Important Women In History

It’s been said time and time again that there is not enough recognition for the important women in history. Unfortunately, this is true. Americans seem to glorify the deeds of old white men first then get around to acknowledging everyone else for the important roles they played in history. Here are a few women to deserve more praise.

1. Rosa Parks. Often called the mother of the civil rights movement, this important woman in history did so simply by sitting down. This simple act of defiance against an unjust system of oppression inspired men and women all across the country to do start standing up for their rights.
2. Eleanor Roosevelt. This important woman in history redefined the role of the First Lady in a way that none before her had dared to. She championed that cause of the unemployed, African-Americans, the poor and the young all when it was not popular to do so.
3. Susan B. Anthony. After being told by a group of men that she would not be allowed to speak at a temperance convention because she was a woman, suffrage became this important women in history’s number one goal in life. While she did not succeed in her lifetime, the right to vote became her lasting legacy.
4. Sacagawea. Very little is known about the life of this important woman in history (in fact, even the spelling of her name is in doubt), but her work with the Lewis and Clark Expedition is not. Her knowledge of the land, her ability to interpret and procure supplies when needed made all the difference in what became one of the most pivotal expeditions in early American history.
5. Shirley Chisholm. The work Rosa Parks championed in the streets was also fought for years later when Chisholm became the first African-American female elected to Congress in 1968. She fought for people of all ethnicities, for the poor and for children and in the process, changed the perceptions of those groups in the eyes if the general public. This important woman in history served in Congress until 1982.