Women's History Month: it was time to tell not just history but "her story" Write a short paragraph that explains the central id
ea of the article. Use at least two details from the article to support your response.
The first International Women's Day was celebrated more than 100 years ago. It happened on March 19, 1911, in Europe. In many European nations, as well as in the United States, women's rights was a hot topic.
Women's suffrage, or the right to vote, was a top goal of many women's groups. Women and men wrote books on the important roles women have played in history.
. An early celebration of International Women's Day in March 1917 in Petrograd, Russia. Photo: Wikimedia
However, the Great Depression hit in the 1930s. The economic hard times, in which many people lost jobs, made it more difficult for women to work. The effects of the economic depression were felt in both the United States and Europe. Then World War II broke out in the 1940s, and the distraction of warfare knocked women's rights out of fashion.
Problem that has no name
In the 1950s and 1960s, though, the push for women's rights began a comeback. Women's rights activist and writer Betty Friedan pointed to the "problem that has no name." The problem was the middle-class housewife's frustration. Many women felt stuck at home alone all day. Most didn't have a job outside the house. They felt frustrated after giving up dreams of an education and career to only focus on raising children. With "women's liberation" in the 1960s, interest in women's issues and women's history blossomed.
By the 1970s, there was a growing sense by many women that history as taught in school was missing something. The school lessons mostly taught about what men had done. In addition to telling "his story," women said schools should tell "her story" as well. In the United States, there were also calls for inclusion of black Americans and Native Americans. This helped more women realize they were also invisible in most history courses.
Broader Field Of Study
In the 1970s, many universities began to include the field of women's history. Then they expanded into the broader field of women's studies.
In 1978 in California, a group was formed to help people learn more about important women. It was called the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women. The group began a "Women's History Week" celebration. They chose the week that already included International Women's Day. This day was now celebrated on March 8.
The response was encouraging. Schools began to hold their own Women's History Week programs. Soon many of these women's groups agreed to support an effort to have Congress declare a national Women's History Week.
In 1981, Congress passed a resolution establishing National Women's History Week. Government members from both major political parties officially led the resolution. One was Senator Orrin Hatch, a Republican from Utah, and the other was Barbara Mikulski, a Democrat who represented Maryland in the House of Representatives.
Schools Honor Women In History
The government's support encouraged even wider participation in Women's History Week. Schools focused for that week on special projects. They displayed exhibitions honoring women in history.
The National Women's History Project also began distributing materials. They were designed to help teach about women during Women's History Week. The group also sent materials to improve lessons on women's history during the rest of the year.
In 1987, the National Women's History Project asked Congress for more time. Congress expanded the week to Women's History Month. Each year, the U.S. President issues a declaration of March as Women's History Month.
The President's Commission on the Celebration of Women in American History continued meeting through the 1990s. The aim was to further extend the inclusion of women's history in school lesson plans. They also wanted people to remember women in history every day. One result has been the effort toward establishing a National Museum of Women's History in Washington, D.C.
Taking one month to remember the great things women have done is just one step. The hope is one day soon people won't need a reminder. It will be impossible to learn about history without learning about all the women who shaped it.
