“Remembering the Ladies” Series – Women in the Political Foreground

Historians refer to Abigail Adams as a “Woman of Firsts”: the first woman to be Second Lady of the United States, first woman to be the wife of a United States president as well as a mother of one, the first First Lady to inhabit the newly constructed White House, and one of the first … Continue reading “Remembering the Ladies” Series – Women in the Political Foreground

“Remembering the Ladies” Series – Child Care: A Contemporary Issue

Photograph of a female wartime worker dropping off her daughter at a nursery in Richmond, California, 1943. (Library of Congress) Photograph of Barack Obama signing the reauthorization of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act, putting it back into law, 2013. (Obama White House Archives) The challenges that women have faced in history are … Continue reading “Remembering the Ladies” Series – Child Care: A Contemporary Issue

“Remembering the Ladies” Series – Women Emerging in Government

Photograph of Geraldine Ferraro - the Vice Presidential candidate for the Democratic ticket in the 1984 presidential election - exiting an airplane with Boston Mayor Raymond Flynn and Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis. (City of Boston Archives) Photograph of the six female Democratic candidates at the 1992 Democratic National Convention. Senator Barbara Mikulski is in the … Continue reading “Remembering the Ladies” Series – Women Emerging in Government

“Remembering the Ladies” Series – Legislating Change in Life and Society

Advertisement and newspaper excerpt announcing the FDA’s approval of Enovid as a contraceptive, 1960. (Public Domain) Photograph of Katharine McCormick at a pro-women’s suffrage rally, 1913. (Public Domain) Running parallel to the women who took positions of leadership in the civil rights movement, there were several stirrings of legislative action taking place that were specifically … Continue reading “Remembering the Ladies” Series – Legislating Change in Life and Society

“Remembering the Ladies” Series – Pursuing Suffrage and Civil Rights

Photograph of Susan B. Anthony standing beside Elizabeth Cady Stanton. (Public Domain) Cover page of the official program for the NAWSA’s Woman Suffrage Procession in Washington, D.C., 1913. (Library of Congress) Among the many individuals and groups involved in the women’s rights movement in the United States, a mutually-shared long-term goal was the extension of … Continue reading “Remembering the Ladies” Series – Pursuing Suffrage and Civil Rights

“Remembering the Ladies” Series – Women’s Rights in the National Spotlight

Portrait photograph of Elizabeth Cady Stanton with her two sons, 1848. (Library of Congress) Painted portrait of Lucretia Mott, c. 1842. (Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery) The Seneca Falls Convention - held in the eponymous area of upstate New York - was the first major convention for women’s rights held in the United States. Hosted from … Continue reading “Remembering the Ladies” Series – Women’s Rights in the National Spotlight

“Remembering the Ladies” Series – Emerging Changes in Post-Revolution America

Portrait of First Lady Abigail Adams by Gilbert Stuart, c. 1800-1815. (National Gallery of Art) “Declaration of Independence” painting by John Trumbull, 1819. John Adams is depicted as the centermost figure. (Public Domain) While the recorded history of women in the United States predates the colonial era, one of the more significant steps in its … Continue reading “Remembering the Ladies” Series – Emerging Changes in Post-Revolution America

New Blog Series: “Remembering the Ladies” – Women’s Issues in the Past and Present

A Harry Grant Dart political cartoon published in "Puck," satirizing negative connotations of women smoking in public, 1908. (Library of Congress) In honor of Women’s History Month, the Reagan Library Education Blog is pleased to announce its next major blog series! The history of the United States is defined by the differing perspectives and experiences … Continue reading New Blog Series: “Remembering the Ladies” – Women’s Issues in the Past and Present

Apologies and Forgiveness for Executive Order 9066 – February Historical Events

The Japanese Empire’s attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 pulled the United States into the then-ongoing Second World War. Beyond the political and military mobilization that followed in response to the day’s destruction, racial tensions in the American public near-completely turned against citizens of Japanese descent, some of whom had lived in the … Continue reading Apologies and Forgiveness for Executive Order 9066 – February Historical Events

“Honoring Accomplishments” Series – African-Americans in the Armed Forces

An illustration by Jean Baptiste Antoine de Verger showing the uniforms of soldiers from different regiments in the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War, 1781. The African soldier on the far left side is from the 1st Rhode Island Regiment. (Library of Congress) “The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill, … Continue reading “Honoring Accomplishments” Series – African-Americans in the Armed Forces