Thursday November 12, 2009
The struggle for women's vote in America took many decades. This timeline puts into perspective the major events along the journey to finally winning the vote:
Wednesday November 11, 2009
Courtesy Wikimedia Commons
Click on the image to check your guess and to find out more about this mystery woman.
More Wordless Wednesday:
Tuesday November 10, 2009
On November 11, 1915, Queen Lili'uokalani, the last Native Hawaiian ruler of Hawaii, died. Read more about this interesting figure in Hawaiian history, her role in the transition from Native Hawaiian leadership to annexation by the United States and her role in helping bring knowledge of Native Hawaiian culture to a wider audience.
Sunday November 8, 2009
The author of the 1844 poem, "A Boy's Thanksgiving," is not well known today, but in her time, Lydia Maria Child was a well-known writer of novels, advice books, and anti-slavery tracts. Read more about this 19th century activist and writer:
Saturday November 7, 2009
Born to free parents in Maryland in 1825, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper became a writer and poet, the most famous African American woman poet after Phillis Wheatley. When she moved to the North in 1850, she also became an abolitionist. After the Civil War, she worked for racial equality and the rights of women, while continuing as a lecturer and writer. Learn more:
Friday November 6, 2009
Queen Elizabeth I of England is one of the most fascinating women of history. Taking the throne in her own right was unusual for the time -- the only previous female Queens in England (that is, other than Queen Consorts) were Elizabeth's older sister,
Mary I, the Nine Day Queen
Lady Jane Grey who never had a chance to really wield any power, and the never-crowned
Empress Matilda. During Mary's reign, there was significant conflict over religion. Jane Grey's very brief reign ended with her imprisonment and later execution. Matilda was recognized as Queen by many but her cousin Stephen seized power instead, and Matilda only briefly during the ensuing civil war actually held power, never making it to the coronation ritual. Elizabeth I, in contrast, was able to do what her predecessors had not been able to do: be recognized as Queen Regnant of England and wield the power of that office. She's been depicted in film many times; here are a few choice and recent examples:
Queen Elizabeth I in the MoviesThursday November 5, 2009
This week I'm featuring quotes from three women who headed their nations while it was still an extreme rarity for women to hold such positions.
Wednesday November 4, 2009
Anti-Suffrage Headquarters, about 1915
Courtesy Library of Congress
More Wordless Wednesday:
Related articles:
Tuesday November 3, 2009
Rachel Speght was the first woman known to have published a women's rights pamphlet in English under her own name. Here are some works by or about Rachel Speght and her writings.
Saturday October 31, 2009
About history, Jane Austen put these words in the mouth of one of her characters: "The quarrels of popes and kings, with wars and pestilences in every page; the men all so good for nothing, and hardly any women at all -- it is very tiresome."
Jane Austen is considered one of the foremost writers of the early 19th century. Her fiction focuses on relationships and the attempts by her heroes and heroines to find fortune and romance. Her ironic tone -- like that in the quote above -- often comes through whether speaking as the narrator of a tale or through one of the characters.
More about Jane Austen:
