Congressional Resolution Designating the Month of March as “Women’s History Month”

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Whereas American women of every race, class, and ethnic background have made historic contributions to the growth and strength of our Nation in countless recorded and unrecorded ways;

Whereas American women have played and continue to play a critical economic, cultural, and social role in every sphere of the life of the Nation by constituting a significant portion of the labor force working inside and outside of the home;

Whereas American women have played a unique role throughout the history of the Nation by providing the majority of the volunteer labor force of the Nation;

Whereas American women were particularly important in the establishment of early charitable, philanthropic, and cultural institutions in our Nation;

Whereas American women of every race, class, and ethnic background served as early leaders in the forefront of every major progressive social change movement;

Whereas American women have been leaders, not only in securing their own rights of suffrage and equal opportunity, but also in the abolitionist movement, the emancipation movement, the industrial labor movement, the civil rights movement, and other movements, especially the peace movement, which create a more fair and just society for all; and

Whereas despite these contributions, the role of American women in history has been consistently overlooked and undervalued, in the literature, teaching, and study of American history:

Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that March is designated as "Women's History Month." The President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation for each of these months, calling upon the people of the United States to observe those months with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

Courtesy of the National Women's History Project.
For more information about this organization, please contact the National Women's History Project, 7738 Bell Road, Windsor, CA 95492. (707) 838-6000.

Important Dates in U.S. Women’s History
Read a chronology of events in women's history in the United States, from the Salem Witch Trials in the seventeen century to the modern Supreme Court ruling against sexual harrassment in the workplace.

Jeannette Rankin, Congresswoman
Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin was a leader in the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, a devoted activist in anti-war efforts, and an inspiration for those women who followed her lead.

Harriet Tubman
Born into slavery on a farm in Maryland, Harriet Tubman made her way to freedom, then returned to the south nineteen times in order to lead more than 300 more people to freedom on what came to be known as the Underground Railroad.

ONLINE ACTIVITY	Women Who Changed History Explore women in history especially during Women's History Month, including Amelia Earhart, Sally Ride, and Rosa Parks. Extension activities...