Gaining the right to vote was not the only major political feat women accomplished in the 20th century. Women also held office, earned degrees in law, engaged in international relations, and organized community groups, including groups involved in the mid-century civil rights movement. Researchers interested in this topic are also encouraged to explore the Schlesinger Library research guides for Women in Elected Office, Republican & Politically Conservative Women, and Women in the Legal Profession. Additionally, researchers may find Harvard University's open access collection on "Political Buttons" of interest.
In the navigation sub-menu for this topic, you will find archival material, books, and journals and newsletters covering the topic of education. Materials that have been digitized and are available for remote access can be found at the top of each page, and materials that must be accessed in-person at the bottom of each page.
Further material on the topic can be found by searching HOLLIS, Harvard's online library catalog, for "government," "politicians," "politics," "Women in Congress," "elections," "law," "lawyers," "international relations," and "civil rights."
The library's published material collections are a rich source of information. Below, you'll find a sampling of books available to researchers online and researchers able to visit the library in-person, but a much larger selection is available through HOLLIS, Harvard University's catalog. To find material available at the Schlesinger Library, use the "Advanced Search" feature and limit your search to "Library Catalog. Choose "Schlesinger" from the "Scope" drop-down menu. Finally, select "Books" or "Journals" from the "Resource Type" drop-down menu. This search results list for the keyword "elections" serves as an example of the breadth of books available in the Schlesinger Library's collection.
Please note that some materials labeled as available "Online" in the library catalog may require HarvardKey access for remote access. During an in-person visit, you can access those materials on the Library's public computers.