Growing up, my mom was kind of amazing. You all have mothers, so you know. But one of the things that sticks out to me in retrospect was the way my mother encouraged and taught us to look up to other women. With her as my girl scout troops leader, Women's History Month was, well, kind of a big deal. To put it lightly. And why not when there are so MANY amazing women out there, not only now, but through out history. To celebrate, I asked several other ladies who are some of the awesome women who inspired you?



As a Wyomingite, my own answer would have to be Esther Morris, an important, but largely forgotten suffragist. She was once labelled the Mother of Suffrage and not without reason. Popular stories have it that Esther Morris held a single tea party where she basically held the guests (all important  Wyoming politicians) hostage via their own good manners until she was able to convince them for suffrage for women in the state. While this is probably not exactly how things went down, she did play an important part in Wyoming becoming the first state to allow women the vote- some 40 years before the federal government would. Even more importantly, Morris became the very first woman to hold an elected position when she became a Justice of the Peace in 1870.

Katie of Butterflies Love Snapdragons writes:

When I was asked to think of a historical woman, I will admit that I had a difficult time with the task. My sister is the history buff, not me! But as I thought about it, I realized that I actually have looked up to a woman-or rather a group of women- for some time. The Rosie the Riveter women. Not just one woman, but one persona created to embody many women who showed strength and tenacity during WWII. I love how Rosie is a combination of many inspirational women of the time. Women who learned how to work on machinery, to fly planes, and did what was needed to help out in their generation. While we may not ever have to learn the tasks these women did, it gives one pause to think about what we can do to help out in the generation WE are living in. In what areas can we offer our services? In the workplace,    volunteering at a place you're passionate about? There are many opportunities   out there to serve in our generation. So while Rosie the Riveter may provide me with fashion inspiration, what she truly represents goes much deeper than that.

October Rebel shares:
When Kristian asked me to share a favorite historical woman, instantly I thought of Alice Paul, who was a leader in the campaign for women's right to vote in the U.S. Early in her career, she earned an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and spent time  working with the suffrage movement in England. In 1916, she started the Women's National Party in the U.S, campaigning fearlessly for women's rights in various ways - including public demonstrations. Alice Paul and the women of the NWP faced police beatings and arrest. Many of them were locked up in the Occoquan Workhouse, where Alice Paul led a hunger strike that resulted in brutal forced-feedings. The pressure from the NWP and women like Alice Paul, however, was key in leading to the ratification of the 19th amendment: " The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.  Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

Lisa of Lala Faux Bois says:

Of course there's a list a mile long of amazing women throughout history, but the one that always comes to mind as a favorite of mine is Amelia Earhart. The first dream job I ever remember having was to be a pilot, and that dream stuck with me for a long time. I finally got the opportunity to get my pilot's license after graduating college (the first time around...), and even though I decided not to pursue it as a career, my love of airplanes and the craft will always run deep. Amelia Earhart was someone I looked up to at an early age, and her role in pioneering women's rights- in and outside the aviation field- makes for one inspiring woman in history!