In honor of Women’s History Month, we found it absolutely necessary to recognize some of the most iconic and awe-inspiring women in our great nation’s history. These remarkable women all came about during different times, but had one thing in common: the drive and passion to make the world a better place for women. We applaud these heroes and commend them for the pivotal strides that they have made for females everywhere.
Susan B. Anthony: In 1872 she was arrested in Rochester, N.Y. for trying to vote. At her trial in 1873, the jury didn’t even discuss, and simply fined her $100, which she never paid. Later, when she collected 10,000 signatures from twenty-six states to petition for women’s rights, Congress laughed at her, but she didn’t give up. In 1892 she took over as president of the National American Women’s Suffrage Association and as the result of her efforts in Rochester, the New York State Married Woman’s Property Bill became law. We love Susan B. Anthony because she never failed to keep fighting when doors closed in her face. A true revolutionary, Anthony emulates the relentless spirit of the early American women of the suffrage movement.
Margaret Sanger: During the height of Anthony’s suffrage movement, Margaret Sanger was born. Thirty-eight years later, she began to petition for the legality and availability of birth control. Her passion was derived from watching her mother suffer from numerous childbirths and miscarriages, and from observing poor immigrant women that settled for unsafe and unregulated abortions. Later in the 1950s, her dream of a contraceptive pill became reality when she met and collaborated with Gregory Pincus and Katharine McCormick. They successfully obtained FDA approval for Envoid, the first oral contraceptive pill.
Amelia Earhart: In 1921, Amelia Earhart bought her own plane and began flying lessons with Kinner Airster. As she began to take flight, so did her dreams and aspirations of breaking aviation records. Seven short years after learning to fly, she became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean in twenty hours and forty minutes, a record she would later break in 1932. We love Amelia not only because her bravery and passion led her to accomplish her goals, but also because her raw talent made them inevitable.
Rosa Parks: We all know the story. It was the height of the Civil Rights Movement, segregation was the norm, and Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of the bus for a white man and was immediately arrested. Her arrest sparked a citywide boycott of the bus system in Montgomery, Alabama, which left the city’s busses empty. Over 40,000 African American workers opted to walk to work, some up to 20 miles. We love Mrs. Parks because she’s shown us that one small action can ignite a fire of change. It’s also clear that she took a page form Susan B. Anthony’s book in her successful execution of civil disobedience.
Betty Friedan– a feminist, activist, and author, her 1963 book, The Feminine Mystique is said to have ignited the “second wave” of feminism. She is also the founder and the first president of NOW (the National Organization for Women).
Gloria Steinem– Steinem was huge player in the feminist movement during the 1960’s and 70’s. She is also known for being a co-founder of Ms. Magazine and for penning major articles that catapulted women’s rights to the political forefront. Today, Steinem is still prominent in the feminist movement.
Hillary Clinton- Clinton transformed her position from First Lady of the United States to the one of the leading democratic candidates in the 2008 presidential election. In 2001, Clinton was elected as the Senator of New York and in 2009, she made history becoming the 67th Secretary of State, serving under Barack Obama. For years now she has been an honest and admirable representation of women in America and rumors are beginning to fly about a possible presidential run for 2016.
Sandra Fluke- With an undergraduate degree from Cornell University and now a law degree from Georgetown, Fluke became widely known after urging House Democrats to call for insurance companies to cover the cost of contraceptives, such as birth control pills. Conservative radio talk show host, Rush Limbaugh notoriously called Fluke a “slut,” and commented on her sex life, igniting a media frenzy involving Fluke, yet still bringing the discussion of women’s rights into the lime light.