By Sara Loft

Since nearly the beginning of time, women have been in the shadows of society. Within most religions and social structures, women have been oppressed due to ancient laws and the ideology of patriarchy which led women to no or little freedom even of their bodies. However, without women, this country alone wouldn’t have been gloriously standing as it does today!

For centuries, women have been graciously courageous and daring to stand up for their individuality as well as equal rights. During the mid-19th and early 20th centuries, the first wave of feminism (or known as: bourgeois feminism) arose in the nation. Pioneers like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Lucretia Mott established a convention at Seneca Falls, New York. These three powerful women discussed several topics like equal rights and the right to vote. Without their voices and efforts, the 19th Amendment to The U.S. Constitution wouldn’t have been formed for women to have the right to vote. This was merely the start of another revolution for women to have equality and freedoms!

As time passes by, women have still been objectified in ancient traditions. American historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich once famously phrased “Well-behaved women seldom make history!” I believe Laurel’s main point was an outcry for society to acknowledge that women actually have contributed to society. In 1980, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter declared National Women’s History Week for the week of March 8th. It is a week to honor the amazing contributions from women who shaped our nation’s history. In 1987, after many states had already adopted March as National Women’s Month the U.S. Congress passed a resolution in perpetuity to authenticate the month of March to be forever known to be National Women’s History Month.

In the present day, women in the good ol’ USA have been free to pursue the grand American dream: to pursue life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. However, we still have the determination to fight for what we believe in! Listed below are notable women who have shaped the nation somehow as well as locally in our western region of New York State.

1. Betsy Ross - A seamstress from Philadelphia who was commissioned to execute what is known now as the first official U.S. Flag.

2. Victoria Woodhull - A stockbroker and a newspaper publisher who is known to be the first woman who sought the highest seat serving as President of the United States. Her social reform brought light which helped women gain confidence and power in the U.S. Government.

3. Eleanor Roosevelt - The longest serving First Lady of the United States. She was very influential in civil rights activism for all women. She was the first U.S. Representative to the U.N. Commission on Human Rights.

4. Hillary Rodham Clinton - Former First Lady of the United States (to the 42nd President Bill Clinton) and U.S. Senator for New York State became the first female presidential candidate of a major political party.. She won the popular vote but lost the electoral college vote to Donald Trump in the 2016 election.

5. Louise Blanchard Bethune - She was the first professional female architect to practice on American soil. She began her own firm in 1881 and designed the Hotel Lafayette in Buffalo, NY  in 1905. The hotel is still in use today.

6. Shirley Chisholm - She was the first African-American woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. She became the first African American to run for U.S. president .

7. Marian DeForest - One of the first female newspaper reporters in Buffalo, NY. She was a major force in the progressive women’s movement and founded Zonta International in 1919, a women-professionals service organization that still exists today.

8. Maria Love - Born in Clarence, NY - this local philanthropist and social services pioneer gained national recognition in the year of 1881. She established the Fitch Crèche (located at 159 Swan Street) as it was the first day care center in the U.S., providing care for the children of the working poor.