Author’s Note: This post is part of a 2-part piece on Women’s History Month. The second part on what you can do during Women’s History Month will be provided in a link at the bottom of this page once posted. I hope you enjoy it.
The month of March brings many things. The official end to winter and the beginning of spring. Daylight savings, no matter how confusing, gives another hour of sun. The unfortunate one-year anniversary of the coronavirus pandemic lockdown. And of course a break from school or work during the week of spring break. However, for feminists across the nation, March is most notably known for being National Women’s History Month and for encompassing International Women’s Day.
This month is a time for reflection and appreciation of the women in our nation who impacted our history, culture, and society. Not only do we celebrate their contributions, but also use their efforts to push against societal norms to inspire our own challenges to the status quo. But how did this powerful celebration of women come to be?
At the turn of the 20th century, America was experiencing a boom in nearly all aspects of society. Technology was advancing at a rapid rate, immense numbers of people were migrating to urban areas to feed into the factory workforce that was needed to support the materialistic needs of a growing population, and the American people believed they were living in an era of progress. So as women became essential to the machine that is America, they started to raise their voices and bring attention to the many challenges they faced in society. Women were demanding better working conditions, better pay, and of course the right to vote. This vocalization wasn’t limited to the United States either. Women around the world could no longer let men lead the conversation.
National Women’s History Month can trace its beginnings back to March 8, 1857, in New York City where women took to the streets to protest the poor working conditions of factories. Nearly fifty years later, women in New York Marched again on March 8, 1908. To honor the brave women in the New York marches, the Socialist Party of America held its first National Women’s Day on February 28, 1909. Another group, The Second International Conference of Working Women, was also inspired by the women in New York and helped to establish International Women’s Day which was overwhelmingly approved by 100 women from 17 different countries. Today, International Women’s Day is celebrated in most countries on March 8th.
However, the recognition and praise of the incredible women who built our country did not stay a single celebration for long. The first Women’s History Week was observed in 1982, beginning on March 7th. This national celebration would be authorized by Congress and proclaimed by the President for the next five years. Then in 1987, the National Women’s History Project petitioned for the entire month of March to be designated as Women’s History Month. Every year since then, the President of the United States issues a proclamation to confirm March as Women’s History Month.
Learning and understanding the very beginnings of movements, big and small, are essential to shaping our actions in the present which will then change our future. Hopefully, after reading just the simplified version of the growing feminist movement in America, you can understand that real change can come from even the simplest of actions.
If you would like to learn more about what you can do during this month of female celebration, check out our related post titled “What to do During Women's History Month”.
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