When we think of the month of March, many of us probably immediately think of Saint Patrick’s Day. Most people might not be aware of this, but March is also Women’s History Month, dedicated to highlighting the contributions of women in history and modern day society. How did this celebration of women come to be?

Up until the 1970s, women’s history was an obscure topic in school curriculum and the public consciousness in general. To address this problem, the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission in California decided to designate a “Women’s History Week” in 1978. At school, students gave presentations and participated in a “Real Woman” essay contest. In downtown Santa Rosa, a parade was held as part of the celebrations. This idea spread to communities across the U.S. within a few short years. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued a proclamation declaring the week of March 8 as National Women’s History Week. Later the same year, Representative Barbara Mikulski and Senator Orrin Hatch sponsored Congressional resolution for a National Women’s Week next year.

Across the nation, state departments of education encouraged observance of Women’s History Week as a means of achieving equity within the classroom. Communities, city councils, governors, and Congress supported these celebrations through further resolutions. However, the dates of National Women’s Week changed each year, and as such, thousands of people and hundreds of educational and women groups led by the National Women’s History Project lobbied each year for the entire month of March to be declared Women’s History Month.

Before President Carter declared the week of March 8 National Women’s History Week, however, there were women working in the limelight and behind the scenes to secure basic equality between people of differing genders. The Women’s Rights Movement can be traced back to the 19th century. Their efforts translated into International Women’s Day on March 8. When the United Nations adopted this observance in 1975, it cited this reason: “To recognize the fact that securing peace and social progress and the full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms require the active participation, equality and development of women; and to acknowledge the contribution of women to the strengthening of international peace and security.”

By 1986, 14 of the 50 states had already declared March to be Women’s History Month, which was used by lobbiers as the rationale for Congress to officially declare it so. In 1987, Congress declared the entire month of March to be Women’s History Month. Every year, a Presidential Proclamation is issued to honor the contributions of American women. Below is an excerpt from President Barack Obama’s presidential proclamation in 2011, the centenary of International Women’s Day:

“During Women’s History Month, we reflect on the extraordinary accomplishments of women and honor their role in shaping the course of our Nation’s history… In honor of the pioneering women who came before us, and in recognition of those who will come after us, this month, we recommit to erasing the remaining inequities facing women in our day… As we reflect on the triumphs of the past, we must also look to the limitless potential that lies ahead… To win the future, we must equip the young women of today with the knowledge, skills, and equal access to reach for the promise of tomorrow… As we prepare to write the next chapter of women’s history, let us resolve to build on the progress won by the trailblazers of the past.  We must carry forward the work of the women who came before us and ensure our daughters have no limits on their dreams, no obstacles to their achievements, and no remaining ceilings to shatter.”