Throughout the years, history has seen some intelligent, powerful, and inspirational women who have been pathfinders for women’s rights and racial equality. Women have also defined the worlds of science, mathematics, aviation, and literature despite being constantly told to them that they can’t!
To celebrate and to make the world a better place for women, ‘Women’s History Month'(March 1st – March 31st) begun in 1987. In this month of celebrating women, we would like to list out a few of the most inspirational women of the country who still keep on inspiring us, and roar out ‘Women Can’.
1. Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906)
“I declare to you that woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself, and there I take my stand.“ ~ Susan B. Anthony
Anthony played an important role in the women’s suffrage movement. In the year 1878, she and her co-workers conferred an amendment to Congress that granted the right to vote. In the year 1920, Sen. Aaron A. Sargent, R-Calif., preceded the bill and it was endorsed a the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.
2. Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888)
“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” ~ From the book Little Women written by Louisa May Alcott.
“Little Women,” is one of the most famous novels in American history. Alcott worked to support her family through financial difficulties at an early age. Also, she was an early American feminist––– she was the first woman to register to vote in Concord.
Her other famous writings include “Little Men” and “Jo’s Boys.”
3. Clara Barton (1821-1912)
“I may be compelled to face danger, but never fear it, and while our soldiers can stand and fight, I can stand and feed and nurse them.“ ~ Clara Barton
“The American Nightingale” or “Angel of the Battlefield”, Clara Barton is one of the most honored women in American history. She was a nurse also the founder of the American Red Cross. Back in those days, nursing education was not very formalized, hence Barton didn’t go to any nursing school. She was a self-taught nurse. She also promoted Women’s Sufferage along with Susan B. Anthony.
4. Amelia Earhart (1897-1939)
“Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others.“ ~ Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart is the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She received the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross for her accomplishments. She set many records, wrote best-selling books on her flying experiences. She also played an important role in the formation of The Ninety-Nines, an organization for female pilots. She was the first president elected for The Ninety-Nines.
5. Harriet Jacobs (1813-1897)
“I would rather drudge out my life on a cotton plantation, till the grave opened to give me rest, than to live with an unprincipled master and a jealous mistress.” ~ Harriet Jacobs
Harriet Jacobs was an African-American writer, author of an American Classic ‘Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl,’ which is her autobiography. In her autobiography, she brings out how a slave woman has to face rape and sexual abuse. Jacob’s book is arguably the most comprehensive slave narrative written by a woman.
6. Rosa Parks (1913-2005)
“Racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet, and, hopefully, we shall overcome.“ ~ Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks was one of the most prominent female faces of the civil rights movement. She is known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott. In December 1995, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in the “colored section” of a bus to a white man. She is given the name–––”the first lady of civil rights” and “the mother of the freedom movement”.
7. Sally Ride (1951-2012)
“The stars don’t look bigger, but they do look brighter.“~ Sally Ride
Sally Ride was an American astronaut and physicist and the first American woman to travel in space. Ride joined NASA in 1978 and in 1983, after 5 years, she became the first American woman to travel in space. She was the 3rd woman to travel in space after all after USSR cosmonauts Valentina Tereshkova and Svetlana Savitskaya.
8. Muriel F. Siebert (1928-2013)
“When a door is hard to open, and if nothing else works, sometimes you just have to rear back and kick it open.” ~ Muriel F. Siebert
Muriel F. Siebert was the first woman of finance, and the first woman to head a firm traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Buying a seat on the exchange wasn’t that easy. The exchange insisted Siebert take a bank loan to cover the record-breaking $445,000 seat price before considering her application. But banks weren’t willing to lend her the money before she was admitted to the exchange. It took 2 years for Siebert to get a loan from Chase Manhattan, and on Dec. 28, 1967, Siebert was the first woman on the New York Stock Exchange!
She remained the only woman among more than 1,300 men on the exchange for almost 10 years.
9. Margaret Chase Smith (1897-1995)
“When people keep telling you that you can’t do a thing, you kind of like to try it.“~ Margaret Chase Smith
Margarate Chase Smith was a republican politician, who served in the House Of Representatives from 1940 to 1949, and the Senate from the year 1949 to 1973. Well, she was the first woman to serve both the houses of Congress.
10. Sandra Day O’Connor (1930-Present)
“The power I exert on the court depends on the power of the power of my arguments, not my gender” ~ Sandra Day O’Connor
Sandra Day O’Connor is a lawyer, and the first female justice on the Supreme Court, serving from 1981-2006. She was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981. She held a seat on the nation’s highest court for nearly 25 years!
“To all the women finding light, don’t forget the light is within you. You are what you are looking for.“
Image Credits: Wikipedia
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