Women's History Month is an annual celebration of the many meaningful contributions of women to American history. It originated as a local, week-long celebration in Santa Rosa, California. Organized on March 8, 1978—to correspond with International Women’s Day—Women’s History Week was officially created on March 7, 1982.  Five years and many petitions later, Congress designated the month of March as Women’s History Month for that year. Since 1988, United States presidents have annually proclaimed March as Women’s History Month.

Although women have always been an important part of history, their accomplishments have often been downplayed and even ignored. Before the 20^th century, historians routinely overlooked women’s roles in everything from art and literature to politics and military service. Over the last century, women have fought to overcome this disparity, and even today, they continue to pursue equal rights, opportunities, and recognition.

In honor of Women's History Month, here are several resources for your classroom from the Library of Congress, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and more. Also, visit womenshistory.org to explore lesson plans, biographies, posters created by the National Women’s History Museum.