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Anne Hutchinson, a Puritan preacher in New England. Banished for preaching that anyone who worshiped God through a personal connection could go to heaven, challenging the male religious authority in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. -
In 1662, Maryland enacted a law that allowed women to inherit property.
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Abigail Adams writes a letter to John Adams urging him and the Continental Congress to "remember the ladies" when creating a new nation.
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In 1782, Deborah Sampson disguised as a man and joined the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment, to fight in the Revolutionary War.
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Judith Sargent Murray publishes an essay that argues for the spiritual and educational equality of men, challenging the belief that women were naturally lesser than men.
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New Jersey was the only state to temporarily allow women to vote by adding "he or she" into its election clause.
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An academy founded by Sarah Pierce under the belief that women and men were intellectually equal. This academy played a crucial role in allowing new educational opportunities for women. -
The Cult of Domesticity emphasized purity, submissiveness, and domesticity as the attributes of a true woman. This limited women's access to education, jobs, and politics. This also influenced social norms and gender roles.
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The Grimké Sisters become leading abolitionists and women's right activists. The two southern women were American writers, educators, and public speakers. -
The Lowell Mill Girls worked in the textile mills. They were young, faced long hours, and were paid little. They lived in boardinghouses with other women, and striked against wage cuts.
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Seneca Falls Convention was the first women's rights convention, and played a pivotal role in starting the women's suffrage movement. -
Created at the Seneca Falls Convention, this document outlined the rights American women should have as citizens.
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Women serve as nurses and spies during the Civil War, including Clara Barton. -
On December 10, 1869, the governor of the Wyoming Territory, John Campbell, approved the first law explicitly granting women the right to vote. This event is a significant step, as it happened 50 years before the 19th Amendment was ratified.
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The American Women Suffrage Association was formed, led by Lucy Stone, to advocate for women's suffrage through state level efforts. This organization differed from the NWSA, which focused on federal Constitution amendments.
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The National Woman Suffrage Association was formed to work for women's suffrage in the United States. The Association was formed by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. -
The Women's Christian Temperance Movement was a religious organization that focused on combating the influence of alcohol on family and society. It played a key role in the temperance movement and the push for prohibition.
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Jane Addams founded and led Hull House, one of the first settlement houses in North America. Hull House offered services such as health clinics, nutrition information, sanitation, childcare, and English classes. This was important to immigrants to settle in to their new country.
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Ida B. Wells, a journalist and activists, led an anti-lynching campaign to expose the brutality of lynchings and fights for legal reforms.
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Margaret Sanger opened the first birth control clinic in the United States. This clinic aimed to provide women with information about contraception, which was illegal at the time. Sanger was arrested and briefly jailed for operating the clinic. Despite its short lifespan (just 10 days), the clinic sparked national attention and helped raise awareness about the birth control movement.
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Jeannette Rankin was elected to Congress, and was the first woman in federal office. -
The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, guaranteeing women the right to vote, was ratified in 1920.
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The League of Women Voters is an American nonprofit. Its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, boosting voter turnout, and advocating for voting rights.
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A member of the Democratic Party, Perkins was the first woman ever to serve in a presidential cabinet. She helped make labor issues important in the emerging New Deal coalition. -
Eleanor Roosevelt significantly reshaped the role of the First Lady during her time as the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945). She went beyond traditional domestic duties and became actively involved in public affairs, advocacy, and social issues, establishing a precedent for First Ladies to play a more prominent and impactful role. -
During World War II, women took on industrial jobs to fill the gap left by men who joined the military, a period often symbolized by the figure of Rosie the Riveter. Women entered the workforce, taking on roles in factories, shipyards, and other industries, producing war materials and supporting the war effort. -
The Women's Armed Services Integration Act was a landmark in women's rights that allowed women to serve in the U.S. military on a permanent basis. This act granted women the right to serve in all branches of the military. -
The Montgomery bus boycott, a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement, was sparked by Rosa Parks's refusal to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. This led to a year-long boycott of city buses by African Americans in Montgomery, Alabama, challenging the policy of racial segregation on public transportation. -
The Equal Pay Act of 1963 prohibits sex-based wage discrimination between men and women performing equal work under similar conditions in the same establishment. It amended the Fair Labor Standards Act and mandated that employers cannot pay unequal wages to men and women.
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The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on sex in employment, including gender discrimination. The law also protects against harassment based on gender, including sexual harassment and discrimination based on stereotypes.
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The National Organization for Women promotes Feminist ideals, leads societal change, eliminate discrimination, and fights for equal rights for all women.
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Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman elected in congress. -
Title IX bans sex discrimination in education.
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The Roe. V. Wade decision made abortion legal by establishing a woman's right to privacy, which includes the right to choose whether or not to continue a pregnancy.
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Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in the "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match, a highly publicized event. This match is considered a significant victory for women's sports and the fight for gender equality. -
Sandra Day O'Connor was appointed to the Supreme Court, and was the first woman justice. -
Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space, setting a milestone for women in previously male dominated fields. -
Geraldine Ferraro became the first woman to be nominated as a vice-presidential candidate by a major party in the United States. While the Mondale-Ferraro ticket lost, her nomination was a significant milestone in American political history. -
Anita Hill testifies, alleging sexual harassment by a supreme court nominee. This impacted the conversation on sexual harassment and the confirmation process. -
The Violence Against Women Act established a federal framework to combat violence against women, including funding for investigations, prosecution, and victim services.
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Madeleine Albright became the first female United States Secretary of State in 1997. She was also the highest-ranking woman in the U.S. government at the time of her appointment. -
Hillary Clinton was the first First Lady to hold elected office. -
Nancy Pelosi became the first female speaker of the US House of Representatives, and held the position from 2007-2011.
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This act boosted workplace protections for workers who are subjected to unfair wage discrimination. This means women (and others) can raise a challenge to unfair pay.