Politics & Government

5 Things To Know Today: March 4 (Honoring Women's History Month)

It's Women's History Month; here are five interesting facts about how it came to be.

What Is It? Women's History Month is a designation given to the month of March every year to honor the contributions made by women in America and around the world. Find out lots more at the National Women's History Project website, and read on...

Why March? The U.S. Census Bureau notes March 8, 1857 as the key date in the movement to establish Women's History Month. On that date, women factory workers in New York City protested over working conditions. There were other notable achievements for women after that — you'll find a few of them in "Key Dates In Women's History" below.

How Did It Become A Whole Month? Then-President Jimmy Carter proclaimed March 2 through 8 to be "National Women's History Week" in 1980. You can read his proclamation here. Before long, states were designating the entire month to women's history, and in 1987, Congress named the month of March as Women's History Month.

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What Can You Do? Head over to and check out books, CDs, or videos on women who made a difference — Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton are among the better known. You might even inquire about the namesake of the local library herself.

Key Dates In Women's History:

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  • Susan B. Anthony, a teacher, calls for equal pay for women in 1837. She attempts to vote in 1872 and is arrested the next year, with the outcry spurring the introduction of the "Anthony Amendment" in 1878 giving women the right to vote. (Spoiler: It wasn't ratified right away.)
  • Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony found the National Woman Sufferage Association in 1869. 
  • Colorado approves the first women's voting law by referendum in 1893.
  • Tennessee ratifies the so-called "Anthony Amendment" in August, 1920, providing the final vote by a state to approve the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
  • In 1916, Jeannette Rankin becomes the first woman ever elected to the U.S. Congress.
  • Rosa Parks is arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a public bus in 1955.
  • Sandra Day O'Connor becomes the first female Supreme Court Justice in 1981.

There are many, many more — you can find important dates in the women's suffrage movement on About.com's page, and other important dates in women's history on scholastic's website.


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