Courtesy Library of Congress.
The United States doesn't exist in isolation. The nation has affected the world community through diplomacy, imperialism, war, cultural exports, and the global economy. Other countries and immigrants to the US have also had a profound influence on the course of American history.
Women play a key role in the story of the United States in the world community. The country excluded them from formal posts as diplomats until the twentieth century. But they have found many other ways to cross borders and forge transnational connections. American women have joined global movements for peace, suffrage, feminism, and anti-colonialism. Many have traveled around the world as missionaries or members of the Armed Forces. Foreign-born women have made the US their new temporary or permanent home. They have enriched American culture and society and often challenged the nation to live up to its stated values. Women artists, performers, and writers have driven cultural exchange across borders.
Women's experiences vary as much out in the wider world as they do at home. Explore some of their stories here.
Peace
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PersonHelen KellerHelen Keller's activism against war and imperialism forms a crucial part of her multifaceted legacy.
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PersonYuri KochiyamaJapanese American civil rights activist Yuri Kochiyama advocated for nuclear disarmament and anti-colonial movements.
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PersonRosika SchwimmerAmerican officials denied the citizenship application of Hungarian immigrant and activist Rosika Schwimmer due to her pacifist beliefs.
Women's Rights
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PersonCarrie Chapman CattThe outbreak of World War I pitted Carrie Chapman Catt's suffragist and pacifist commitments against each other.
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ArticleThe International History of US SuffrageWomen's rights activists from the United States and other parts of the world collaborated across national borders.
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PodcastMary C. Terrell's Transnational ActivismThis podcast episode explores the transnational organizing of African American women at the turn of the 20th century.
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Places OfPan-American Feminist OrganizationsThese places illustrate how feminists used international conferences and organizations to pursue women’s equality throughout the Americas.
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Places OfPan-American Feminism & Labor RightsThis article features some of the places related to feminists who pursued women’s and labor rights across borders.
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PlaceSan Francisco Civic CenterIn 1945, 1000s of representatives from 50 countries met in the San Francisco Civic Center Historic District to organize the United Nations.
Arts and Culture
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PersonElizabeth Taylor GreenfieldElizabeth Taylor Greenfield was the first African American opera singer who became popular in the United States and Europe.
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PersonSissieretta JonesSissieretta Jones was an internationally famous singer who was the first African American to perform at Carnegie Hall.
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SingerJenny LindJenny Lind, known as the "Swedish Nightingale," was a worldwide singing sensation who visited Mammoth Cave with her tour company.
Women in Wartime
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ArticleWomen in World War IFive million men were mobilized for service in the Great War. Over nine million women mobilized themselves.
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PersonKatherine Ah Lan LoweIn this striking photo, Katherine Ah Lan Lowe and four other women hold a powerful firehose steady in the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard.
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Article CollectionWomen in World War IIExplore the diverse stories of American women in uniform, at work, and in their homes and communities during World War II.
Six Women Pioneers of American Diplomacy
This State Department exhibit highlights six women pioneers of American diplomacy.
Her Diplomacy
This resource from the US State Department honors trailblazing women in diplomacy.
More Stories of Women in the World Community
Last updated: December 7, 2023