2 10 50 https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/changemakers/files/original/e1eff9e50d1c01dab9f982e624d50fc1.jpg 2c5de8418144565f8c550a7ac606ba59 https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/changemakers/files/original/e2a64bda9a0fb923d221d3fa89e2e78b.mp3 dabf8dcf17bfa16446e6925e14824c91 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Emergence of Modern America Description An account of the resource The idea of a “Modern United States” begins with the advent of the Progressive era. The Progressive movement focused on reforms they viewed as necessary after drastic increases in industrialization, immigration, urbanization and corruption in the business and political realms. One of the most successful reform movements of the time periods is the women’s suffrage movement. Other movements that gained traction on a new scale during this era were the labor movement, including the rise of unions, and the Harlem Renaissance and northward migration of the African American population. The time also saw a resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in direct retaliation to increased immigration and shifting roles for African Americans. With all of the changes on the home front of America, this era also saw the emergence of the United States as a major world power. The Spanish-American War pitted the United States against a European power other than Great Britain for the first time, and battles spanned the Atlantic and Pacific. The war also led to the rise of Theodore Roosevelt, an increase in propaganda and marketing of a war, both through yellow journalism and war slogans and ephemera encouraging citizens to “Remember the Maine!” Soon after, the United States would come to find itself embroiled in World War I, despite strong isolationist tendencies. Along with a large death toll, World War I led to the development of the failed League of Nations, ultimately pushing the United States even further into an isolationist standing that would last for decades. The immediate postwar period of the “Roaring 20s” saw a domination in politics and economics by big business and its supporters, which would all come crashing down in less than a decade. Learn more in the National U.S. History Content Standards. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1890-1930 Person An individual. Birth Date 1874 Birthplace Norfolk Death Date 1957 Occupation Suffragist Biographical Text The formidable woman suffrage activist Pauline Forstall Colclough Adams (June 29, 1874–September 10, 1957) was born in Dublin, Ireland, and in 1898 settled in Norfolk, Virginia. She was an advocate of Esperanto, a constructed international auxiliary language. On November 18, 1910, the Norfolk Equal Suffrage League was organized during a meeting at her home. Adams served as the league's first president. Unlike her fellow Virginia suffragists, she advocated a militant approach to winning the vote for women. She shunned educational activities to speak in the city's streets and march in Washington, D.C., during President Woodrow Wilson's inaugural parade. Her actions prompted a rift in the conservative Norfolk league and a reprimand from state league headquarters in Richmond. She invented two popular suffrage games (now lost), Politics and Political Auction, which were sold in Virginia and Maryland in 1913 to raise funds for suffrage work. Adams joined the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage—a more militant group renamed the National Woman's Party in 1917—and served as president of the Norfolk branch from 1917 to 1920. She was one of thirteen picketers arrested for attempting to "flaunt their banners" in front of Woodrow Wilson's reviewing stand before a Selective Service parade on September 4, 1917. The suffragists chose prison over a $25 fine and were sent to the workhouse at Occoquan, in Fairfax County, where Adams spent time in solitary confinement deprived of her blanket, hairbrush, and toothbrush. After passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in August 1920, Adams looked for new challenges. She passed the bar examination in 1921 and became the second woman to practice law in Norfolk. Adams remained involved in the political arena where she had fought so hard to win a place. She ran unsuccessfully for the city council and worked for the campaign of Norfolk's Sarah Lee Fain, one of the first two women elected to the House of Delegates in 1923. <a href="https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/changemakers/va-women-2009" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2009</a> Virginia Women in History honoree, Library of Virginia and featured as one of the Library's <a href="https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/changemakers/va-women-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2020</a> Virginia Women in History suffrage activists as part of the Library's 19th Amendment Centennial <a href="https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/wedemand/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exhibition</a>, We Demand: Women's Suffrage in Virginia. Bibliography Image Courtesy of the Library of Virginia. Audio clip: excerpt from Pauline Adams's remarks to a Virginia congressman, printed in The Suffragist, June 25, 1915, read by Library of Virginia staff. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Pauline Adams Subject The topic of the resource Virginia Women In History Description An account of the resource Taking a militant approach to the campaign for woman suffrage, Pauline Adams chose to go to prison for her political beliefs. