How Women Changed History

February 26, 2018
Written by:
Guest Author

For decades, women have made great accomplishments in history but it wasn’t always this way. Even further back in history, women were forbidden to vote or even obtain an education! Although women were making great public strides by the late 20th century, they still did remarkable things behind the scenes before that time. Read on to expand your studies and learn more about women in history.

Resources for Studying Women in History

Learn more about these amazing women with resources for in-depth study.

  • Scholastic offers a useful timeline of accomplishments women have made in U.S history.
  • The National Register of Historic Places lists several places you’ll want to visit in your studies of women’s history. Can’t make it there in person? No problem – visit each location virtually.
  • Tying language arts skills in with your study of women in history is a practical and time-saving way to study both. This Amelia Earhart unit study includes an expository writing exercise as well as other resources to round out your study.

Women Who Changed History

  • Susan B. Anthony – She campaigned extensively for the women’s rights movement and the abolition of slavery.
Susan B. Anthony
  • Harriet Tubman – As an army spy, Tubman was also the most famous “conductor” on the Underground Railroad. These actions earned her the nickname “Moses of the People.”
How Women Changed History
Harriet Tubman
  • Sojourner Truth – In 1826, she escaped slavery with her baby daughter. She was also the first black woman to win a court case over a white man.
How Women Changed History
Sojourner Truth
  • Marie Curie – She was the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize…twice! She earned one in physics and, later, earned another in chemistry.
How Women Changed History
Marie Curie
  • Amelia Earhart – Earhart was the first female to fly solo across the Atlantic. Unfortunately, during her attempt to fly around the world in 1937, her plane mysteriously disappeared in the Pacific Ocean.
How Women Changed History
Amelia Earhart
  • Annie Oakley – She was an exhibition shooter in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.
How Women Changed History
Annie Oakley
  • Jane Addams – Addams was the first American woman awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
How Women Changed History
Jane Addams
  • Rosa Parks – Not only did Rosa Parks change history for African-Americans; she also changed history for the entire U.S. Refusing to give her seat up to a white person, Ms. Parks’ actions sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycotts.
How Women Changed History
Rosa Parks
  • Elizabeth Eckford – She was one of the first African-Americans to attend a desegregated high school in Little Rock, AR.
How Women Changed History
Elizabeth Eckford

Books and Stories about Women Who Changed History

To enhance your studies about women in history, be sure you pick up some of these great finds: