The Struggle for Women’s Right to Vote.

1851-1920. The struggle for women’s suffrage began as an anti-slavery movement led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton (right) and Susan Anthony. Women gained the right to vote in 1920.

Election to Congress.

1916. Jeannette Rankin was the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress, where she represented the state of Montana. After winning the election in 1916 she said: “I may be the first woman in Congress, but I will not be the last.

Work in the Government Cabinet

1933. Frances Perkins, U.S. Secretary of Labor in the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was the first woman to join the Cabinet. She played a key role in the New Deal legislation, including the passage of minimum wage laws.

In the Two Houses of Congress.

1940-1973. Margaret Chase Smith, a Republican from Maine who was the first woman to serve in both the House and the Senate, became known for her “Declaration of Conscience” speech against Senator Joe McCarthy’s criticism of her opponents’ personal qualities.

Securing the right to vote for African Americans

1965. Diane Nash co-founded the student chapter of the civil rights movement and championed voting rights in the U.S. South. Using nonviolent methods, she risked her life registering black women and men to vote, helping to get the Voting Rights Act of 1965 passed.

Participation in the presidential election

1972. Shirley Chisholm was the first black woman candidate for president of the United States from a major party. She said: “My main political asset, which professional politicians fear, is my voice, which voices a variety of topics not always discussed for reasons of political expediency.”

Nomination for Vice President

1984. Geraldine Ferraro became the first woman nominated for vice president by a major party. “If we can get it done, we can get everything done,” she said, speaking at the 1984 Democratic National Convention in San Francisco.

Impact on U.S. diplomacy

2001-09. Condoleezza Rice was the first black woman to serve as National Security Advisor to the President (2001) in the George W. Bush administration and Secretary of State (2005-09).

Republican vice presidential nominee

2008. Sarah Palin became the first Republican woman to be nominated for vice president of the United States in 2008. Raised in Alaska, Palin, who calls herself a “hockey mom,” also knows how to hunt and carve the carcass of a killed elk on the spot.

Nomination for President

2016. Hillary Clinton went from first lady of the United States in the 1990s to the first woman nominated for president by a major American party in 2016. She lost to Donald Trump, but she inspired many girls and women. Along the way, she served as secretary of state, U.S. senator, first lady of Arkansas, and lawyer.

Impact on the work of the United Nations

2017. Nikki Haley became the first Indian-American to hold a cabinet-level position when President Trump appointed her as the U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations.