Remember

Struggles of women in history not an issue of the past

In continuing correspondence to her husband, John, Abigail Adams urged the Continental Congress to "remember the ladies" when forming the new U.S. government.

National Women's History Project

Multimedia sites in women's studies

Encyclopedia of Women's History

Women's History Month

Abigail Adams

Abigail Adams Museum

Sojourner Truth

Sojourner Truth's 'Ain't I a Woman' speech

She educated her family while battles of the Revolutionary War continued in the outside man's world.

But she transcended the notion that the outside world was for men alone. She prospered financially, holding businesses in several states and making decisions that contributed to their success.

She was the first First Lady to occupy the White House, and is known for her letter-writing, early feminism and participation in the abolitionist movement.

March is the time of the year designated for everyone to "remember the ladies" -- Women's History Month.

You might be asking yourself, "Who cares? How could I possibly relate Abigail Adams to my life?"

Well, many women from history tackled the important issues of today in times when a woman who stepped out of the kitchen was often as unheard of as a high school textbook that mentions important women in history is today.

They are inspirations to us, as well as important but neglected parts of our history. Here's just a small sampling:

Sojourner Truth was a public speaker who tackled the issues of abolitionism and women's rights, such as suffrage.
Emma Hart Willard was a woman who was concerned with the quality of education for women and was instrumental in moving women's education from finishing schools to actual colleges for women.
Carrie Chapman Catt served as the president of the National Women's Suffrage Association and helped to found the League of Women Voters.
Carry Nation aggressively addressed alcohol issues during the prohibition movement, by breaking bottles with bricks and rocks, or even chopping up saloons with a hatchet.

How would Truth feel about today's freedom of speech and censorship issues? Would Willard be a part of the committee that's changing our general education curriculum? What would Catt think of the fact that today, less than half of the people who are eligible to vote in presidential elections actually do? And how would Nation address alcohol use and abuse at the University?

Maybe someday we won't need to designate a specific month for people to learn about our sisters who made a difference in American history.

But until they span the pages of history textbooks that now largely ignore their contributions, "remember the ladies" in your own way this month.

Whether it's for your own personal knowledge or for a class project, try to find out more about women like these who made a difference in the country we live in. They have interesting stories to tell -- stories the average education doesn't teach you.