National Women's History Month

National Women's History Month

      honorary observance of the month of March, as designated in 1987 by the U.S. Congress, in recognition of women's many accomplishments throughout history. A variety of agencies, schools, and organizations observe the month by focusing on the “consistently overlooked and undervalued” role of American women in history. Libraries and communities promote special events that emphasize the achievements of women.

 The significance of the month of March dates to the mid-19th century when, on March 8, 1857, a group of female garment workers in New York City staged a protest to demand better working conditions and pay. Police aggressively halted the demonstration, but several years later the determined women formed their own union. In 1911, March 19 was observed as International Women's Day (IWD) to acknowledge women's continuing struggle for recognition and rights. The date of IWD was changed to March 8 in 1921. In 1978 the schools of Sonoma county, California, named March Women's History Month as a means of examining women's history, issues, and contributions. The idea gained momentum, and in 1981 a congressional resolution proclaimed the week surrounding March 8 National Women's History Week. In 1986 the National Women's History Project played a significant role in the expansion of the observance to the entire month of March.

      Other countries soon adopted similar month-long events. In 1992 Canada began celebrating Women's History Month. October was selected as the designated month to commemorate the so-called Persons Case, in which the Privy Council of England (then Canada's highest court of appeal) ruled in October 1929 that females were persons under the law, a decision that contradicted an earlier ruling of the Supreme Court of Canada. In March 2000 Australia began holding its own Women's History Month.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Women's History Month — is an annual declared month worldwide that highlights contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. March has been set aside as this month in the United Kingdom and in the United States. In India, this month is celebrated… …   Wikipedia

  • National Women's History Project — ▪ American organization       not for profit American organization founded in 1980 to “promote multicultural women s history awareness.”       The NWHP originated with the Educational Task Force in Sonoma county, California, the association that… …   Universalium

  • National Women's History Project — The National Women s History Project is a non profit organization dedicated to honoring and preserving women s history. Based out of Santa Rosa, California since 1980, it was started by women s history activists Molly Murphy MacGregor, Mary… …   Wikipedia

  • National Disability Employment Awareness Month — was declared in 1988 by the United States Congress for October to raise awareness the employment needs and contributions of individuals with all types of disabilities. The month is an extension of National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week… …   Wikipedia

  • National Breast Cancer Awareness Month — Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) (also referred to in America as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM)) is an annual international health campaign organized by major breast cancer charities every October to increase awareness of the… …   Wikipedia

  • Women's history — is the history of female human beings.Rights and equalityWomen s rights refers to the social and human rights of women. One of the first women s rights declaration was the Declaration of Sentiments . From women s involvement within the abolition… …   Wikipedia

  • National Women's Register — National Women’s Register (NWR) is an organisation of women’s groups in the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa and the Netherlands. There is a branch of the organisation in Zimbabwe known as Women In Touch (WIT). There are individual members …   Wikipedia

  • National Women's Conference — In the spirit of the United Nations proclamation that 1975 was the International Women s Year, on January 9, 1974, U.S. President Gerald Ford issued Executive Order 11832 creating a National Commission on the Observance of International Women s… …   Wikipedia

  • Confederate History Month — is a month annually designated by six state governments in the Southern United States for the purpose of recognizing and honoring the history of the Confederate States of America. April has traditionally been chosen, as Confederate Memorial Day… …   Wikipedia

  • Filipino American History Month — Filipino American History Month, also known as the Filipino American Heritage Month, is celebrated in the United States during the month of October. The Filipino American National Historical Society established Filipino American History Month in… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”