From Suffrage to the Senate: America's Political Women
This dynamic two-volume resource explores American women's path to political power and social equality from the struggle for the right to vote and the abolition of slavery, to the first African American woman in the U.S. Senate and beyond.
It is undeniable that women's participation in government and politics is a classic rags-to-riches story and an ongoing one at that. From the earliest days of our nation's formation, women have struggled and fought for greater participation and consideration in the political arena. Historically thought of and treated as second-class citizens, many intelligent, brave, and persistent women have contributed to the breaking down of barriers keeping women from realizing their true potential as an informed, powerful, and active force in American society and politics. Today, twenty-five women Senators and 102 women Representatives serve in Congress, more than ever before. The women of the 116th Congress add more than gender diversity: they add racial diversity. Twenty-two women are black, thirteen are Latina, eight are Asian Pacific Islander, two are Native American, one is Middle Eastern/North African, and one is multi-racial. The total number of women in Congress tops at 127, thus setting a new record for women's participation in government.
Highlights from this new fourth edition include:
- Completely updated to include 2018 election results, with more than 50 brand new entries.
- Entries include new information on a wide range of important court cases and legislation along with many new topical entries.
- One-third of the entries cover court cases, organizations, movements, and social issues relevant to American political women.
- Over 900 in-depth biographies cover politicians, journalists, lawyers, activists, and campaigners.
- Expanded Primary Documents section now includes over 60 primary sources.
- Original documents are referenced in relevant entries throughout the two volumes.
- Detailed Facts & Statistics section provides important contextual background.
- A Historical Timeline places articles in chronological sequence that adds more context to research.
- A rich Bibliography guides future research.
From Suffrage to the Senate, America’s Political Women: An Encyclopedia of Leaders, Causes and Issues begins with a Publisher’s Note and an Introduction. Following these sections are the entries. Entries in Volume 1 range from A to N, and include such important figures as Abigail Adams, Madeleine Albright, Donna Brazile, Rachel Carson, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Angela Davis, Andrea Dworkin, Betty Friedan, Kirsten Gillibrand, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Julia “Butterfly” Hill, Molly Ivins, Coretta Scott King, Wilma Mankiller, and Carol Moseley Braun. Volume 1 also features entries on the American Civil Liberties Union, Black Women’s Health Imperative, Concerned Women for America, Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972, Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, Feminist Majority Foundation, RU-486 (Mifepristone), Ms. Magazine, National Organization for Women, and National Woman Suffrage Association.
Volume 2 contains entries from O to Z, including biographical sketches of Michelle Obama, Sandra Day O’Connor, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Rosa Parks, Nancy Pelosi, M. Jodi Rell, Janet Reno, Condoleezza Rice, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Gloria Steinem, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Harriet Tubman, Christine Todd Whitman, and Mary Wollstonecraft. Other entries cover topics such as Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, Peace Movement, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, Quaker Women, Racial Discrimination, Roe v. Wade, Seneca Falls Convention, Sex Discrimination, Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire, Violence Against Women Act of 1994, 2000 and 2005, and Women’s Liberation Movement.
Volume 2 also contains two Appendices. The first is an appendix of documents, divided into thirteen sections, covering five major categories: Women’s Rights, Political Parties and Agenda, Racism and Discrimination, Presidential Appointees, and Women in the Military. These sections are made up of reproductions of articles, speeches, declarations, announcements, open letters and other assorted documents that make up the canon of American political thought as it relates to women, from all eras of history. Relevant documents from Appendix 1 are referenced throughout the book at the end of entries, making it easy to use them as supplemental material.
The second appendix contains a Chronology, a Bibliography, and an Index. Both the Chronology and the Bibliography have been extensively updated and expanded for this new second edition.
With an emphasis on modern pioneers from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds such as Kristen Gillibrand, Barbara Comstock, Maxine Waters, Nikki Haley, Pramila Jayapal, Lisa Murkowski, and Kamala Harris, From Suffrage to the Senate covers individuals, organizations, movements, publications, milestones, legislative victories, and court cases that have changed the face of American politics. The in-depth coverage also traces the political heritage of the abolition, labor, suffrage, temperance, and reproductive rights movements.
This up-to-date reference will be a must-purchase for women’s studies departments, high schools, and public libraries and will be a handy reference for those researching the key players in women’s politics, past and present.
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