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2009 Virginia Women in History Honoree Civil Rights and Reform https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/changemakers/files/original/b73e7cd94cdddbc361469b5ed04c0c2f.jpg 8ede34aa975213cab851cca922b8d9e3 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Contemporary United States Description An account of the resource This era is, in large part, a study of the United States as a global power – politically, economically and militarily. The detente with the Communist China under Nixon begins a shift in our “Domino Theory” in Asia. The collapse of the Soviet Union, the overthrow of communist governments in Eastern Europe, and the end of the Cold War and the nuclear arms race also changed how the United States interacted with Europe. At the same time, intervention and actions increased in our own hemisphere and in the Middle East. Terrorism also became a driving force behind foreign policy. Politically, there was a shift away from liberalism for much of this time period. Political scandals such as Watergate and Iran-Contra were treated differently than previous scandals, thanks in large part to an increase in television coverage. The governmental role in the economy, environmental protection, social welfare, and more shifted greatly during this time period and that role, and its scope, are still being debated today. Socially, this time period saw for the first time immigration primarily from Asia and Central America. A new wave of reform movements promoted environmental, feminist, and civil rights agendas. There was also a resurgence of religious evangelicalism. Technological advances once again redefined not only the economic landscape of America, but also the lives of everyday citizens. Learn more in the National U.S. History Content Standards. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1968-Present Person An individual. Birthplace Harrisonburg Biographical Text Born in Nairobi, she grew up in a rural area in central Kenya, the daughter of two physicians from the Kikuyu tribe. She came to Harrisonburg to attend Eastern Mennonite University from which received her undergraduate and graduate degrees. She is a member of the staff at the University's Center for Justice and Peacebuilding. Watch excerpts from Patience's interview about: <ul> <li><a href="https://youtu.be/OPKtGYNoi_k" target="_blank">Belonging</a> (2:05)</li> <li><a href="https://youtu.be/osq3LbTC6s4" target="_blank">Challenges</a> (4:46)</li> <li><a href="https://youtu.be/wE9PUW984cE" target="_blank">Journey</a> (0:37)</li> <li><a href="https://youtu.be/sw7FmmMpQQ4" target="_blank">Opportunity</a> (1:46)</li> <li><a href="https://youtu.be/Qf7-fz7tW84" target="_blank">Opportunity</a> (1:40)</li> </ul> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Patience Kamau Subject The topic of the resource New Virginians Description An account of the resource A native of Kenya, Patience Kamau is a member of the staff at the University's Center for Justice and Peacebuilding. Civil Rights and Reform Community Leadership and Philanthropy https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/changemakers/files/original/bbddc7da8ea26dc96f7be413c7f2d5c1.jpg 97f1ceeb67c29e889daf7125a379efeb Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Revolution and the New Nation Description An account of the resource The American Revolution is often considered one of the most crucial times of United States history to study, as it lays the groundwork for all political history following it. Not only did it end the colonial relationship with England, but it brought about political change that would not only shape our lives, but would serve as an example for other nations. It also called into question social and political relationships, raising questions of freedom and inalienable rights. Some of America’s most important documents and greatest political minds come from this era. The war itself also was Revolutionary, with successful guerilla-style fighting and the defeat by colonials of well-trained British military forces. Following the war, the creation of the Constitution and the process of ratification shifted not only the style of government, but also the way in which governments functioned and an increased public investment. This process also called into question the balance of power between federal and state, an issue that would continue to be present in American Politics well after the Constitution of 1787 and the Bill of Rights were completed. Despite strong unity among many in the Revolution, economic, regional, social, ideological, religious, and political tensions did not fade, and in some cases, increased, as America sought to define itself. Learn more in the National U.S. History Content Standards. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1754-1820s Person An individual. Birth Date ca. 1773 Birthplace Fairfax County Death Date 1848 Occupation Self-Emancipator Biographical Text The daughter of an enslaved seamstress and a white indentured servant, Ona Maria Judge (ca. 1773–February 25, 1848) was a trusted personal maid to Martha Washington. She grew up at Mount Vernon, likely living in the communal slave quarters known as the House for Families with her mother and siblings. Like most enslaved women and men, she was not taught how to read or write, although she was trained as a seamstress. She began working as part of the labor force in the mansion as a child and became a favorite of Martha Washington, who selected Judge as one of the few slaves to accompany her to New York and then to Philadelphia during George Washington's presidential terms. While living in Philadelphia, Judge (who was referred to by the Washingtons as Oney) was regularly sent home to Mount