Browse Organizations
Displaying 26 - 50 of 104
Name |
Description | Founding year | Works by | Works about | Works to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civil Rights Movement | The struggle for full citizenship rights began during Reconstruction following the Civil War, but most scholars associate the origin of the modern Civil Rights Movement with the founding of the National Association... The struggle for full citizenship rights began during Reconstruction following the Civil War, but most scholars associate the origin of the modern Civil Rights Movement with the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1909. African-American and white women were active in the early years of the NAACP and in successive efforts to end segregation in public transportation, public accommodations, and education. Voting rights were important during Reconstruction and then once again beginning in the 1960s. Show more Show less | 1909 | 1 | 29 | |
| Colorado Woman Suffrage Association | This major woman suffrage organization in Colorado was affiliated with the American Woman Suffrage Association (see above). The ability of the Association to forge a broad suffrage coalition, drawing support from th... This major woman suffrage organization in Colorado was affiliated with the American Woman Suffrage Association (see above). The ability of the Association to forge a broad suffrage coalition, drawing support from the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, farmers' organizations, and labor organizations accounts for its success in winning woman's suffrage in its second referendum campaign in 1893. Show more Show less | 1876 | 3 | ||
| Colored Woman's League | Part of a larger movement of black women’s clubs aimed at improving the living conditions and status of African Americans, the Colored Woman’s League (CWL) was founded in 1892 with Hallie Q. Brown as its Secreta... Part of a larger movement of black women’s clubs aimed at improving the living conditions and status of African Americans, the Colored Woman’s League (CWL) was founded in 1892 with Hallie Q. Brown as its Secretary. The CWL participated in a series of national conventions that led to the founding of the National Association of Colored Women in 1896. Show more Show less | 1892 | 1 | 5 | |
| Commission on Interracial Cooperation | Founded in 1918, the Commission on Interracial Cooperation (CIC), based in Atlanta, publicly opposed lynching and the Ku Klux Klan and sought to foster a new positive image of African Americans. The successful work... Founded in 1918, the Commission on Interracial Cooperation (CIC), based in Atlanta, publicly opposed lynching and the Ku Klux Klan and sought to foster a new positive image of African Americans. The successful work of women within the CIC and the overly-cautious leadership of white men within the Commission led Jessie Daniel Ames in November 1930 to form the Association of Southern Women to Prevent Lynching. In 1944, the CIC merged with the Southern Regional Council. Show more Show less | 1918 | 2 | ||
| Committee of Correspondence |
Founded in 1953 and based in New York City, the Committee of Correspondence served as a clearinghouse of information for the development of leadership skills among women in newly independent countries. The Committee...
Founded in 1953 and based in New York City, the Committee of Correspondence served as a clearinghouse of information for the development of leadership skills among women in newly independent countries. The Committee distributed monthly bulletins internationally with information on subjects such as child welfare, community development, education, social welfare, the status of women and women in public life. The Committee supported field workers in over 100 countries and offered training for more than 5,000 women. [From the collection description at the Sophia Smith Collection:] Despite the Committee's successes at promoting contacts among women's organizations and hosting conferences both in and out of the United States, it could not recover from revelations published in Ramparts magazine in 1967 that it was among the international organizations covertly funded by the Central Intelligence Agency. Supportive of the Committee's commitment to liberal anti-communism, the CIA had funneled funding for the Committee through private foundation grants. After the expose in Ramparts, which was further publicized in a series of New York Times articles, President Lyndon Johnson curtailed CIA funding of private foundations. Unable to fill the breach through traditional fundraising methods, the Committee of Correspondence elected to dissolve in 1969. Women and Social Movements International includes manuscript reports and letters circulated by Committee women in the course of their international work. Show more Show less |
1952 | 15 | 55 | 11 |
| Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage | Alice Paul and others founded the Congressional Union of Woman Suffrage (CUWS) in 1913 as an American version of the militant British Women’s Social and Political Union. CUWS members engaged in civil disobedience,... Alice Paul and others founded the Congressional Union of Woman Suffrage (CUWS) in 1913 as an American version of the militant British Women’s Social and Political Union. CUWS members engaged in civil disobedience, chaining themselves to the White House fence and going on hunger strikes in jail, which catapulted them to prominence within the suffrage movement. In 1916 Paul and her CUWS allies launched the National Woman's Party (NWP). Show more Show less | 1913 | 2 | ||
