Breaking Barriers

Biography

Deborah Sampson

Deborah Sampson disguised herself as a man and joined the Patriot forces during the American Revolution. She was the only woman to earn a military pension for participation in the Revolutionary army.
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Biography

Alice Paul

A vocal leader of the 20th century women’s suffrage movement, Alice Paul advocated for and helped secure passage of the 19th Amendment.
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Biography

Judith Sargent Murray

A prominent essayist of the American republic, Judith Sargent Murray was an early advocate of women’s equality, access to education, and the right to control their earnings.
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Biography

Marla Runyan

Legally blind since childhood, Olympic track and field athlete and marathon runner Marla Runyan never let her vision loss stand in the way of her athletic dreams.
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Biography

Maria Mitchell

Maria Mitchell was the first female astronomer in the United States and the first American scientist to discover a comet.
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Biography

Anne Hutchinson

Considered one of the earliest American feminists, Anne Hutchinson was a spiritual leader in colonial Massachusetts who challenged male authority.
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Biography

Helen Keller

Undeterred by deafness and blindness, Helen Keller rose to become a major 20th century humanitarian, educator and writer.
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Biography

Dolores Huerta

Co-founder of the United Farm Workers Association, Dolores Huerta is one of the most influential labor activists of the 20th century.
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Biography

Prudence Crandall

Prudence Crandall bravely defied prevailing patterns of racial discrimination when she opened one of the first schools for African American girls in Connecticut in 1833.
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Biography

Rachel Carson

Rachel Carson catalyzed the global environmental movement with her 1962 book Silent Spring.
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Biography

Ruby Bridges

Ruby Bridges was only six years old when she became the first African American to attend her elementary school.
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Biography

Mary McLeod Bethune

Mary McLeod Bethune was one of the most important Black educators, civil and women’s rights leaders and government officials of the twentieth century.
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Biography

Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart was a record-breaking female aviator whose international fame paved the way for other female pilots.
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