Women in American History: Important Reference Books

Writing for students and general readers, Waisman and Tietjen track the achievements of American women from 1587 to 2007, in an extensive timeline filled with reproductions and photographs. Each woman receives a small biographical paragraph intended to pique the reader's interest as opposed to fully sate them to the topic. The women are from diverse fields and include writers, actors, athletes, doctors, scientists, social and political activists, educators, and inventors; the 1900s and 2000s are particularly represented, taking over half of the total book.

Online reference book available in the Gale Virtual Reference Library. Cross-disciplinary source spanning the 20th century. Each volume in the set includes full or excerpted primary sources representing the seminal issues, themes, movements and events from a decade. Includes oral histories, songs, speeches, advertisements, TV, play and movie scripts, letters, laws, legal decisions, newspaper articles, cartoons, recipes, and more.

Events, lifestyles, social history and key figures unique to each featured era are covered with extraordinary perception and thoroughness. Each volume begins with a chronology of world events to provide a context for the American experience. Contents: [1] Early American civilizations and exploration to 1600 -- [2] The colonial era, 1600-1754 -- [3] The Revolutionary era, 1754-1783 -- [4] Development of a nation, 1783-1815 -- [5] The reform era and eastern U.S. development, 1815-1850 -- [6] Westward expansion, 1800-1860 -- [7] Civil War and Reconstruction, 1850-1877 -- [8] Development of the industrial United States, 1878-1899

Nearly 250 alphabetically arranged entries examine significant ideas, events, movements, institutions, and persons in the history of women's education in the United States from the colonial period through the 20th century.

This accessible resource, which "effectively covers five centuries of women's experiences" ("Bloomsbury Review"), includes more than 400 articles by more than 300 writers from diverse areas of expertise. 74 illustrations.

An alphabetical reference that chronicles the more than 300 years of struggle for equality by American women, including key events, landmark state and federal legislation, important concepts, and people who paved the way, from colonial poets and female soldiers who dressed as men on the battlefield to the ongoing controversy over women's reproductive rights and recent Supreme Court decisions.

Now in its second edition (the first was published in 1993), this three-volume reference is vibrant with stories of remarkable women--325 biographies--and discussion of topics pertaining to arts, culture, family, gender, law, occupations, politics, religion, science, and sports. Listed on Dr. Frear's bibliography.

These cross-listed and newly-illustrated entries of 100-8,000 words are aimed at college students and reach into the future with a 1500-word essay on "9/11." Volume nine, a wonderful addition, contains archival maps and primary documents (with introductions) such as the anonymous story (c. 1745) of the league of five nations (Cayugas, Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Senecas); an excerpt from Francis Grund's (1837); and Henry Ford's "Advice to the Unemployed in the Great Depression" (1932). Volume nine's other distinctive feature is a division of the into chronological chunks that correlate entries, maps, and documents with relevant chapters in three Wadsworth textbooks: (2000), (2001); and (2002). A six-page guide provides tips on historical research. The over 2000 contributors are from American academies. One caution: the dictionary does not contain biographical entries.

Containing more than 500 entries in an A-to-Z format, this single-volume reference provides balanced coverage of the people, issues and events that shaped any discussion of women in American politics. Broad topics, such as sexual harassment, are cross-referenced with related key events and people.

This three-volume reference brings together the past 40 years of scholarship and debate concerning women. Topics in Volume I include colonization, revolution, and the new nation (1585-1820); Volume II addresses the Civil War, western expansion, and industrialization (1820-1900); and Volume III discusses suffrage, world war, and modern times (1900 to the present). In addition to biographies of particular women, entries include essays and longer articles that analyze and interpret the developments that have carried women from traditional societies to the complex modern world, thus placing women's lives and accomplishments within a larger context. Each volume also contains letters and other documents, suggestions for further reading, some cross-referencing, and highlights that include trailblazers, striking quotations, and women's firsts.

The Encyclopedia of women in the American West captures the lives of more than 150 women who made their mark from the mid-1800s to the present, contextualizing their experiences and contributions to American society. Including many women biographied for the first time, the Encyclopedia offers immense value and interest to practicing historians as well as students and the lay public. The West is often portrayed as a rough and tumble man's world, but behind these men--and often independently--were women with the dreams, strength, and determination to make a difference. The Encyclopedia of women in the American West is a tribute to their independence, intelligence, courage, spirit, perseverance, and daring.

This valuable contribution to women's studies includes the stories of more than 400 women from 64 countries and brings into the limelight many forgotten movements and personalities that have had major impacts on history. Readers will be inspired by the fascinating biographies.

Focusing primarily on the late-20th-century US, Baer's encyclopedia further develops information in existing reference works on birth control, abortion, and women's rights. Multiparagraph to multipage articles consider not only laws, court cases, political attitudes, technological advances, and prominent activists and organizations, but also experiences of various racial, ethnic, age, class, ability, and religious groups concerning issues related to reproduction. A substantial introduction provides an overview of current ethical, legal, and political issues. Each entry is followed by a list of further references, while a general selected bibliography provides an excellent starting point for further research.

Aiming to survey "women's history in all parts of the world and at all times in the past," The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History contains nearly 1,250 entries and subentries covering not only individual women but a very wide range of other topics, from Brazil to Buddhism, Feminism to Footbinding, and Welfare state to Witchcraft. Biographical coverage is "representative rather than exhaustive." The biographical entries are among the shortest-generally less than a page in length-and, with a few exceptions, cover women who are deceased. Among the longest entries are Education (17 pages), Family (15 pages), and Slavery (18 pages). There are also lengthy entries for some nations and geographic regions, most notably China (23 pages) and the U.S. (22 pages).

This monumental work of 17 volumes covers women of all countries and all eras, up to the late twentieth century. Some entries are only a sentence or two because of lack of information, but the majority include most or all of the following: dates, if known, or time of flourishing; an identifying summary of life and achievements; a personal profile with vital statistics and names of family members; events in the life of the biographee; vitae listing such things as works for authors or winning records for athletes; a quotation by or about the individual; and bibliographical references.