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Women's Rights

Eleanor Roosevelt talks to a child at the ceremonies inaugurating the slum clearance in Detroit, Michigan.

Women Who Shaped History

Why Eleanor Roosevelt’s Example Matters More Than Ever

A new biography shows how decency, determination and generosity of heart can change the world

Self-Portrait as St. Catherine of Alexandria, Artemisia Gentileschi, circa 1615-1617

Why a Long-Awaited Artemisia Gentileschi Exhibition Is So Significant

The Baroque painter is the subject of the London National Gallery’s first major show dedicated to a female artist

“Armed with a fierce intelligence and a love of analytical reasoning, Ginsburg (by Everett Raymond Kinstler, 1996) fought passionately for all Americans to have equal representation under the law and inspired women in particular, to believe in themselves to make positive change,” say Kim Sajet, director of the National Portrait Gallery.

Nation Mourns Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Who Broke Barriers and Became a Feminist Icon

The Supreme Court justice, who died at 87, “inspired women to believe in themselves,” says the Smithsonian’s Kim Sajet

Patricia Roberts Harris, Vivian Malone and Zephyr Wright were among those in attendance at the March 1965 signing of the Voting Rights Act.

100 Years of Women at the Ballot Box

For Generations, Black Women Have Envisioned a Better, Fairer American Politics

A new book details the 200-plus years of trenchant activism, from anti-slavery in the earliest days of the U.S. to 21st-century voting rights

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

The age-of-consent campaigns of the 1880s and 1890s represent a vital yet little-known chapter in the history of suffrage.

100 Years of Women at the Ballot Box

What Raising the Age of Sexual Consent Taught Women About the Vote

Before many women could vote in the United States, they lobbied male legislators to change statutory rape laws and gained political skills in the process

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

Susan B. Anthony (seen here in 1898) was fined $100 for casting her vote in the 1872 presidential election.

100 Years of Women at the Ballot Box

In 1872, Susan B. Anthony Was Arrested for Voting ‘Unlawfully’

President Donald Trump posthumously pardoned the pioneering activist on the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage

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

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 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

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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

Lucretia Mott’s signature Quaker bonnet—hand-sewn green silk with a stiff cotton brim—from the collection of the National Museum of American History.

100 Years of Women at the Ballot Box

What Made Lucretia Mott One of the Fiercest Opponents of Slavery and Sexism

Her humble Quaker upbringing taught her how to stand up for her beliefs

Former First Lady (and bestselling author) Michelle Obama has teamed up with PBS Kids and Penguin Random House for a live story time every Monday at noon.

Education During Coronavirus

A Read-Along With Michelle Obama and Other Livestream Learning Opportunities

Schools are shuttered, but kids can dance with New York’s Ballet Hispánico and listen to a story from a certain former First Lady

Cate Blanchett plays conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly

Women Who Shaped History

The True Story of ‘Mrs. America’

In the new miniseries, feminist history, dramatic storytelling and an all-star-cast bring the Equal Rights Amendment back into the spotlight

The ever-growing list of 1,000 Places Where Women Made History currently includes everything from homes where pioneering women once lived, buildings where specific events that involved them occurred, and where women-led accomplishments happened.

Women Who Shaped History

Crowdsourcing Project Aims to Document the Many U.S. Places Where Women Have Made History

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is looking for 1,000 places tied to women’s history, and to share the stories of the figures behind them

Left, a photograph of Helen Hamilton Gardener circa 1920. Right, an image of the Smithsonian's NAWSA exhibition, featuring the table upon which the "Declaration of Sentiments" was written.

Women Who Shaped History

The Woman Who Pushed the Smithsonian to Preserve the Victory for Suffrage

After lobbying in support of the 19th Amendment, free thinker Helen Hamilton Gardener strove to preserve the movement’s legacy in the public memory

Dame Helen Gwynne-Vaughan, chief controller of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, is one of six women set to be recognized with "blue plaques."

London Will Install Six New Plaques Commemorating Women’s History

The move is part of an ongoing effort to correct gender imbalances in the city’s 150-year-old “blue plaque” initiative

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