Vernon to avoid establishing legal residency in Pennsylvania that would result in her freedom. Inspired by abolitionist sentiment in Philadelphia and angry that she was to be given to the Washingtons' granddaughter, Judge turned to the city's free black community to help her escape. While the family ate dinner on May 21, 1796, Judge fled on a ship that took her to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. She found work as a domestic servant and married an African American sailor, with whom she had three children, and avoided being returned to slavery despite George Washington's multiple attempts to regain his wife's property. For more than fifty years, Ona Judge Staines succeeded in living as a free woman. <a href="https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/changemakers/va-women-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2019</a> Virginia Women in History honoree, Library of Virginia. Bibliography Image Courtesy of the Library of Congress. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Ona Judge Subject The topic of the resource Virginia Women in History Description An account of the resource Determined that her freedom was worth any hardship, Ona Judge escaped slavery and defied George Washington's attempts to retrieve her. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2019 Virginia Women in History Honoree Civil Rights and Reform https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/changemakers/files/original/539d60abda553b641da092d2893928d0.jpg 4a02905eb4d99d56cd240f4b876b5f1f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Postwar United States Description An account of the resource The era immediately following World War II brought about vast changes, not only in foreign policy, but in economics and a changing civic landscape. The liberalism of the New Deal era grew into movements towards increasing civil liberties and economic opportunities, particularly for minorities and women. Protests became more and more common to the average American as groups demanded equal rights and voting equality. These movements were juxtaposed with Jim Crow laws and the reemergence of the KKK, which showed the darker side of life in the American South. The Cold War pitted the United States and its allies in the newly formed NATO against the ever-increasing and expanding Soviet Union and its fellow Communist regimes, particularly China, Korea and Vietnam. While this era is considered Postwar, it is in fact a move towards a new type of war, where campaigns are fought not only on the battleground, but in the political arena and social consciousness as well, fueled strongly by the increasing influence of television news. The fall of the Nazi regime opened the door to the Iron Curtain and Soviet dominance of Eastern Europe, and the defeat of Japan opened previously invaded lands to the chance to choose new leaders, many of whom sided with the tenants of Communism over those of Capitalism. The United States would spend much of this time period combating the “Domino Effect” to try and stem the spread of Communism, particularly in its own hemisphere with Cuba. At the same time, the United States invested millions into Western Europe through the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan to halt the spread of Communism further west. Learn more in the National U.S. History Content Standards Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1945-1970s Person An individual. Birth Date 1942 Birthplace Charlottesville Occupation Civil Rights Pioneer Biographical Text In 1958 Olivia Ferguson McQueen, a sixteen-year-old rising senior at the all-black Jackson P. Burley High School, led a group of students in challenging school segregation in Charlottesville. After a federal district court judge ruled in the students’ favor, the governor closed the all-white Lane High School, where McQueen was to attend, rather than integrate. In January 1959, state and federal courts simultaneously ruled that closing the schools violated Virginia’s constitution. After failing to force McQueen to complete the school year at Burley, the city’s school board provided tutors in its office for her and other plaintiffs in the suit. Despite encouragement from teachers and activists, her senior year was difficult because she was isolated from her peers and did not get to enjoy the many activities available to her counterparts. While McQueen watched her friends from Burley High receive their diplomas in June 1959, she had no ceremony and received only a makeshift certificate indicating the classes she had completed. She persevered, however, and in 1963 earned a bachelor’s degree in childhood education from Hampton Institute (now Hampton University). She later earned a master’s degree in education from Trinity College, in Washington, D.C. After spending her career as an educator outside Virginia, McQueen received her official high school diploma from the Charlottesville Public Schools on May 25, 2013. Decades after her challenge of segregation and personal sacrifice, she became a symbol of resilience and hope for the cause of equal access to education for all children. <a href="https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/changemakers/strong-mw-2014" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2014</a> Strong Men & Women in Virginia History honoree, Library of Virginia and Dominion. Bibliography Image Courtesy of Olivia Ferguson McQueen. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Olivia Ferguson McQueen Subject The topic of the resource Strong Men and Women in Virginia History Description An account of the resource Civil rights pioneer Olivia Ferguson McQueen successfully challenged school segregation in 1959, but did not receive her diploma for another fifty-four years. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014 Strong Men & Women in Virginia History Honoree Civil Rights and Reform Education https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/changemakers/files/original/ad0afaa4264e7864e89a5c0a3e2960a5.jpg 3705a7dd1b537b7bbf36b0840ba67337 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Postwar United States Description An account of the resource The era immediately following World War II brought about vast changes, not only in foreign policy, but in economics and a changing civic landscape. The liberalism of the New Deal era grew into movements towards increasing civil liberties and economic opportunities, particularly for minorities and women. Protests became more and more common to the average American as groups demanded equal rights and voting equality. These movements were juxtaposed with Jim Crow laws and the reemergence of the KKK, which showed the darker side of life in the American South. The Cold War pitted the United States and its allies in the newly formed NATO against the ever-increasing and expanding Soviet Union and its fellow Communist regimes, particularly China, Korea and Vietnam. While this era is considered Postwar, it is in fact a move towards a new type of war, where campaigns are fought not only on the battleground, but in the political arena and social consciousness as well, fueled strongly by the increasing influence of television news. The fall of the Nazi regime opened the door to the Iron Curtain and Soviet dominance of Eastern Europe, and the defeat of Japan opened previously invaded lands to the chance to choose new leaders, many of whom sided with the tenants of Communism over those of Capitalism. The United States would spend much of this time period combating the “Domino Effect” to try and stem the spread of Communism, particularly in its own hemisphere with Cuba. At the same time, the United States invested millions into Western Europe through the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan to halt the spread of Communism further west. Learn more in the National U.S. History Content Standards Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1945-1970s Person An individual. Birth Date 1907 Birthplace Richmond Death Date 2007 Occupation Attorney and Civil Rights Leader Biographical Text Oliver White Hill (1907-2007) was born in Richmond and began school in Roanoke but moved to Washington, D.C., to complete his education because there was no high school for African Americans in Roanoke. He graduated from the Howard University School of Law and became one of the most active and successful of Virginia's civil rights attorneys, filing and winning law suits against segregation and discrimination from before World War II until the end of the twentieth century. In 1951, students in Prince Edward County persuaded him to challenge mandatory racial segregation in the state's public schools. Hill served as counsel in the United States Supreme Court in the Virginia suit that was combined with others in the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision declaring mandatory racial segregation unconstitutional, even under the guise of separate-but-equal. Hill was the most distinguished and successful of the many African American attorneys who achieved major breakthroughs in the civil rights movement in Virginia. In large part because of attorneys like Hill, the civil rights movement in Virginia was known for its many important legal victories rather than for violence and recrimination. In recognition of his contributions to the legal profession and the nation, President Bill Clinton awarded Hill the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1999. By the time that he died at age 100, Hill had become one of the most respected and revered Virginians of the twentieth century. <a href="https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/changemakers/trailblazers-2009" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2009</a> African American Trailblazers honoree, Library of Virginia. Bibliography Image Courtesy of the Oliver White Hill Family. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oliver White Hill Subject The topic of the resource African American Trailblazers Description An account of the resource Oliver White Hill served as counsel in the groundbreaking Brown v. Board of Education case in 1954. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2009 African American Trailblazers Honoree Civil Rights and Reform Government and Law https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/changemakers/files/original/c3dcfb7093bd439f25d5024ecd0d5dbc.jpg e1368c1669d4aed8dbc125949aede4c0 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Emergence of Modern America Description An account of the resource The idea of a “Modern United States” begins with the advent of the Progressive era. The Progressive movement focused on reforms they viewed as necessary after drastic increases in industrialization, immigration, urbanization and corruption in the business and political realms. One of the most successful reform movements of the time periods is the women’s suffrage movement. Other movements that gained traction on a new scale during this era were the labor movement, including the rise of unions, and the Harlem Renaissance and northward migration of the African American population. The time also saw a resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in direct retaliation to increased immigration and shifting roles for African Americans. With all of the changes on the home front of America, this