| Daughters of Bilitis | The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian social and political organization formed in San Francisco in 1955 by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon. Though the DOB often worked with the Mattachine Society and others in th... The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) was a lesbian social and political organization formed in San Francisco in 1955 by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon. Though the DOB often worked with the Mattachine Society and others in the male-dominated homophile movement, members of the DOB insisted on recognizing their dual experiences as both women and lesbians. In October 1956 the DOB began publishing The Ladder, which over its sixteen years of publication would address contemporary attitudes about lesbians, the growing gay rights movement, and the emergence of the women’s liberation movement. Show more Show less | 1955 | 1 | 10 | |
| Daughters of the American Revolution | Founded in 1891, and still in existence today, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) was the female counterpart to numerous male patriotic societies that sprang up in the 1890s. Initially, the Daughters ref... Founded in 1891, and still in existence today, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) was the female counterpart to numerous male patriotic societies that sprang up in the 1890s. Initially, the Daughters refrained from purely political activities, instead devoting themselves to promoting patriotic celebrations and erecting monuments and markers to honor Revolutionary forefathers. During World War I, DAR members supported war work. After the end of World War I, the DAR opposed women’s pacifist groups including the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. Show more Show less | 1891 | 3 | 13 | |
| Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era | Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN) was founded in 1984 in Bangalore, India, at a meeting of women, including Devaki Jain from India and Peggy Antrobus from Barbados, concerned with the effects... Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN) was founded in 1984 in Bangalore, India, at a meeting of women, including Devaki Jain from India and Peggy Antrobus from Barbados, concerned with the effects of development policies on women. The group sought to identify and support alternative development strategies. They presented a report to the 1985 UN Conference on Women held in Nairobi. DAWN is a feminist organization that analyzes and fights against economic, social, and political processes that cause inequality in the global south. DAWN materials in this digital archive include reports from conferences and studies on development and related issues. Show more Show less | 1984 | 4 | 15 | |
| Dress Reform | The dress reform movement of the 1840s and 50s responded to the fact that, while men's clothing had become more restrained and utilitarian in the decades before 1840, women's clothing became more ornamental and dysf... The dress reform movement of the 1840s and 50s responded to the fact that, while men's clothing had become more restrained and utilitarian in the decades before 1840, women's clothing became more ornamental and dysfunctional. Reformers promoted the wearing of trousers (popularly known as “Bloomers”) among women. Three different strands of reformers can be distinguished within this social movement: the water curists, the Oneida Community, and woman's rights reformers. Notable figures in this movement include John Humphrey Noyes of the Oneida community, and the women’s rights activists Elizabeth Smith Miller, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Amelia Bloomer. Show more Show less | 1840 | 5 | ||
| Edenton Ladies' Patriotic Guild | On October 25, 1774, fifty-one women from prominent families in Edenton, North Carolina, created the Edenton Ladies' Patriotic Guild. Comprising one of the earliest instances of organized political activity by women... On October 25, 1774, fifty-one women from prominent families in Edenton, North Carolina, created the Edenton Ladies' Patriotic Guild. Comprising one of the earliest instances of organized political activity by women in the American colonies, Guild members signed a boycott resolution, which they published with their names in a newspaper. Show more Show less | 1774 | 1 | 1 | |
| Egyptian Feminist Union | Veiled Egyptian women publicly protested British occupation in 1919, and four years later Hoda Sha'arawi organized the Egyptian Feminist Union (EFU) and affiliated with the International Woman Suffrage Alliance (IWS... Veiled Egyptian women publicly protested British occupation in 1919, and four years later Hoda Sha'arawi organized the Egyptian Feminist Union (EFU) and affiliated with the International Woman Suffrage Alliance (IWSA). The women of the Union focused on women's political rights as well as education, anti-prostitution, and opposition to marriage/divorce laws discriminating against women. In 1938, the EFU held the First Congress of Arab Women in Cairo, focusing on issues related to Palestine. The Second Congress in 1944 created the Pan-Arab Women's League. In 1966, the EFU changed its name to the Hoda Sha'arawi Association. Women and Social Movements International includes numerous documents related to the EFU's international activities, primarily articles from their monthly French-language journal, L'Egyptienne, reporting on the EFU's participation in international women's conferences in the 1920's and 30s. Show more Show less | 1923 | 2 | 7 | |
