Educational Resources

A school group visits the Rostrum on a tour of the House Chamber. A school group visits the Rostrum on a tour of the House Chamber. Image Courtesy of the Library of Congress

This page features materials designed to help teachers and students use the information presented in Women in Congress in their classrooms. It includes lesson plans on the women pioneers who served on Capitol Hill from 1917 to 2006 as well as activities on photographs, objects, and quotations. Also included are a collection of fast facts on women’s congressional service, a link to an interactive map, and a list of online educational resources. The additional resources are intended to guide students and teachers into the primary sources provided online by the Office of the Clerk and related agencies.

Request a Copy of the Publication

In an effort to make the publication, Women in Congress, 1917–2006, more accessible to students, the Office of History and Preservation will provide a complimentary copy of the book to educators for classroom use, subject to availability. Interested teachers should complete and return the form below to the Office of History and Preservation.

Book Request Form

Fast Facts

First woman elected to the House of Representatives
Jeannette Rankin (R-MT) was elected to the House of Representatives in 1916.
First woman to serve in the Senate
Rebecca Felton (D-GA) was appointed to the Senate in 1922.
First woman elected to the Senate
Hattie Caraway (D-AR) was elected to the Senate in 1931.
First Asian-American woman elected to Congress
Patsy Mink (D-HI) was elected to the House of Representatives in 1964.
First African-American woman elected to Congress
Shirley Chisholm (D-NY) was elected to the House of Representatives in 1968.
First Hispanic woman elected to Congress
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) was elected to the House of Representatives in 1989.
First woman to preside over the House of the Representatives
Alice Robertson (R-OK) was the first woman to preside over the House Chamber in 1922.
First woman to preside over the Senate
Hattie Caraway (D-AR) was the first woman to preside over the Senate Chamber in 1943.
First woman to chair a committee in the House of Representatives
Mae Ella Nolan (R-CA) was the first woman to chair a House committee in 1923.
First woman to chair a committee in the Senate
Hattie Caraway (D-AR) was the first woman to chair a Senate committee in 1933.
First woman elected to party leadership in Congress
Chase Going Woodhouse (D-CT) was the first woman to be elected to a party leadership position in 1949.
First woman Speaker of the House of Representatives
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was the first woman elected Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2007.

Online Resources