Women’s History Month: Women Who Changed the World
March is Women’s History Month, how do you celebrate it? I often review books written by women and write mini biographies of women who have changed the world. For this year, I am going to dive into my archives and feature some of these women, who worked tirelessly to make it better for other women. There are many younger, female readers of this blog who may not know how women from another era changed the world so they have the rights and freedoms they now have. Learn from these nine women who changed the world.
Harriet Beecher Stowe, Abolitionist and Author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin: While Harriet Beecher Stowe was growing up, she enjoyed reading, and one of her favourite books was Magnolia by Cotton Mather. Stowe’s book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin is her response to the Fugitive Slave Act. Uncle Tom’s Cabin first appeared serialized in the anti-slavery journal National Era, a publication edited by Dr. Gamaliel Bailey, which came out of Washington D.C. Beecher Stowe was contracted to write 40 instalments which ran from June 5, 1851 to April 1, 1852. The instalments were so well-received that publisher John P. Jewett agreed to publish the serial in book form. There were several dramatizations of the story which aided in the sale of the book. In four months, Beecher Stowe received $10,000 in royalty, a respectable sum in 1852. And during the first 5 years of its publication, Uncle Tom’s Cabin sold half a million copies in America and two million copies in ten years.
Eleanor Roosevelt, American First Lady, International Diplomat, Writer and Philanthropist: Eleanor Roosevelt used her position of First Lady to champion her causes and secure social and political reforms. Through her newspaper columns and radio broadcasts, she became the voice of those in need, which included, working women, African Americans, youth and farmers. On the advice of her very good friend, journalist Lorena Hickok, Roosevelt held weekly press conferences for women only. This ensured that media organizations had women on staff in Washington, DC, and that some of the news in the country was told from the perspective of women. She supported appointments of women to government positions. A big winner was Frances Perkins, who was secretary of labor for Franklin’s administration.
Jane Addams, Pioneer in Social Reform, Founder of Hull House and First American Woman to be Awarded a Nobel Peace Prize: Jane Addams became known throughout the United States, and used her fame to help to reform Chicago’s corrupt politicians, as well as help to resolve the Pullman railway strike in 1894. She was a social activist, pursuing social reforms in the United States, including abolition of child labour and sweat shops; immigrant protection and education; women’s right to vote and the need for peace. Addams was a pacifist and worked tirelessly to keep America neutral and out of World War I. She felt that war was not an appropriate resolution to disputes. During 1914, Addams served as chair of the Chicago Emergency Peace Federation and as a member of the Round Table Conference on War. In January 1915, Addams and Carrie Chapman convened a group in Washington, DC, which resulted in the Woman’s Peace Party with Addams as the chair.
Mary Wollstonecraft, the Founder of Feminism: Mary Wollstonecraft is widely considered the founder of the feminist movement, though she was out of favour for nearly a century after she died. William Goodwin published an honest memoir about Wollstonecraft, and many were dismayed that she was not legally married to Imlay, even though they had a child (Fanny Imlay) together. She was also criticized and ridiculed after her death because of the contents of the memoir. It’s sad that people so easily discounted her contributions. During Wollstonecraft’s time, poverty hampered middle-class women in the marriage market. And the only jobs available to them were teaching, working as a governess, needlepoint and serving as a lady’s companion. Wollstonecraft was not particularly good at any of those roles, so her only other option was to become a professional writer, reviewer or editorial assistant. She prepared herself for a writing career by reading extensively. Wollstonecraft also wrote about what she knew, and due to her varied life experiences, her novels had rich imagery. Her other writings also exposed the double standards between men and women in the society in which she lived in. She advocated for educating women so that they could better educate their children.