| Eight-Hour Day Movement | Long a goal of labor activists and the issue around which numerous workers’ organizations had formed, the demand for an eight-hour work day increased in the 1880s and 1890s. Both men and women labor activists embr... Long a goal of labor activists and the issue around which numerous workers’ organizations had formed, the demand for an eight-hour work day increased in the 1880s and 1890s. Both men and women labor activists embraced the demand for an eight-hour day in manufacturing industries where the hours of labor commonly exceeded twelve. The campaign for an eight hour day was fought in two ways: unions sought contracts with employers and unions and reformers demanded workplace legislation that would limit working hours. In the 1880s the Knights of Labor were prominent in the movement for an eight-hour day. Show more Show less | 1880 | 5 | ||
| Equal Rights (Magazine) | Founded by the National Woman's Party as a campaign tool for the Equal Rights Amendment | 1923 | |||
| Equal Rights Amendment Movement | After the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, Alice Paul and the National Woman’s Party conceived of a plan for a new amendment to promote equal rights for women more generally. Written in 1921, and first... After the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, Alice Paul and the National Woman’s Party conceived of a plan for a new amendment to promote equal rights for women more generally. Written in 1921, and first introduced into Congress in 1923, it finally passed the House and Senate in 1972. Professional women’s organizations predominated in the early movement as women’s labor interests opposed the ERA until the 1960s, viewing it as a threat to protective legislation for women. By the 1970s a broader coalition of women’s groups came to support the ERA in the changed economic and social climate. Show more Show less | 1920 | 1 | 23 | |
| Female Moral Reform Movement | Moral reform was a campaign in the 1830s and '40s to abolish sexual licentiousness, prostitution, and the sexual double standard, and to promote sexual abstinence among the young as they entered the marriage market.... Moral reform was a campaign in the 1830s and '40s to abolish sexual licentiousness, prostitution, and the sexual double standard, and to promote sexual abstinence among the young as they entered the marriage market. By 1841, approximately 50,000 women had joined more than 600 local Female Moral Reform Societies (FMRS). Moral reform was the nation’s first explicitly female social movement, comprised of women and led by women. Show more Show less | 1835 | 4 | ||
| Feminism, 1960s- | Feminism, dedicated to greater equality between men and women, reemerged as a central feature of public life in the 1960s, partly inspired by the burgeoning social movements of that decade: the New Left, the civil... Feminism, dedicated to greater equality between men and women, reemerged as a central feature of public life in the 1960s, partly inspired by the burgeoning social movements of that decade: the New Left, the civil rights movement, opposition to the war in Vietnam, and gay rights. Feminist organizations were numerous and diverse, often competing with one another, and promoted a multitude of social and political issues, including the enforcement of Title VII in the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibited sex discrimination in employment; access to birth control and abortion; the elimination of pornography and domestic violence, the rights of women of color and lesbian rights. Though challenged by the rise of conservatism in the 1970s, feminist values and ideas changed American life in the last third of the twentieth century and the movement continues as a vital force in the twenty-first century. Show more Show less | 1960 | 4 | 11 | |
| Freedmen's Aid Movement | After the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, anti-slavery reformers went to the South to educate former slaves and supervise their work as free laborers. Women reformers often clashed with male government officials... After the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, anti-slavery reformers went to the South to educate former slaves and supervise their work as free laborers. Women reformers often clashed with male government officials of the Freedmen’s Burueau who administered federal government programs for freedpeople. Show more Show less | 1861 | 4 | ||
| General Federation of Women's Clubs | Founded in 1890 by Jane Cunningham Croly, the General Federation of Women’s Clubs became one of the largest women’s organizations in the country. As President in the 1890s, Ellen Herotin developed the Federation... Founded in 1890 by Jane Cunningham Croly, the General Federation of Women’s Clubs became one of the largest women’s organizations in the country. As President in the 1890s, Ellen Herotin developed the Federation’s political and social interests. Members worked for a variety of social reforms that would benefit women and children. In 1955 membership peaked at 830,000. The Federation continues to be a significant voluntary organization today. Show more Show less | 1890 | 3 | 37 | |
| Guerrilla Girls | A group of women artists whose membership remains anonymous, the Guerrilla Girls grew out of the women’s art movement of the 1970s. In April 1985 the Guerrilla Girls began displaying posters that scolded art galle... A group of women artists whose membership remains anonymous, the Guerrilla Girls grew out of the women’s art movement of the 1970s. In April 1985 the Guerrilla Girls began displaying posters that scolded art galleries, museums and critics for ignoring women artists and artists of color. Styling themselves as the gendered conscience of the art world the highly successful Guerrilla Girls presented themselves to the public in a unique way using gorilla masks, expressing their ideas clearly on black and white posters that listed the hard facts of sexism and racism in the art world, and used humor to show that feminists can be funny. Show more Show less | 1985 | 1 | 2 | |
| Hull House | Hull House, founded in Chicago in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr, grew into the leading social settlement in the United States. Hull House residents provided space and resources for health, education, rec... Hull House, founded in Chicago in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr, grew into the leading social settlement in the United States. Hull House residents provided space and resources for health, education, recreation, and the exercise of citizenship rights in their poor, immigrant neighborhood. By 1910 more than 400 social settlements, staffed largely by college-educated women, were established in poor neighborhoods in American cities. Show more Show less | 1889 | 1 | 22 | |
| Illinois Woman Suffrage Association | Drawing on the activism of Frances Willard, subsequently President of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, the Association launched its first campaign for woman suffrage in Illinois in 1870. Women in Illinois fir... Drawing on the activism of Frances Willard, subsequently President of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, the Association launched its first campaign for woman suffrage in Illinois in 1870. Women in Illinois first won limited voting rights in school board elections in 1891 and the right to vote in presidential elections in 1913. Show more Show less | 1870 | 2 | ||
| Indiana State Woman Suffrage Association | Affiliated with the National Woman Suffrage Association, Indiana's state suffrage association sponsored numerous campaigns to convince the state legislature to adopt woman suffrage. | 1851 | 4 | ||
| International Committee of Women for Permanent Peace | The International Committee of Women for Permanent Peace grew out of the April 1915 International Congress of Women held in The Hague, Netherlands, to discuss ways to end World War I and achieve world peace. In 1919... The International Committee of Women for Permanent Peace grew out of the April 1915 International Congress of Women held in The Hague, Netherlands, to discuss ways to end World War I and achieve world peace. In 1919 the International Committee renamed itself the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. Show more Show less | 1915 | 3 | 20 | |
| International Council of Women of the Darker Races | In 1922 African American educator and club-woman Margaret Murray Washington of Tuskegee Institute founded the International Council of Women of the Darker Races. The organization dedicated itself to studying the sta... In 1922 African American educator and club-woman Margaret Murray Washington of Tuskegee Institute founded the International Council of Women of the Darker Races. The organization dedicated itself to studying the status of women and children of color around the world, but primarily focused on women of the African diaspora. The group was small and elite throughout its history. Membership peaked at about 40. Members included such prominent activists as Addie Hunton, Mary McLeod Bethune, Addie Dickerson, Nannie Helen Burroughs, and Maggie L. Walker. Most members hailed from the United States, though there were a few members from Africa and the Caribbean. The ICWDR took an active interest in the women’s peace movement throughout most of its history. In 1924 they helped fund a girls’ school in Sierra Leone. The ICWDR also took an active interest in U.S. involvement in Haiti and Ethiopia in the 1920s and 1930s. Washington, Hunton, and Dickerson served terms as the organization’s presidents. The ICWDR did not maintain a central office and thus did not leave a substantial archive documenting its history. The database draws together documents from the personal papers of several active members and a few newspapers. Most of the materials consist of correspondence. Also included are a constitution, some meeting minutes, and a report of one of the group’s early meetings. Show more Show less | 1920 | 1 | 11 |
