LibGuides: Primary Sources Main: Women

Famous Women of the World

Links to Collections

Archives of Women's Political Communication Speeches and political ads for more than 300 women candidates that are easily accessible through the online archives. All include a transcript of the text and many also feature video.
Black Women's Suffrage The content featured in this collection explores linkages between women’s suffrage and other social causes of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries (anti-slavery, anti-lynching, education reform and civil rights) as well as racism within the Suffrage Movement
Black Women Oral History Project Interviews, 1976–1981 Interviews with 72 African American women in fields such as education, government, the arts, business, medicine, law, and social work.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman Papers Digitized collection of letters, writings and drawings. (Note: click "Inventory" in left frame to access digital collection.)
Civil War Women Letters and memoirs of three women: a secessionist, a Union supporter, and a schoolgirl whose hometown of Gallatin Tennessee was occupied by Union soldiers.
College Women: Documenting the History of Women in Higher Education
Digital Public Library of America: Women Includes images, texts, and sound/video clips.
Discovering American Women's History Online Links to more than 700 digital collections of primary sources pertaining to women's history in America from the time of ancient Pueblo women to the 1970s. Sources include photos, letters, diaries, artifacts and more.
Documents from the Women's Liberation Movement This site documents various aspects of the Women's Liberation Movement in the United States, focusing specifically on the radical origins of this movement during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Items range from radical theoretical writings to humourous plays to the minutes of an actual grassroots group.
Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project From George Washington University's Columbian College of Arts & Sciences, this is a work in progress that aims to make available both digital and print collections of the most important papers from "one of the most significant American women."
Emma Goldman Papers Documents, images and selected writings of an early advocate of free speech, birth control, women's equality and independence, and union organization.
Epistolae: Medieval Women's Letters "A collection of letters to and from women in the Middle Ages, from the 4th to the 13th century. The letters, written in Latin, are linked to the names of the women involved, with English translations and, where available, biographical sketches of the women and some description of the subject matter or the historic context of the letter."
Feeding America: The Historic American Cookbook Project An online collection of some of the most influential and important American cookbooks from the late 18th to early 20th century.
Feminae : medieval women and gender index Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index covers journal articles, book reviews, and essays in books about women, sexuality, and gender during the Middle Ages. Note: Books written by a single author are not indexed in Feminae.
Feminist Chronicles This site chronicles the progression of the U.S. feminist movement from 1953-1993. Part III includes links to primary source documents.
From Typist to Trailblazer: The Evolving View of Women in the CIA's Workforce Collection of 120 declassified documents (studies, memos, letters, and other official records) documenting the CIA's efforts to examine, address, and improve the status of women employees from 1947 to today.
Gifts of Speech: Women's Speeches from Around the World Outstanding collection of 400+ speeches from influential women, dating from 1848-present.
HEARTH: Home Economics Archive A full text collection of books and journals in Home Economics and related disciplines, published between 1850 and 1950. Also includes bibliographies on the field.
Internet Women's History Sourcebook Online sourcebook attempts to present online documents and secondary discussions which reflect the various ways of looking at the history of women within broadly defined historical periods and areas.
Jailed for Freedom by Doris Stevens Autobiography of Doris Stevens, women's suffragist.
Jewish Women’s Archive The Jewish Women’s Archive documents Jewish women’s stories*, elevates their voices, and inspires them to be agents of change.
Library of Congress Digital Collections: Women's History Collections of women's history documents, from the Library of Congress.
Monastic Matrix Excellent site dedicated to the study of women's religious communities from 400 to 1600CE. Includes a separate section of primary sources, which can be browsed by title/author/community/region/century. Search function also available.
National Women's History Museum Links to primary and secondary sources pertaining to women's history. (Look under the "history" tab on the left-hand side).
Primary Sources — History of U.S. Woman's Suffrage Primary Source Sets · The Early Republic · Abolitionist Movements · Calling for Suffrage at the Seneca Falls Meeting · Early Organizing Efforts · Civil War Activism.
Rosie Pictures: Select Images Relating to American Women Workers During World War II - Library of Congress Pictures of women during WWII who worked in the factories Library of Congress
Salem Witch Trials: Documentary Archive and Transcription Project Digitized documents, maps and images.
Stanton and Anthony Papers Project Click on "Selected documents" to retrieve several classic documents on women's history.
