You may have never heard of Mary Anderson, but you’ve probably used her invention thousands of times in your life! One frosty day in 1903, Mary Anderson (1866-1953), a native of Birmingham, Alabama, was visiting New York City via a trolley car. She was trying to catch all the sights of the city’s crowded streets, […]
Who Was the First Female Lawyer in the US?
Arabella Mansfield became the first female lawyer in the United States when she was admitted to the bar in 1869. She took the bar exam when only men were legally allowed to take the test, and won a court case for her right to practice law. Early Life of Arabella Mansfield Born Belle Aurelia Babb […]
Alaska P. Davidson, the FBI’s first female Special Agent
Alaska Packard Davidson (1868–1934) became the first female Special Agent in 1922, at the age of 54. She only served for two years before being asked to resign by newly-appointed Director J. Edgar Hoover. It wasn’t until 1972, shortly after Hoover’s death and the passing of the Equal Employment Opportunity Act, that women once again […]
Women Who Sued For Freedom From Slavery
Under certain circumstances, people who were held as slaves in the British colonies and early United States were able to sue for their right to be free from slavery. In the 17th through the 19th centuries, hundreds of “freedom suits” were filed and many slaves were able to successfully petition the courts for their freedom […]
The Canadian Persons Case: Are Women People?
Even after many women were granted limited rights to vote in early 20th century Canada, they still had never been appointed to the Canadian Senate. Though the law stated that any “qualified person” could be appointed to the Senate, it had only ever been applied to men. In the 1920s, a group of women known […]
Female Knights of the Middle Ages
While female knights were rare in the Middle Ages, they did exist. Though many records have been lost to time, there are records of women being knighted. Knights in Medieval Times The Middle Ages, also called the medieval era, is the name of the period in Europe from about the 5th century to the 15th. […]
Anna May Wong, Internationally Acclaimed Actress
Anna May Wong was the first Chinese-American movie star and the first Asian-American actress to gain international fame. She used her fame and influence to talk about and protest the racist practices in Hollywood, protesting against racist depictions of Chinese characters, and opening up more significant and starring roles for herself and many actors of […]
Women’s Rights in Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egyptian women had many legal rights compared to women of other ancient societies. In the city-states of Ancient Greece, for example, a woman had to be represented by her father, brother, or husband in court, and couldn’t legally speak for herself. In the Roman Republic, a woman was legally subject to her husband’s power […]
What Are Bluestockings? The Movement, Origins, and Insult
A “bluestocking” generally refers to an educated woman with intellectual, especially literary, interests, but the term has changed quite a bit over time. More specifically, it can also refer to women who were members of an 18th century literary group called the Blue Stockings Society. After the decline of the Blue Stockings Society, the term […]
The Japanese Women’s Suffrage Movement (Real Facts)
As Japan’s contact with the Western world increased beginning in the 1850s, the new Meiji era government worried about Japan’s image in the eyes of Westerners. It began regulating the behavior of citizens in an effort to appear more modern and civilized in the eyes of Westerners, and be seen as an equal nation. As […]