Celebrating Women's History Month: Pathbreaking Women in Politics
By Victoria Blue | National Archives News
WASHINGTON, February 25, 2021 — Just over 100 years after women gained the right to vote, a woman stepped into the White House as the Vice President of the United States.
Vice President Kamala Harris is the first woman to hold the second-highest leadership position in our nation’s government.
In 1920, the newly ratified 19th Amendment prohibited the states from denying the vote on the basis of sex and secured American women’s right to vote in the Constiution. This landmark voting rights victory was made possible by decades of suffragists’ persistent political engagement.
This persistence did not stop in the voting booth. Women continued the fight for equality by running for political office at all levels of local, state, and federal government—and winning.
This Women’s History Month, we take a brief look at the women who paved the way for Madame Vice President.
Portrait of Representative Jeannette Rankin. Courtesy of the Senate Historical Office
After helping to secure women the right to vote in Montana in 1914, Jeanette Rankin was the first woman to be sworn into Congress in April 1917. However, when the 19th Amendment was adopted in 1920, Rankin was no longer in Congress. She had not sought reelection in the House, so the Congress was an all-male one.
Rankin was back in Congress when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The House voted 388-1 in favor of declaring war on Japan. Rankin was the sole dissenter. Though she was the lone vote against war, she was no longer the lone female. Nine other women had joined her in the 77th Congress.
Read more about Rankin in “Women can’t vote, but they can run for Congress” on the Pieces of History blog.
President William J. Clinton greeting Shirley Chisholm, Ambassador-Designate to Jamaica, in the Oval Office of the White House. 7/30/1993. National Archives Identifier 2842929
In 1968, Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress, representing New York's 12th Congressional District. In 1972, she became the first woman to run for the Democratic Party’s Presidential nomination, and thus also the first Black candidate to seek a major party's nomination for President of the United States.
Though she was unsuccessful, Chisholm continued serving in the House of Representatives until 1983. In 2015, Chisholm was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Read more about Chisholm:
"Shirley Chisholm: Unbought and Unbossed” on the Pieces of History blog
Shirley Chisholm (November 30, 1924–January 1, 2005) (Archives.gov)
Jimmy Carter with Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro. 9/21/1978. National Archives Identifier 181476
In 1984, Democratic Presidential nominee Walter Mondale announced that Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro of New York would be his running mate. Ferraro would make history as the first female Vice Presidential nominee for a major party.
Although the Mondale-Ferraro ticket ultimately lost, the selection of Ferraro as the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee represented a major step toward closing the gender gap in American politics.
Read more about Ferraro in “Mind the (Gender) Gap” on the Pieces of History blog.
Governor Sarah Palin meets with constituents in Anchorage, AK. 4/14/2009. National Archives Identifier 55043791
In 2008, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin ran as Republican Presidential nominee John McCain’s running mate. She was the first Republican female Vice Presidential nominee and only the second female Vice Presidential nominee of a major party. The McCain-Palin lost the election to President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with President Barack Obama and other senior advisors in the Oval Office 3/26/2010. National Archives Identifier 176546484
Hillary Clinton has held an array of politically influential positions: First Lady, U.S. Senator, and Secretary of State. At the 2016 Democratic National Convention, she became the first woman to accept a major party’s nomination for President. Although Clinton won the popular vote, she failed to win the Electoral College and conceded the 2016 election to President Donald Trump.
Learn more about Hillary Clinton on the William J. Clinton Presidential Library website.
President Barack Obama greets Harris, then California's Attorney General, at a White House meeting on criminal justice on April 4, 2014. National Archives Identifier 200283701
Prior to the 2020 Presidential election, Kamala Harris served as the District Attorney of San Francisco, California Attorney General, and United States Senator. In August 2020, Harris accepted Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden’s invitation to become his running mate in the 2020 Presidential election. The success of the Biden-Harris ticket made Harris the first woman, Black American, and Asian American to be elected Vice President.
Read more about Harris and other trailblazing Black women in “Before Kamala: Black Women in Presidential Administrations” on the Rediscovering Black History blog.
The National Archives is the home of the 19th Amendment. In 2020, the Archives commemorated the centennial of this landmark document. Though the museum is closed due to COVID-19, you can still explore records that help tell the story of the fight for the vote, including petitions, legislation, court cases, and more in the holdings of the National Archives. You can also learn more about the fight for women’s voting rights through our social media campaigns.
Rightfully Hers
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote highlights the relentless struggle of diverse activists throughout U.S. history to secure voting rights for all American women.