Sandra Day O'Connor receiving aware from President Barak Obama
Sandra Day O'Connor
First woman Supreme Court Justice. Appointed in 1981. In 2009, her accomplishments were acknowledged by President Obama with a Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Related
History of Women and Women's Studies subject research guides.

Women's History Month

During the month of March, the library recognizes the contributions and impact women have made throughout history--in the political arena, in the arts and sciences, in sports and in social reform. Extraordinary women have fought hard for women's equal rights and have added value and dimension to our lives. Martha Carey Thomas, suffragist and president of Bryn Mawr College sums it up nicely when she says, "Women are one-half of the world, but until a century ago it was a man's world. Now women have a right to higher education and economic independence."

Suggested catalog searches

Related databases

Alt-Press Watch
ProQuest. A full text collection of newspapers, magazines and journals of the alternative and independent press.
Ethnic NewsWatch
ProQuest. Full text newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic minority and native press. Provides a rich collection of articles, editorials, and reviews with a broad diversity of perspectives and viewpoints. Also a good source of ethnic recipes. Coverage is from 1980 to the present.

Recommended reading

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
Pulitzer Prize winning authors Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn give a compelling account of the treatment of women in developing countries and make a brilliant case for investing in the health and autonomy of women worldwide.
Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Henrietta Lacks was a black mother of five when she died of cervical cancer in 1951. Without her knowledge or consent, her physicians used tissue samples from her cervix for research. The immortal cell line they created, known as HeLa, has aided in key medical discoveries from the polio vaccine to AIDS treatments. Author Rebecca Skloot, a former Portland Community College student, compassionately tells the story of a family wronged in the pursuit of scientific research.
A Strange Stirring: The Feminine Mystique and American Women at the Dawn of the 1960s
Stephanie Coontz illuminates how a generation of women came to realize their dissatisfaction of domestic life didn't reflect their personal weaknesses but rather a social and political injustice in this reappraisal of Betty Friedan's bestselling book.
When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960s to the Present
Gail Collins interviewed over 100 women for this lively account of women's progress over the past 5 decades. She previously wrote America's women: four hundred years of dolls, drudges, helpmates, and heroines.

Related videos

Ladies of the Land [video]
Ladies of the Land tells the story of four women who have dedicated their lives to goats, grains and green beans.
Pickles, Inc. [video]
Director Dalit Kimor follows these women as they establish a tiny factory for pickling vegetables and develop a market for their product in local stores.
Shayfeen.com [video]
An intimate look at the recent multi-party elections in Egypt through the eyes of three women.
A Woman's Touch [video]
The National Museum of Women in the Arts offers the most important collection of art by women in the world.

Related websites

American History: Quotes by Women
Enjoy these famous quotes from women who have helped shape our nation.
American Memory - American Women
From the Library of Congress, this website contains documents and images related to U.S. women's history and special exhibits including "Women of Protest" and "Women Come to the Front: Journalists, Photographers, and Broadcasters During WWII."
Fact Monster: Women Who Left Their "Stamps" on History
Learn about the many women who made significant contributions to society, and who have their pictures (or their works) on U.S. postage stamps.
Fact Monster: Women Political Leaders
Features the history of female political leaders.
Gifts of Speech
Selected women's speeches from around the world, 1848 to the present.
National Women's History Museum
This website's cyber museum presents online exhibits about U.S. women's history including women and the progressive Era, female journalists, rights for women, and women who ran for president.
Places Where Women Made History
Includes a list of women who made history in New York and Massachusetts.
Women at War
This digital collection includes photographs, interviews, letters, and personal recollections from women who served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam,and the Persian Gulf.
WomenWatch: The UN Gateway to the Advancement and Empowerment of Women
Information and resources on gender equality and empowerment of women.
Women of our Time: Twentieth Century Photographs from the National Portrait Gallery
An interactive gallery of some of the twentieth century's most influential women.
Women's History Month - Biographies
Short biographies of famous women, provided by Gale Cengage Learning.