Every March Is Women’s History Month

The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in commemorating and encouraging the study, observance, and celebration of the vital role of women in American history.
 

Women’s History Month had its origins as a national celebration in 1981, when congress passed Public Law 97-28, which authorized and requested the president to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982, as “Women’s History Week.” Throughout the next five years, congress continued to pass joint resolutions designating a week in March as “Women’s History Week.”
 

In 1987, after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, congress passed Public Law 100-9, which designated the month of March 1987 as “Women’s History Month.” Between 1988 and 1994, congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the president to proclaim March of each year as Women’s History Month.
 

Since 1995, presidents have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.” These proclamations celebrate the contributions women have made to the United States and recognize the specific achievements women have made over the course of American history in a variety of fields.
 

The Law Library of Congress has compiled guides to commemorative observations, including a comprehensive inventory of the Public Laws, Presidential Proclamations, and Congressional Resolutions related to Women’s History Month. The research guides web page notes that Women’s History Month honors and celebrates the struggles and achievements of American women throughout the history of the United States. American women have fought throughout our history to gain rights not simply for themselves, but also for many other underrepresented and disenfranchised groups in America.
 

Other dedicated website information includes the National Endowment for the Humanities EDSITEment teacher’s guide for women’s history, the National Archives and Records Administration collection of women’s rights topics and timeline images, the National Park Service listing of their ongoing commemorations throughout the country, the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum educational activities, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum oral histories of women who survived.