Suffragists Oral History Project Bancroft Library's Regional Oral History Office, collected interviews with twelve leaders and participants in the woman's suffrage movement. Tape-recorded and transcribed oral histories preserved the memories of these remarkable women, documenting formative experiences, activities to win the right to vote for women, and careers as leaders of the movements for welfare and labor reform, world peace, and the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment.
Susan B. Anthony Papers Spanning the period 1846-1934 with the bulk of the material dating from 1846 to 1906, this collection includes correspondence, diaries, a daybook, scrapbooks, speeches, and miscellaneous items.
Witchcraft Collection An online selecton of titles from the Cornell University Library's extensive collection of materials on Witchcraft. The Witchcraft Collection documents the earliest and the latest manifestations of the belief in witchcraft as well as its geographical boundaries, and elaborates this history with works on canon law, the Inquisition, torture, demonology, trial testimony, and narratives. The collection focuses on witchcraft not as folklore or anthropology, but as theology and as religious heresy.
Woman Suffrage and the 19th Amendment Historical documents from the U.S. National Archives on the struggle of American women to win the right to vote.
OHCHR and women's human rights and gender equality This database lists hundreds of resources -- articles, documents and links -- related to international women's rights law. Specific topics include Armed Conflict, Economic Globalization, Indigenous Women, Key Treaties and Texts, Marriage, Migration, Property Law and Housing Rights, Race and Gender, Reproductive Rights, Social and Economic Rights, Violence Against Women, and World Conferences on Women's Rights.
Women's Liberation Movement Print Culture Manifestos, speeches, essays, and other materials documenting various aspects of the Women's Movement in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s.
Women's Rights | DocsTeach Explore Primary Sources · Women's Suffrage · Susan B. · Petitions & Letters in Support of Women's Suffrage · Photos of Women's Suffrage Protests & Activities ·
Women's Social and Political Union (W.S.P.U.) Digital images related to the British suffrage movement in the early 1900s.
Women's Travel Diaries Diaries written by British and American women who documented their travels to places around the globe, including India, the West Indies, countries in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, as well as around the United States.
Women and Social Movements in the United States,1600-2000 Provides coverage of four centuries of women’s history through images, primary documents, supplementary materials, and teaching tools. Also provides access to the online version of Notable American Women and the database on Commissions on the Status of Women.
Women Come to the Front This website from the Library of Congress follows 8 different women who preformed different tasks on the WWII front lines.
Women in World History Collection of 200+ primary sources from all geographic areas. Use the advanced search to limit to type, time period, region and/or topic.
Women Making History and Culture: 1963-1982 Online audio collection devoted to women’s history. These recordings include interviews, panel discussions, literary and musical performances, news coverage, and other programing broadcast between the mid-1950s and the 1980s. Currently includes 26 files, with more to come. Requires RealAudio.
Women Working, 1800-1930 Access to digitized books, manuscripts and images from the collections of Harvard University Libraries and Museums on women in the U.S. economy from 1870-1930. Searchable, or browsable by topic, individual, dates and events, or organization.
Women | National Archives The struggle for women to gain acceptance, recognition and equal rights in society has been a long process. In recognition of the contributions of American women, ALIC presents a listing of websites relevant to women in the United States.
World War II - Women Veterans Historical Collection This is a collection of primary resources about Women who served in the military from WWII. These primary resources have been made available for online viewing by the UNCG Archives.
Discussing the Women of NASA with Margot Lee Shetterly The Library of Congress commemorated Women's History Month with a special interview about the women of NASA,
Agnes Scott College: Biographies of Women in Mathematics Welcome to the web site for biographies of women in mathematics. These pages are part of an on-going project at Agnes Scott College in Atlanta, Georgia, to illustrate the numerous achievements of women in the field of mathematics. Here you can find biographical essays or comments on the women mathematicians profiled on this site, as well as additional resources about women in mathematics. Each time this page is reloaded, a randomly selected photo is displayed to the left (if Javascript is enabled). Click on the image to go to the profile of that woman.
Smithsonian Pictures of Women Scientists A sampling of images documenting women scientists and engineers from around the world, most of whom were pioneers in their respective fields, or were the first women to receive advanced graduate degrees in their discipline.
Women At NASA Includes a stunning collection of 32 videos and essays from women across the agency who contribute to NASA’s mission in many different ways.
Letters and Articles Written by WASPS and WAFS - PBS Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) official statistics for types of flying duties, flight operations, qualifications, and accidents.
Early Women in Aviation: Topics in Chronicling America In the early 20th century, interest in aviation led to rising female pilots in recreation and war. This guide provides access to material related to "Early Women in Aviation" in the Chronicling America digital collection of historic newspapers.
Primary Source Spotlight: Amelia Earhart This source curates a list of primary source materials offered on the web in one neat place.