Collection: Women's History

Liberty and justice for all is a defining national tenet of the United States. Beginning with the proclamation in the Declaration of Independence of a self-evident truth that all men are created equal, the struggle to define and protect every American's liberties has been ongoing and complicated.

True equality is elusive for half of the population, however, because of the omission of one simple amendment to the United States Constitution that ensures that the equality of women is explicit. Proposed in 1923, the Equal Rights Amendment, which would guarantee equal rights for women, remains unratified. Women’s freedom to vote was finally won in 1919 after a hard-fought battle. Almost 100 years later, women persist in the fight for equality while society’s views have shifted and traditional gender roles have evolved and dissolved.