Women's History Month

Women’s History Month aims to highlight the achievements and contributions of women in history—in the arts, sciences, politics, athletics, and many other fields. Begun as a local movement by teachers in California to celebrate “Women’s History Week,” National Women’s History Week was first recognized by President Jimmy Carter in 1980. In 1987, Congress passed Public Law 100-9 establishing March as Women’s History Month.

In recognition of Women’s History Month, the New York State Museum is commemorating the important role women have in the history of our state, the research of women of science, and the inspired creativity of female artists. Learn more about these significant contributions by exploring the following educational resources and programs for classroom teachers, educators, and the public from our collections, exhibits, and research.

Related Programs

Judy Wellman

Way Beyond Seneca Falls: Women’s Suffrage, an Unfinished Revolution, and the Power of Place in NY

March 28, 2023
12:30 pm
  • Online Only

Voting rights are the essential building block of our democracy. Yet voting rights for many people remain endangered today. And for most of U.S. history, only a minority of U.S. citizens could vote, mostly property-owning white males. That changed with the 19th amendment to the Constitution in...

Register for this free online event here: 
https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ejpapu...

Judith Wellman is the Principal Investigator, Historical New York Research Associates, and Professor Emerita, State University of New York at Oswego. Judith focuses on historic sites relating to women’s rights, the Underground Railroad, and African American life across New York...

Women Who Lead

From the Collection: Women Who Lead

Now on View!
New York Metropolis Hall

This new exhibit feature highlights some of these items from our collections and proudly presents our newest acquisition, the Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument 1/3-scale model by Meredith Bergmann.

Office of State History Logo

2023 Women's History Month Statewide Events

Look no further than the Office of the State Historian for a comprehensive list of Women’s History Month events taking place in person and virtually at museums and historical societies across New York State!

Women of Science Logo

Women of Science

Join us virtually March 27 through March 31 to discover the latest research in Archaeology and Anthropology being conducted by the New York State Museum's women scientists. You can also check out additional videos from past presenters here!

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Women's History Month Online CTLE Credit for Educators

Explore the 360 Gallery Tour of the NYSM's exhibition, Votes For Women: Celebrating New York’s Suffrage Centennial, and earn 1 credit hour of Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE). Learn about the history of the suffrage movement in New York State through artifacts on display and highlighted women who led this equal rights movement. Participants must complete the online form linked below the video to receive credit. 

View the March 8, 2023, Donation Ceremony of the Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument to the NYSM

Learn about the groundbreaking monument, Women’s Rights Pioneers, the first statue of real women in Central Park, NYC. Made possible through the work of Monumental Women, the monument depicts three historic women’s rights leaders—Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Sojourner Truth—all hailing from New York State.
Teachers: Earn CTLE (1 credit hour) by watching the video and completing the Online CTLE form for the Women's Rights Pioneers Monument

Donation Ceremony of the Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument

Women’s History Month Collections Tour

Women's Suffrage in New York

Votes for Women Online

Votes for Women: Celebrating New York’s Suffrage Centennial

This online web feature honors the centennial of women’s suffrage in New York State and raises awareness of the struggle for equal rights up through the present day. View biographies of New York women notable for their contributions to women's rights and discover resources related to the Votes for Women exhibition.

Explore the Votes for Women Online Feature:
http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/votes-for-women

View/Download Educator's Guide and Graphic Organizer  (PDF):
http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/common/nysm/
files/votes-for-women-educator-guide_0.pdf

Suffrage Comic by Emily Ree

Suffrage Comic by Emily Ree (PDF)

In this comic, four fictional New York girls explore four events in history when New York women fought for their rights: the 1848 Seneca Falls convention, the 1915 New York State suffrage campaign, the 1977 New York State Women’s Meeting, and the 2016 Women’s March. These stories were written to inspire empathy and help students understand what it might have been like to witness and take part in these events.

Women's Suffrage Videos from the NYSM

New York Women in the Arts & Sciences

Berenice Abbott: Changing New York

Berenice Abbott: Changing New York

Berenice Abbott (1898-1991), was an American photographer best known for her photographic documentation of New York City as the city grew and transformed throughout the 1930s-1940s. Working for the Federal Art Project, Abbott created “Changing New York,” one of the monumental achievements of 20th-century photography.

View the Online Feature:
http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/berenice-abbott-changing-new-york

View/Download Family Guide (PDF):
http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/common/nysm/files/
berenice_abbot-educators-guide_a.pdf

Handkerchief by Marion Weeber, 1937

New Acquisition: Souvenir Handkerchief Designed by Marion Weeber

Learn more about this vibrant screen-printed handkerchief designed by a trailblazing female graphic and industrial artist.

Arts & Sciences Videos from the NYSM

Women's History Month 2023

Notable Women in New York History

Discover more about the ten influential women featured in the Women's History Month banner above and how their efforts to elevate the status of women continue to make an impact in New York and throughout the world.

Jennifer Lemak, NYSM Chief Curator of History

NYSM Research & Publications from NYSM Chief Curator of History, Jennifer Lemak

Discover more about Dr. Lemak's ongoing research projects, including a list of her publications.

Unveiled: Wedding Wear in 19th-century New York Virtual Tour

NYSM Coloring Page: Mary Walker

Dr. Mary Walker Coloring Activity (PDF)

Discover fun facts about Dr. Mary Walker, the first (and only) female recipient of the Medal of Honor, through this fun coloring activity for kids!

A New York Minute in History Podcast

New York History Minute

The Women’s Rights Movement: From Seneca Falls To Today

Explore the Women's Rights Movement’s progress through the lineage of Coline Jenkins, the great-great granddaughter of suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Jenkins, a women’s rights activist in her own right, has a family tree that touched nearly every major women’s rights milestone in the 19th century and beyond.

New York History Minute

Audrey Munson: America’s First Supermodel

Born in upstate New York, Munson was one of the most famous models of the Gilded Age, and posed for the top American artists in the Beaux Arts movement. Sculptures based on Munson dot the landscape of New York City, and are held in museums around the country. Listen in to learn more about Munson's glamorous life before it took a tragic turn by the age of 40.

New York Minute in History

Georgia O’Keeffe and Her Visit to Wiawaka

Listen in to the latest A New York Minute in History podcast to discover Georgia O’Keeffe's connection to Wiawaka, a women's retreat in Troy, NY, and how the experience may have influenced her work.

A New York Minute in History

Margaret Hastings, the “Shangri-La WAC”

In honor of Women’s History Month, the latest podcast the story of Corporal Margaret Hastings, a member of the Women’s Army Corps who survived 47 days in a New Guinea jungle during World War II.