Women's contributions in shaping American history are occasionally well-publicized, but many have been under-recognized. Watching films about strong women who affect change is a great way for students, history buffs or anyone to learn more about women's history in the U.S.
20th Century American Women in History
All of these films feature as their subjects women who have made history in some way. This first film is a biopic about a woman well-known for her accomplishments:
- Amelia (2009) – Hilary Swank plays record-setting aviation pioneer and suffragette, Amelia Earhart. In 1932, Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Mira Nair directed this biographical film.
Women Activists in American History – Biopics
These two period pieces, also biographical films, focus on two women's roles in two pivotal pivotal periods in U.S. history:
- Iron Jawed Angels (2004) – Hilary Swank stars as women's suffrage activist Alice Paul in this dramatization of the National Women's Party's fight to secure American women's right to vote. The 19th Amendment, which guarantees women suffrage, was ratified August 18, 1920. Katja von Garnier directed this film.
- The Rosa Parks Story (2002), Angela Bassett stars as Rosa Parks, a black woman who ignited the civil rights movement in 1955 when she refused to give up her seat on a public bus in Montgomery, Alabama to a white person. Julie Dash directed this film.
For the women in these based-on-a-true-story dramatizations the personal is political. Through circumstances in their work lives, each is drawn into a battle for fairness and workers' rights:
- North Country (2007) – Charlize Theron stars as Josie Aimes, a single mother and mine worker who in 1984 took on the male-dominated Minnesota iron mining industry in a landmark sexual harassment lawsuit: Jenson vs. Eveleth Mines. Niki Caro directed this drama.
- Norma Rae (1979) – Sally Field won an Oscar for her portrayal of a courageous textile factory worker who organized her coworkers to unionize for labor rights. Martin Ritt directed the dramatization of this true story.
These documentaries tell the real life stories of women who took on unprecedented roles in traditionally male-dominated fields:
- The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter (1981) – This documentary by Connie Field focuses on women who took on "men's work" in factories during World War II. Rosie the Riveter became an American feminist icon and is the subject of wartime posters, a song and a Norman Rockwell painting.
- Chisolm '72: Unbought and Unbossed (2004) –This PBS documentary by Sheila Lynch tells the story of Shirley Chisolm, who was the first black woman elected to Congress in 1978, and also the first black woman to run for president, in 1972. Chisolm is an important figure in African American women's history.
March is Women's History Month in the U.S. Women in history and women's contributions both past and present are celebrated. Women's History Month is the perfect time to watch historical films and documentaries about the lives of great women in American history.
Any time of year, however, movies can be an entertaining way to gain insight into women's rich and complicated history in the United States. The above list is by no means exhaustive, yet these films highlight bold, inspirational women and important events in 20th century U.S. women's history
Alison Fletcher - Alison Fletcher is a freelance writer, editor and proofreader. She has nearly a decade of experience in the craft and picture framing ...
Join the Conversation