Celebrating Women's History Month
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First lady Michelle Obama, with actresses Kerry Washington, left, and Sarah Jones, right, welcomes guests to the Diplomatic Room of the White House in Washington, March 19,2009, as she hosted a series of events in celebration of Women's History Month.
In March, the world observes International Women’s Day, and, in the United States, Women’s History Month.
Women's Day was first celebrated in the United States in 1909. In 1911, more than 1 million people attended events in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland during the first International Women's Day. Now, it is national holiday in a few countries to commemorate the achievements women have made and to highlight the varieties of obstacles they still confront in work and life.
The origins of National Women’s History Month can be traced to Sonoma County, California, where in 1978 the Commission on the Status of Women initiated Women’s History Week. Two years later, President Jimmy Carter asked Americans to celebrate women's historic accomplishments in conjunction with International Women's Day. Congress established the first National Women’s History Week in 1981 and expanded it to a month in 1987.
Useful Links
From America.gov
Presidential Proclamation on Women’s History Month, 2011
International Women’s Day Shows How Women Can Help Women Succeed
World Reflects on Women’s Progress, Remaining Obstacles
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton: Women Are Drivers of Positive Change
U.S. Celebrates Women’s Contributions to the World Every March
Women of Influence
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Anne Marbury Hutchinson, Courageous Exponent of Civil Liberty, Religious Toleration
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Margaret Cochran Corbin, First American woman to serve as a soldier in war for liberty
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Susan Brownell Anthony:“Incomparable Organizer" of women's rights movement
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Jeannette Pickering Rankin:First Woman Member of the U.S. Congress
Women of Influence
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This collection by America.gov chronicles how 21 notable American women broke new ground, some by championing equal rights for all and others by their accomplishments in fields such as government, literature, and even in war. Read it here.
Great Women
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Great Women of 21th Century
A new photography exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery celebrates American women who made important contributions to arts, science, sports, entertainment, business and politics in the 20th century. Join America.gov for a brief introduction to a few of these remarkable women.