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Pocahontas
The settlement of Jamestown, Virginia occurred in 1609 by the British colonists and Pocahontas's land was taken over simultaneously. Once they had come, she became a bridge between the Native people and the British and took on a guide/adviser role for the colonists. Since Powhatan women were in charge of growing tobacco, Pocahontas aided Rolfe with the harvesting of Tobacco, which later became Virginia's trade item. -
The Trial of Anne Hutchinson
Anne Hutchinson was a midwife and the daughter of a clergyman. She held meetings in her house preaching and questioning the Puritan religion in regards to salvation. Women were previously never allowed to state their opinions openly and so she was tried for these meetings and for the defiance of gender roles. The Puritans feared that her deviance would inspire others. She was able to open the eyes of her peers and enabled them to think deeper than the surface. -
Salem Witchtrials
In Salem, Massachusetts 200 people were accused of being witches and 19 people were hanged. Women were a larger target during this hysteria, which is why 80 percent of these people were women. By April, the number of accusers increased to 342. Women that were accused of being witches were soon to have economic power and women who would speak their minds publicly and debate with men in their neighborhoods. This shows that women were on the brink of success and men felt threatened by them. -
Eliza Pinckney of South Carolina
Eliza Pinckney inherited/oversaw her family's plantation as well as two other agricultural estates when her father left them to her in 1739. At 15, an educated and disciplined teenager, she defied the stereotypes that said girls didn't need education nor could handle demanding careers outside the home. When her father sent her indigo seeds to cultivate in 1740, she worked hard to reap them into a profitable crop on SC soil. She also inherited/managed estates from her late husband later in life. -
The Daughters of Liberty
The Daughters of Liberty were groups of very politically active, middle-class, female nationalists or essentially, patriotic white women who advocated by boycotting British goods, attending rallies during the political uproar of rights being taken, holding many enlightened discussions, and writing many letters to friends and associates in order to bring inspiration to others and increase political participation. -
Deborah Samson
Deborah Samson was a woman who disguised herself as a man in order to serve in the Continental army. She went by the name of Robert Shurtleff while she was active in the war. She fought in the war for a year and a half which was previously unheard of for women. She eventually married and had a family but was also able to receive a full military pension for her contribution to America. -
Clara Barton
First was a clerk at the US Patent Office in D.C and later quit her job when the Civil War started to hand out supplies the soldiers in need. There at every battle in Maryland, she worked as a nurse where she was referred to as the “angel of the battlefield.” Clara, with no medical training, became a head nurse. After she left for Switzerland and came back, she founded the American Red Cross. Clara became a successful entrepreneur without having any previous education or training in her field. -
Susie King Taylor
Born a slave near Savanah Georgia and found refuge with the Union Army, Susie joined the first black regiment in the US Army. Because of her literacy skills, she moved from cooking and washing clothes to helping ex-slaves read and write when they joined the Union Army. After the Civil War ended, she joined Woman’s Relief Corps that was for female Civil War veterans, and lived out the rest of her days with them. She defied stereotypes of ex-slaves not being intelligent, slow, and ignorant. -
Ida B. Wells
Ida B. Wells is a social activist who actively fought against the lynching of African Americans and advocated for civil rights. She advocated self-help, education, and social reform when writing her columns. When a group of black men was shot and murder, she conceived 6,000 African Americans to not be intimidated by these actions and leave Memphis. She showed that not only can women lead, but they can also influence the entire community, just by the flick of her pen. -
Kate Chopin
Kate Chopin wrote the novel "The Awakening" where she emphasized female independence through her character Edna. Edna falls in love with another man who isn't her husband but then kills herself when he shares the traditional ideals as her husband. She paved the way for feminism through her novel and demonstrated that no matter what women should believe and fight for their opinions no matter what. Divorce rates shot up higher than ever before as women were demanding more independence and respect. -
Flappers
Flappers were women that dressed in short skirts and wore bobbed hair. Their actions went against stereotypical behavior placed on young women. They smoked, listened to jazz music, and wore makeup. The bobbed hair challenged the longer hairstyle which considered a woman to be feminine and their attire paved the way for sexual freedom for women. Flappers advocated for female independence from men and societal norms. They forever changed the way in which women were viewed sexually and politically. -
World War ll: Women on the Home Front
Women were participating in roles that previously belonged to men and were taking on roles outside of the home. They were nurses, were trained for 35 hours to learn to fly in the air, and endured bootcamp as men did to train them for the active roles in the war. Due to their participation, women could no longer be deemed as incapable of doing jobs that men were capable of doing and gave new perspective on female "weakness". -
Betty Friedan
Betty Friedan was an American feminist writer and activist. She was a leading figure in the women's movement and in 1963, her book, The Feminine Mystique was published. Once the book came out, it quickly became a sensation and created a social revolution among women. It is often credited with sparking the second wave of American feminism in the 20th century. -
Shirley Chisholm
Shirley Chisholm was an American politician, activist, educator and author. In 1968, Chisholm made history when she became the first Black woman to be elected into Congress. In 1975 she was the first Black woman and the first Black American to enter the Democratic presidential race. Chisholm was also the co-founder for the National Political Congress for Black Women. -
Gloria Steinem
Gloria Steinem is also an American feminist, journalist and social political activist who became nationally recognized as a leader and a spokeswoman for the American feminist movement. She was a columnist and helped found New York magazine and also was a co-founder of Ms. magazine. Steinem was part of the Women's Rights Movement and helped many minority communities. Although many men and women disagreed with Steinem's views & plans, she defied the social norms and created a safe space for many.
