After Congress passed Public Law 100-9 in 1987, the month of March has been designated as Women's History Month. Throughout the years to the present, Congress and the President have continued to proclaim the same. This year, President Biden proclaimed that "Women's History Month provides an opportunity to honor the generations of trailblazing women and girls who have built our Nation, shaped our progress, and strengthened our character as a people." Women from all backgrounds have contributed to our Nation in a variety of ways. Highlights from the Library of Congress include:
Women in the News
In terms of news publications, women have always been involved. According to the Library of Congress, women have been involved since "its colonial beginnings." Towards the 19th century, women began establishing their own news careers. Below is a list of notable women in the news industry:
- Elizabeth Timothy
- First woman publisher
- Margaret Fuller
- First women literary critic of the New York Tribune
- Ida B. Wells-Barnett
- Activist & former slave who wrote for the New York Age
- Victoria Earle Matthews
- Worked for prominent black newspapers
- Eliza Jane Poitevent Holbrook Nicholson
- Feature writer in New Orleans Daily Picayune
Along with being publishers and writers, women were soon recognized as having a large "purchasing power." After the fact, newspapers began directing sections to women as homemakers and mothers. The women's market was growing and these papers only boosted them. The Library of Congress publishes a list of biographical works that highlight women in the news.
Women in Popular Culture
Another art form that shows popular culture from the 1920s to the 1950s is pulp fiction. These pieces got their name because they "were printed on cheap, highly acidic paper" and "grew out of the dime novel industry of the 19th century." They were "predecessors to today's paperback books." Pulps showed stereotypical society views "within a fantastic, unusual setting." Women characters were often sidekicks or companions. The Library has a collection of Pulp Fiction that is now on microfilm.
Government Publications
There are a variety of government publications that pertain to women and issues that are important to them. The Library off Congress has a list of books, databases, and agency websites that all pertain to women's issues that can be found at this link. The Federal Advisory Committee also has a collection on committees work in regards of women's issues. It's important to go beyond U.S. specific publications and also mention international organizations' collections on women's issues. The United Nations has multiple programs that "highlight women's issues, promote human rights and gender equality, and monitor women's involvement in economic and social issues around the world. A few of their programs include:
Notable Women in History
Known for her refusal to give up her seat on a segregated bus, Rosa Parks was an activist and became an icon of the civil rights movement. The Library of Congress is currently hosting, Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words, a showcase that offers an intimate view of her life. It contains items from her early life, the Bus Boycott, and other items that show the global impact she left. A few of the exhibition items can be seen below, and the entire collection can be found here.
The Library also highlights the Women of Four Wars. This includes American women who served in Korea, Vietnam, Persian Gulf, and Iraq/Afghanistan. Women's participation in defending the nation grew within these wars, and it's important to showcase and honor those who served. Read the different experiences from different women in Korea & Vietnam and Persia Gulf & Iraq/Afghanistan here.
OSU Library Resources
Resources at the OSU Library include access to many books and journal articles that pertain to women. See the Library's website for the online catalog and database listing. Federal agency materials include:
- President's Commission on the Status of Women
- Women's Bureau
- Interdepartmental Committee on the Status of Women
- United Nations. Commission on the Status of Women
The Library of Congress offers various research guides in regards to Women and their history.
Commemorate and learn more about the role of women in American history.
Learn more about American women through a variety of primary sources.
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Government Information Online is produced by the staff at the Oklahoma State University Libraries Government Documents Department, a regional depository for U.S. Government and Oklahoma state government documents. We are located on the 5th floor of the Edmon Low Library. Our department website can be reached at www.info.library.okstate.edu/government-documents. For more information or for research assistance, contact us at 405.744.6546. or email suzanne.reinman@okstate.edu.
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