era also saw the emergence of the United States as a major world power. The Spanish-American War pitted the United States against a European power other than Great Britain for the first time, and battles spanned the Atlantic and Pacific. The war also led to the rise of Theodore Roosevelt, an increase in propaganda and marketing of a war, both through yellow journalism and war slogans and ephemera encouraging citizens to “Remember the Maine!” Soon after, the United States would come to find itself embroiled in World War I, despite strong isolationist tendencies. Along with a large death toll, World War I led to the development of the failed League of Nations, ultimately pushing the United States even further into an isolationist standing that would last for decades. The immediate postwar period of the “Roaring 20s” saw a domination in politics and economics by big business and its supporters, which would all come crashing down in less than a decade. Learn more in the National U.S. History Content Standards. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1890-1930 Person An individual. Birth Date 1883 Birthplace Richmond Death Date 1942 Occupation Artist and Social Reformer Biographical Text Growing up in Richmond, Eleanora Clare Gibson Houston (June 24, 1883–February 20, 1942) began studying art at about age ten. She continued her studies in New York City with William Merritt Chase, Kenneth Hayes Miller, and Robert Henri. After further training in Paris, Nora Houston, as she was generally known, returned in 1909 to teach at the Art Club of Richmond. About 1916 she and artist Adèle Clark established a studio, and for the rest of her life she taught art and was a leader in Richmond's art community. Houston exhibited her work nationally as well as locally and, with Clark, was a founder of the Virginia League of Fine Arts and Handicrafts, a forerunner of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. An advocate for women's right to vote, Houston joined the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia, frequently spoke at its public meetings, and helped women register to vote after the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920. She was a founding member of the Virginia League of Women Voters and, as chair of its legislative committee, fought for laws to improve conditions for working women and children. She also worked to improve race relations in Richmond. In 1926 the National League of Women Voters named her one of twelve delegates to the International Woman Suffrage Alliance's conference in Paris. During the 1930s Houston was president of the Catholic Woman's Club in Richmond and supervised art production under the auspices of the Virginia Art Project of the federal Works Progress Administration. Nominated by John T. Tucker III, Mechanicsville. <a href="https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/changemakers/va-women-2017" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2017</a> Virginia Women in History honoree, Library of Virginia. Bibliography Image Courtesy of the Virginia Historical Society. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Nora Houston Subject The topic of the resource Virginia Women In History Description An account of the resource Artist Nora Houston was a tireless advocate for woman suffrage and social reform. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017 Virginia Women in History Honoree Arts and Literature Civil Rights and Reform https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/changemakers/files/original/8340b185445b2bf16f7cd9153b37b84a.jpg fc217bfc01d7b57ca31d3dc421119e3f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Emergence of Modern America Description An account of the resource The idea of a “Modern United States” begins with the advent of the Progressive era. The Progressive movement focused on reforms they viewed as necessary after drastic increases in industrialization, immigration, urbanization and corruption in the business and political realms. One of the most successful reform movements of the time periods is the women’s suffrage movement. Other movements that gained traction on a new scale during this era were the labor movement, including the rise of unions, and the Harlem Renaissance and northward migration of the African American population. The time also saw a resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in direct retaliation to increased immigration and shifting roles for African Americans. With all of the changes on the home front of America, this era also saw the emergence of the United States as a major world power. The Spanish-American War pitted the United States against a European power other than Great Britain for the first time, and battles spanned the Atlantic and Pacific. The war also led to the rise of Theodore Roosevelt, an increase in propaganda and marketing of a war, both through yellow journalism and war slogans and ephemera encouraging citizens to “Remember the Maine!” Soon after, the United States would come to find itself embroiled in World War I, despite strong isolationist tendencies. Along with a large death toll, World War I led to the development of the failed League of Nations, ultimately pushing the United States even further into an isolationist standing that would last for decades. The immediate postwar period of the “Roaring 20s” saw a domination in politics and economics by big business and its supporters, which would all come crashing down in less than a decade. Learn more in the National U.S. History Content Standards. