INFLUENTIAL WOMEN THROUGHOUT AMERICAN HISTORY

Throughout American history women have made significant contributions in all walks of life. The following women are among those whose achievements warrant merit and appreciation from men and women alike.

Louisa May Alcott

Best known for her novel Little Women, Louisa May Alcott actually published more than 250 works despite passing away at the relatively young age of 55 in 1888. An advocate for women’s rights, including the right to vote, Alcott was the first registered woman voter in Concord, Massachusetts.

Elizabeth Blackwell

Young girls who aspire to be doctors owe a lot to Elizabeth Blackwell, who was the first female doctor in the United States. After repeated rejection from medical schools because of her sex, Blackwell was eventually accepted into New York’s Geneva College, braving prejudice from professors and fellow students alike who felt a woman did not belong studying medicine.

Pearl S. Buck

Award-winning writer Pearl S. Buck won both a Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize for Literature, becoming the first American woman to win that prestigious award.

Buck was also a noted humanitarian whose works helped shed light on a host of topics, including immigration, adoption, missionary work, and women’s rights.

Grace Hopper

Grace Hopper was a pioneer in the field of computer programming and a well-respected, not to mention, high-ranking Naval officer. The

USS Hopper, a guided missile destroyer ship in the U.S. Naval fleet, is named after the woman whose nickname was “Amazing Grace.”

Helen Keller

Despite a childhood disease that left her deaf, mute and blind, Helen Keller became a nationally recognized advocate for people with disabilities in addition to an expert author and lecturer. An ardent anti-war activist, Keller, who passed away in 1968, also campaigned for women’s suffrage and workers’ rights.

Sandra Day O’connor

The first female justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Sandra Day O’connor served as an Associate Justice for a quarter century until her retirement in 2006. A breast cancer survivor, O’connor was awarded the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in the summer of 2009.

Dr. Sally Ride

Dr. Sally Ride was the first American woman, and thenyoungest American, to enter space. A Los Angeles native, Dr. Ride is currently the President and CEO of Sally Ride Science, a company devoted to creating entertaining science programs and publications for upper elementary and middle school students.