Historical Documents Online: Search Hints for Selected Topics

Women

For information on other sources on Women at the National Archives, please see:

Research Topics: Women

Select Petitions to Congress Reflecting Women's Involvement in the Nation's Civic Affairs, 1789 - 1917
17 representative petitions have been digitized from a variety of archival series. These petitions are from organizations and individual women and relate to various topics including abolition, Indian removal, universal and woman's suffrage, anti-lynching laws, child labor laws, and improvement of working conditions for women. Some of the petitions also include claims of women pertaining to service in the Civil War. These materials are held by the NARA's Center for Legislative Archives (Washington, DC).
Search Hint: To retrieve the 17 petitions:
1. Go to http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/.
2. Press the Yellow search button to go to the Basic search screen.
3. Enter Women and Petitions in the Keywords box.
4. Select the limit results radio button for 100.
5. Select the box marked Descriptions of Archival Materials linked to digital copies.
6. Press the Go button.
7. When hits are returned for your search, view the full result of your hit by selecting the Title link.
From the Collection:

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ARC Identifier: 306639, Title: "Address of the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society, 07/13/1896"

Letters Received from Day School Teacher Clara D. True, August 29, 1902 - September 17, 1906
186 multi-page letters have been digitized from this series. Clara D. True served as day school teacher at Santa Clara Day school, which was operated under the administration of the Bureau of Indian Affairs' (BIA) Santa Fe Indian School; it served primarily younger students who did not attend BIA boarding schools. The letters relate to her activities at Santa Clara, including the construction of the day school and her living quarters, and the living conditions of her students. These materials are held by NARA's Rocky Mountain Region (Denver, CO).
Search Hint: To retrieve the 186 multi-page letters:
1. Go to http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/.
2. Press the Yellow search button to go to the Basic search screen.
3. Enter Santa Clara Day School in the Keywords box.
4. Select the limit results radio button for 1000.
5. Select the box marked Descriptions of Archival Materials linked to digital copies.
6. Press the Go button.
7. When hits are returned for your search, view the full result of your hit by selecting the Title link.
From the Collection:

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ARC Identifier: 293301, Title: "Letter to Superintendent concerning the enrollment at the Santa Clara Day School., 09/03/1904"

Petitions and Memorials of the House Committee on Woman Suffrage from the 66th Congress, May 19, 1919 - March 03, 1921
1 multi-page document, the "Certificate of ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution, accompanied by the resolution and transcript of the Journals of the two Houses of the General Assembly of the State of Tennessee," dated August 24, 1920, has been digitized from this file. These materials are held by NARA's Center for Legislative Archives (Washington, DC).
Search Hint: To retrieve the 1 multi-page digitized document:
1. Go to http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/.
2. Press the Yellow search button to go to the Basic search screen.
3. Enter Ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in the Keywords box.
4. Select the limit results radio button for 100.
5. Select the box marked Descriptions of Archival Materials linked to digital copies.
6. Press the Go button.
7. When hits are returned for your search, view the full result of your hit by selecting the Title link.
From the Collection:

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ARC Identifier: 306664, Title: "Certificate of ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution, accompanied by resolution and transcript of the Journals of the two Houses of the General Assembly of the State of Tennessee, 08/24/1920"

Selected Images of Women at Work
161 photographs and posters of women at work have been digitized. Among the digitized images are photographs of women doing traditional work such as cooking, sewing, child care, gardening, and housework. Also included are photographs of women in the military and women working as teachers, nurses, and secretaries. Non-traditional work includes women as construction workers and as scientists. These images are held by the various units of the National Archives.
Search Hint: To retrieve the 161 images:
1. Go to http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/.
2. Press the Yellow search button to go to the Basic search screen.
3. Enter Women AND (Labor OR Work) in the Keywords box.
4. Select the limit results radio button for 1000.
5. Select the box marked Descriptions of Archival Materials linked to digital copies.
6. Press the Go button.
7. When hits are returned for your search, view the full result of your hit by selecting the Title link.
From the Collection:

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ARC Identifier: 541940, Title: "Sally Ride America's first woman astronaut communicates with ground controllers from the flight deck during the six day mission of the Challenger. National Aeronautics and Space Administration., 06/18/1983 - 06/24/1983", Local Identifier: NWDNS-306-PS-E83(2274C)(A)