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1890-1930 Person An individual. Birth Date 1888 Birthplace Richmond Death Date 1982 Occupation Civic Activist Biographical Text The daughter of Polish immigrants, Naomi Silverman Cohn (April 15, 1888–October 20, 1982), settled in Richmond with her husband in 1909. She plunged into community work, assisting new immigrants through her involvement with the local chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women. She was a charter member of the Richmond League of Women Voters in 1920 and later held office in the state league. She consistently urged women to exercise their right to vote. The mother of three children, Cohn believed strongly that women, especially mothers, should participate in political activity to improve life for all Virginians. In 1923 Cohn cofounded the Virginia Women's Council of Legislative Chairmen of State Organizations (later the Virginia Council on State Organizations) to monitor bills in the General Assembly that were of special interest to women. Named executive secretary of the Virginia Consumers' League in 1936, she worked for legislation to improve labor conditions for workers in the state. Her lobbying led to the passage of a state law in 1938 limiting women's paid work in many occupations to forty-eight hours a week rather than the previously allowed seventy hours. The next year she became director of the Division of Women and Children for the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry. For her advocacy, the Richmond Times-Dispatch named Cohn to its "Virginia Honor Roll of 1938," and the Virginia Business and Professional Women Foundation named her among its first honorees on the Women of Virginia Historic Trail in 1993. <a href="https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/changemakers/va-women-2014" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2014</a> Virginia Women in History honoree, Library of Virginia. Bibliography Image Courtesy of Kitty Cohn. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Naomi Silverman Cohn Subject The topic of the resource Virginia Women In History Description An account of the resource Activist Naomi Silverman Cohn advocated social legislation to improve the lives of women and children. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014 Virginia Women in History Honoree Civil Rights and Reform Community Leadership and Philanthropy https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/changemakers/files/original/fc58e4284596eebd2971a68c1a05faec.jpg 1bb3e29ed982fe46799c9afbadbba3f3 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Contemporary United States Description An account of the resource This era is, in large part, a study of the United States as a global power – politically, economically and militarily. The detente with the Communist China under Nixon begins a shift in our “Domino Theory” in Asia. The collapse of the Soviet Union, the overthrow of communist governments in Eastern Europe, and the end of the Cold War and the nuclear arms race also changed how the United States interacted with Europe. At the same time, intervention and actions increased in our own hemisphere and in the Middle East. Terrorism also became a driving force behind foreign policy. Politically, there was a shift away from liberalism for much of this time period. Political scandals such as Watergate and Iran-Contra were treated differently than previous scandals, thanks in large part to an increase in television coverage. The governmental role in the economy, environmental protection, social welfare, and more shifted greatly during this time period and that role, and its scope, are still being debated today. Socially, this time period saw for the first time immigration primarily from Asia and Central America. A new wave of reform movements promoted environmental, feminist, and civil rights agendas. There was also a resurgence of religious evangelicalism. Technological advances once again redefined not only the economic landscape of America, but also the lives of everyday citizens. Learn more in the National U.S. History Content Standards. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1968-Present Person An individual. Birth Date 1921 Birthplace Christiansburg Occupation Community Activist Biographical Text Nannie Mae Berger Hairston (b. 1921) grew up in West Virginia, where her father worked in the coalfields. Her parents taught her the value of knowledge, kinship, and kindness by sharing their home and food with travelers and neighbors. Since settling with her husband and four daughters in Christiansburg in 1953, Hairston has worked quietly and tirelessly for her community. An advocate for civil rights, she joined the Montgomery County–Radford City–Floyd County branch of the NAACP, in which she held numerous offices and continues to be a member. She was also a founding member of the Montgomery County League of Women Voters. Hairston has worked to expand local employment opportunities for African American women and opened her home to children in need. Dedicated to preserving local history as well as educating young people, Hairston has been an advocate since the 1960s on behalf of the Christiansburg Community Center. Formerly known as the Hill School, it was the original site of what became the Christiansburg Institute, the only high school in southwestern Virginia for African American students. In 1997 the state chapter of the NAACP recognized Hairston's civic and humanitarian work with the Maggie L. Walker Community Service Award. A bronze bust of Hairston, created to commemorate her community work, was dedicated at the Montgomery County Government Center in 2006 and the local branch of the Virginia NAACP annually presents the Nannie B. Hairston Award to a member for outstanding and