) and Catalina de Erauso (right), among others.

Remembering the Forgotten Women Writers of 17th-Century Spain

A show in Madrid highlights female authors who penned histories, biographies, poetry, novels, scripts and more

This month's selections include A Traitor to His Species, The Tsarina's Lost Treasure and The Daughters of Yalta.

Books of the Month

Catherine the Great’s Lost Treasure, the Rise of Animal Rights and Other New Books to Read

These five September releases may have been lost in the news cycle

A visitor at Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument in Washington, D.C.

100 Years of Women at the Ballot Box

How the National Park Foundation Is Highlighting Women’s History

The organization will allocate $460,000 toward projects at 23 parks across the country

A photo from the statue's unveiling in Central Park on Wednesday, August 26

100 Years of Women at the Ballot Box

Why the First Monument of Real Women in Central Park Matters—and Why It’s Controversial

Today, New York City welcomed a public artwork honoring three suffragists. But some scholars argue that the statue obscures more than it celebrates

An artist's rendering of the mosaic, which is on view at Union Station in Washington, D.C. through August 28

100 Years of Women at the Ballot Box

A 1,000-Square-Foot Mosaic of Ida B. Wells Welcomes Visitors to D.C.’s Union Station

The artwork, installed in honor of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage, celebrates the pioneering civil rights leader and journalist

A statue of 20th-century educator Nettie Depp will be installed in the Kentucky State Capitol next August.

Kentucky State Capitol Will Unveil Its First Statue Honoring a Woman

The sculpture depicts Nettie Depp, who championed public education in the early 20th century

Civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer's searing speech about the brutality she'd endured because, as a voting rights activist, she wanted black Americans "to become first-class citizens," made primetime before the 1964 DNC officially kicked off.

100 Years of Women at the Ballot Box

Fannie Lou Hamer’s Dauntless Fight for Black Americans’ Right to Vote

The activist did not learn about her right to vote until she was 44, but once she did, she vigorously fought for black voting rights

The Reclaim Her Name campaign centers on 25 books published by authors who wrote under male pseudonyms.

Why a Campaign to ‘Reclaim’ Women Writers’ Names Is So Controversial

Critics say Reclaim Her Name fails to reflect the array of reasons authors chose to publish under male pseudonyms

Read excerpts from women senators' testimonials below.

100 Years of Women at the Ballot Box

Women Senators Reflect on the 100th Anniversary of Suffrage

Twenty-four lawmakers shared testimonials with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History

Women vote at the polls in Cheyenne, Wyoming. In Wyoming, women were voting fifty years before the Nineteenth Amendment was passed in 1920.

100 Years of Women at the Ballot Box

How the American West Led the Way for Women in Politics

Western territories and states were the first to expand voting rights for women

Fannie Farmer oversees one of her students, Martha Hayes Ludden, at the Boston Cooking School in 1900.

How 12 Female Cookbook Authors Changed the Way We Eat

A new book examines the recipes of a dozen cooks who made groundbreaking contributions across the food industry

Queen Liliʻuokalani (above: circa 1891) became the first and only queen regnant of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1891 and shepherded the country through a period of intense growth.

100 Years of Women at the Ballot Box

How the 19th Amendment Complicated the Status and Role of Women in Hawai’i

For generations, women played a central role in government and leadership. Then, the United States came along

When Geraldine Ferraro accepted the Democratic party's nomination on July 19, 1984, she became the first woman to be a major party's candidate for vice president.

100 Years of Women at the Ballot Box

How Geraldine Ferraro’s 1984 Campaign Broke the Vice-Presidential Glass Ceiling

The charismatic congresswoman from Queens forged a path for women in American politics

The digitized trove features letters, photographs, diaries, programs, recordings and other artifacts.

Education During Coronavirus

Explore the Newly Digitized Diaries and Letters of Marian Anderson

Penn Libraries’ online portal includes more than 2,500 artifacts related to the famed opera singer

The League of Women Voters led registration efforts across the country.

100 Years of Women at the Ballot Box

What the First Women Voters Experienced When Registering for the 1920 Election

The process varied by state, with some making accommodations for the new voting bloc and others creating additional obstacles

Olivia de Havilland's 1943 legal victory against Warner Bros. contributed to the downfall of the Hollywood studio system.

Olivia de Havilland, Star of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Dies at 104

The actress is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Melanie Hamilton in “Gone With the Wind”

Chicago-based publisher Haymarket Books will launch the reimagined London tube map next International Women’s Day, March 8, 2021.

A New London Tube Map Will Highlight Women and Nonbinary People

Co-organizers Emma Watson and Reni Eddo-Lodge drew inspiration from a 2016 project centered on the New York City subway

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100 Years of Women at the Ballot Box

100 Years of Women at the Ballot Box

How women have fought for and wielded the right to vote in the century since the 19th Amendment was ratified

Trixie Friganza, noted feminist, suffragist and inspiration for "Take Me Out to the Ball Game"

Women Who Shaped History

The Feminist History of ‘Take Me Out to the Ball Game’

Trixie Friganza, an actress and suffragist, inspired the popular song of the seventh inning stretch

Mary McLeod Bethune, pictured in the 1920s, when her school became a co-ed institution and she became the president of the National Association of Colored Women.

100 Years of Women at the Ballot Box

Mary McLeod Bethune Was at the Vanguard of More Than 50 Years of Black Progress

Winning the vote for women was a mighty struggle. Securing full liberation for women of color was no less daunting

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