As a history major, a question I often ask myself (in classes and in the course material) is Where are the women? Yes, men have contributed greatly to the formation of human society and culture, but so have women – and women are rarely discussed in mainstream history courses. In the words of actress RenĂ©e Elise Goldsberry:Â
But thanks to Women’s History Month, and International Women’s Day which happened on March 8th, more and more women in history are being recognized. Read on for the inspiring stories of four of them!
Eliza Hamilton
Born in 1757, the second daughter of Revolutionary War general Philip Schuyler, Elizabeth Schuyler grew up in relative comfort and wealth. Called Eliza or Betsey by those closest to her, she became Eliza Hamilton in 1780 when she married founding father Alexander Hamilton.Â
Through various portrayals in media as well as Alexander’s writings, she gained the reputation of being kind, trusting, and selfless – even in the face of her husband cheating on her and then publicizing the affair. By the time Alexander was killed in a duel, she had forgiven him, a selfless act that impacted her long after her husband’s death.Â
Eliza lobbied Congress to publish her husband’s letters, helped Dolley Madison raise funds for the Washington Monument and served as co-founder and director of the New York Orphan Asylum Society, New York’s first private orphanage.Â
Eliza Hamilton died in 1854 and is buried in the graveyard of Trinity Church in New York City. Phillipa Soo is currently playing Eliza Hamilton in the Broadway hit new musical Hamilton.
Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton is on the left, her Broadway counterpart Phillipa Soo is on the right.
Pharaoh Hatshepsut
One of the only three women to rule Ancient Egypt in 3,000 years of history, Hatshepsut rose to power when her half-brother and husband, Thutmoses II, died. Thutmoses III, the former pharaoh’s son through a second wife, was only an infant at the time.
Hatshepsut was meant to rule on her stepson’s behalf until he “came of age.” However, less than seven years later, Hatshepsut assumed the title and powers of a pharaoh (doing so made her co-rulers with her stepson). During her reign, Hatshepsut faced critics who claimed her ascendency was illegitimate, and reinvented her image to prove that she had a claim to the throne.Â
Depictions of Hatshepsut often show her with male characteristics, such as the iconic headdress of the pharaohs and her face on a sphinx, to show that she had just as much power as a man. When she died around 1458 BC, Thutmoses III took the throne and got rid of almost every image of his stepmother.Â
It was only because of one of Hatshepsut’s accomplishments during her reign that Egyptologists were able to find out about her. Deir el-Bahri, an enormous memorial temple, was carved with hieroglyphs that detailed Hatshepsut’s rule.
Pharaohs, not queens, often wore this headdress. Â This statue of Hatshepsut would have been used to show that her power was more than a queen’s.
Renee Lemaire
In 1914, Renee Bernadette Emilie Lemaire was born in Bastogne, Belgium, to two hardware store owners. She served as nurse in Brussels, Belgium during World War I. In 1944, she returned to Bastogne to visit her parents, but was soon trapped there by the Nazi offensive launched on the Ardennes, a nearby range of forests.Â
Allied medics and nurses were unable to break through the Nazi line, so Lemaire volunteered. During the offensive, Lemaire is described as being an incredible morale booster to the wounded men, remaining cheerful in the face of blood and gore. Such dedication earned her the nickname “The Angel of Bastogne.”Â
On Christmas Eve, 1944, Lemaire was killed in a German bombing of Bastogne at the age of 30. She was portrayed by Lucie Jeanne in the 2001 miniseries Band of Brothers.
Renee Lemaire is on the left, Lucie Jeanne as Lemaire is on the right.
Katherine Johnson
The girl who loved to count was born in 1918, in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia. Johnson’s love of math and her incredible intelligence allowed her to start her freshman year of high school by the time she was ten years old. Johnson graduated high school at the age of 14, and college at age 18.Â
She worked as a teacher and stay-at-home mother until 1953 when she was hired by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), the predecessor to NASA. During her time at NACA, Johnson worked as a “computer” and calculated the trajectory of Alan Shepherd, the first American in space.Â
Even after electronic computers were used and the organization became NASA, Johnson was still sought out to double check coordinates and calculations. She worked at NASA until 1986, and during her time there, helped to put the first men on the moon and launch the Space Shuttle program.
In November 2015, President Obama awarded her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and she is still living today.Â
Katherine Johnson will be played by Taraji P. Henson in the upcoming movie Hidden Figures, scheduled for release in 2017.
A young Katherine Johnson on the left, the picture on the right was taken when she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
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Happy Women’s History Month!
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