Women in American History

Women lead advancements in science, technology, politics, sports and activism—often fighting against inequity and opposition at every turn.

In this collection, explore films, interviews, articles, image galleries and more for an in-depth look at notable female figures in American history.

Watch Films

Now Streaming
The Vote

One hundred years after the passage of the 19th Amendment, The Vote tells the dramatic culmination story of the hard-fought campaign waged by American women for the right to vote, a transformative cultural and political movement that resulted in the largest expansion of voting rights in U.S. history.
Film
The Codebreaker

Discover the fascinating story of Elizebeth Smith Friedman, the groundbreaking cryptanalyst who helped bring down gangsters and break up a Nazi spy ring in South America. Her work helped lay the foundation for modern codebreaking today.
Film
Voice of Freedom

Explore the life of singer Marian Anderson and her triumphant 1939 concert at the Lincoln Memorial.
Film
Sandra Day O'Connor: The First

Discover the story of the Supreme Court’s first female justice. A pioneer who both reflected and shaped an era, she was the deciding vote in cases on some of the 20th century’s most controversial issues—including race, gender and reproductive rights.
Film
Annie Oakley

As the star attraction of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, Annie Oakley thrilled audiences around the world with her shooting feats.
Film
Amelia Earhart

The first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, Earhart disappeared in 1937 during an attempt to circumnavigate the world by airplane.

The Vote | Interactive
She Resisted: Strategies of Suffrage

Celebrate the strategies and tactics of the movement in a new interactive experience.
Article
Helen Keller's Bookshelf

Dorothy Herrmann, author of Helen Keller: A Life, tells us about the writer and activist’s passion for philosophy, love of Walt Whitman, and devotion to the work of a Swedish theologian.
The Vote | Image Gallery
Suffragist Gender Benders

A Browse through our selection of historical images of notable gender non-conforming suffragists.

Chasing the Moon | Digital Short
Poppy Northcutt: Return to Earth Specialist

Frances “Poppy” Northcutt was the first female engineer to work in NASA’s Mission Control.
Freedom Riders | Digital Short
Who the Hell is Diane Nash?

"She would not be moved."
The Vote | Digital Short
From Women’s Suffrage to the ERA, a Century-Long Push for Equality

Is the U.S. at a tipping point in the nearly 100-year-long fight to ratify the ERA?
Fly Girls | Digital Short
The Women of Avenger Field

During WWII, more than 1,000 women left homes and jobs and became the first females to fly for the U.S. military.
The Swamp | Digital Short
Marjory Stoneman Douglas: Poet of the Everglades

A reporter for The Miami Herald, Marjory Stoneman Douglas advocated for conservation.
The Circus | Digital Short
Mabel Stark: The Trainer

Mabel Stark was one of the 20th century's most famous big cat trainers.

The Codebreaker | Clip
Breaking the Code

Author Jason Fagone and CODE-EQUAL co-founders Valeria and Kyara Torres-Olivares speak with professor Adriane Lentz-Smith about pioneering women in STEM—from Elizebeth Smith Friedman, to groups like CODE-EQUAL.
Voice of Freedom | Clip
The Power and Resilience of Black Women

Opera singer Angela Brown and professor Kira Thurman speak with professor Jessica Marie Johnson about the excellence and power of Black women as they navigate and conquer traditionally white spaces and industries.
Test Tube Babies | Clip
Fertility Science

Fertility rights advocate and America’s first IVF baby Elizabeth Carr, and university professor at Rutgers University Margaret Marsh speak with historian Monica Muñoz Martinez about the evolution of fertility science—from a niche opportunity to an accepted norm.

Sandra Day O'Connor: The First | Article
Sandra Day O’Connor’s Journey to Supreme Court Justice

How the Arizona lawyer became one of the most powerful women in America.
The Codebreaker | Article
How Codebreaker Elizebeth Friedman Fought Nazi Spies

For 50 years, her contributions to WWII intelligence were a secret. No longer.
Article
Why We Still Love Lucy

Lucille Ball is best known as a comedienne, but her career didn’t start out that way. A biographer answers a few questions about the comic icon.
Freedom Summer | Article
Fannie Lou Hamer

Fannie Lou Hamer was born in 1917, the 20th child of Lou Ella and James Lee Townsend, sharecroppers east of the Mississippi Delta.
Chasing the Moon | Article
The Women Who Brought Us the Moon

Thousands of women began their careers at NASA as computers, before the advent of electronic machines. A diverse and potent force in space exploration, their calculations were ultimately responsible for sending astronauts to the moon.
The Vote | Article
Black Women’s 200 Year Fight for the Vote

For two centuries, black women have linked their ballot access to the human rights of all.