Susan Brownell Anthony, Women’s Rights Activist and Abolitionist: Susan Brownell Anthony was very outspoken and said what was on her mind, which made her an excellent reformer. While working as a teacher, she discovered that male teachers earned $10 a week while their female counterparts earned a measly $2.50. Anthony raised her objections and subsequently was fired. That did not dampen her spirits, though. Over the years, Anthony voiced her objections about many issues such as slavery, women’s inability to manage their own money, and right to vote. It was the tireless work of Anthony and her colleagues that allowed women, many rights that they now take for granted. Anthony was exposed to social issues like anti-slavery, temperance (anti-alcohol) and women’s rights because her father often hosted reformers and abolitionists like Frederick Douglass, Wendell Phillips and William Lloyd Garrison in their home. Anthony’s parents and her younger sister attended the Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848 where they signed the first Declaration of Women’s Rights.
Margaret Sanger, Birth Control Advocate, Founder, Planned Parenthood: As a midwife, Margaret Higgins Sanger was frequently asked what the secret was to prevent a pregnancy. There were no secrets and at the time physicians did not learn about contraceptives during their studies. She opened the first birth control clinic in Brooklyn in 1916. Sanger coined the term birth control, and founded the Birth Control League, which morphed into Planned Parenthood Federation of America. In 1916, Sanger founded the American Birth Control League in Brooklyn to fill a need, and was briefly imprisoned for opening a birth control clinic. It was the first birth control clinic in the US. In the 1920s, her interest in world population issues grew, and she played a pivotal role in organizing the first World Population Conference in 1927. One of the outcomes of this conference was the establishment of the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population Problems.
Emmeline Pankhurst – UK Suffragist, Secured the Right for Married Women to Vote for Local Offices: Emmeline Pankhurst's militancy brought national attention to women's suffrage. Her parents were strong supporters of the antislavery movement in the US. As a child, she helped her mother to collect money to aid African Americans. Pankhurst supported Married Women's Property Bill of 1882, drafted by husband, which gave wives the right to control their own earnings. Over the years, Pankhurst was in and out of prison for protesting, until World War I, where she and some of her supporters scaled down their protests to assist with the war efforts. Other suffragists believed this was a betrayal of the women's movement. In 1916, parliament enacted the Representation of the People Act, which permitted women over 30 to vote. In 1928, women were granted full and equal suffrage when the second Representation of the People Act (1928) lowered the voting age for women to 21.
Amelia Earhart, Legendary Aviator (and the fatal mistakes she made): Amelia Earhart was a strong advocate for women. She kept a scrapbook of women’s accomplishments in business. Earhart had a lot of firsts in her life when it came to flying. She also popularized commercial aviation by writing a column in Cosmopolitan magazine. There are a lot of things she did correctly, but there are other things that she failed to do which proved to be near fatal and fatal. Earhart could have been an excellent aviator, but she didn’t keep up with her lessons because she was too busy on the lecture circuit. She also flew a plane that she did not have the technical skills to fly and crashed in the process. Fortunately for her, she survived this particular accident. On July 2, 1937, 22 days before her 40th birthday, after already flying 22,000 miles in a round-the-world flight, Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan disappeared between Lae and Howland Island in the mid-Pacific. This was her second attempt. On March 17, 1937, she crashed on takeoff and damaged her twin Lockheed Electra plane, which she was not adequately trained to fly.
Margaret Knight, Inventor: American inventor, Margaret E. Knight, is virtually unknown, but she invented the paper bag. A problem solver, Knight did what many men couldn’t do, she invented a new machine that would automatically fold and glue paper bags to create square bottoms. She conceived of the idea for her paper bag, machine maker in 1867. She spent months working out the design for a machine and had many drawings for the design, and two years perfecting the design. Charles F. Annan tried to steal her invention, but Margaret Knight was meticulous about documenting everything, so we won the lawsuit.
What You Can Learn from Marie Curie, Winner of Two Nobel Prizes: Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and the first woman to teach at the Sorbonne. She had many accomplishments in her 67 years and there are many things that we can learn from her. And most importantly, Marie Curie understood that life was not just about her, she had a good grasp of the concept of social responsibility. She carefully documented her research, which teaches us the importance of writing up procedures.
These nine women who changed the world took action to make the world a better place. What one small action can you take to benefit others?
Get Started Here – I want to help you get started on your learning journey. Read The Invisible Mentor 2015 Reading Challenge, then Join the Facebook Group for the Reading Challenge today, connecting the ideas from the books you read!
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