long-standing service to the branch and community. UPDATE: Nannie Haiston died on July 14, 2017. A celebration honoring Hairston was held on August 11, 2018 at the Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library. Historian Sheree Scarborough, who conducted a series of oral history interviews with Mrs. Hairston in 2015–2016, gave a talk about Mrs. Hairston's life and legacy. There was an exhibition, and city, county, and state representatives presented the Hairston family with formal resolutions. See the video link <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6ODAyH3LZA&feature=youtu.be" title="here" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. Nominated by the third-grade class (2011–2012) of Mary W. Biggs, Harding Avenue Elementary School, Blacksburg. <a href="https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/changemakers/strong-mw-2013" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2013</a> Strong Men & Women in Virginia History honoree, Library of Virginia and Dominion. Bibliography Image Courtesy of Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library. Death Date 2017 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Nannie Berger Hairston Subject The topic of the resource Strong Men and Women in Virginia History Description An account of the resource Activist Nannie Berger Hairston strives to make her community a better place. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2013 Strong Men & Women in Virginia History Honoree Civil Rights and Reform Community Leadership and Philanthropy https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/changemakers/files/original/de9e69ef907e291d1d6d031da9e5eecd.jpg 5769b247d5a255a57eeac0c3c7442394 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Postwar United States Description An account of the resource The era immediately following World War II brought about vast changes, not only in foreign policy, but in economics and a changing civic landscape. The liberalism of the New Deal era grew into movements towards increasing civil liberties and economic opportunities, particularly for minorities and women. Protests became more and more common to the average American as groups demanded equal rights and voting equality. These movements were juxtaposed with Jim Crow laws and the reemergence of the KKK, which showed the darker side of life in the American South. The Cold War pitted the United States and its allies in the newly formed NATO against the ever-increasing and expanding Soviet Union and its fellow Communist regimes, particularly China, Korea and Vietnam. While this era is considered Postwar, it is in fact a move towards a new type of war, where campaigns are fought not only on the battleground, but in the political arena and social consciousness as well, fueled strongly by the increasing influence of television news. The fall of the Nazi regime opened the door to the Iron Curtain and Soviet dominance of Eastern Europe, and the defeat of Japan opened previously invaded lands to the chance to choose new leaders, many of whom sided with the tenants of Communism over those of Capitalism. The United States would spend much of this time period combating the “Domino Effect” to try and stem the spread of Communism, particularly in its own hemisphere with Cuba. At the same time, the United States invested millions into Western Europe through the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan to halt the spread of Communism further west. Learn more in the National U.S. History Content Standards Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1945-1970s Person An individual. Birth Date 1939 Birthplace Caroline County Death Date 2008 Occupation Principal in a 1967 Civil Rights Turning Point Biographical Text Growing up in Caroline County, Mildred Jeter Loving (July 22, 1939–May 2, 2008) fell in love with Richard P. Loving. In 1958 they married in Washington, D.C., because he was white and she had African American and Native American ancestry. A few weeks afterward, the couple was arrested at their home for violating Virginia's law against interracial marriage. They were each sentenced to one year in jail, with the sentence suspended so long as they lived outside the state and did not return together. The Lovings moved to Washington and had three children, but Mildred Loving did not like living away from her home. In 1963 she wrote to the U.S. attorney general for help. At his suggestion, she contacted the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed a motion in the county court to vacate the sentence and allow the Lovings to live in Virginia as husband and wife. The local judge refused and the ACLU filed subsequent unsuccessful suits in state and federal courts. The United States Supreme Court heard their case, and its unanimous ruling on June 12, 1967, overturned Virginia's law, stating that the freedom to marry a person of another race was an individual civil right that a state could not deny. Loving and her family returned to Caroline County, where they lived quietly in the home they built together. She often demurred that "all we ever wanted was to get married, because we loved each other," but Loving's courage ensured that interracial couples no longer faced legal discrimination against marriage. <a href="https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/changemakers/va-women-2014" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2014</a> Virginia Women in History honoree, Library of Virginia. Bibliography Image Courtesy of the Estate of Grey Villet Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Mildred Delores Jeter Loving Subject The topic of the resource Virginia Women In History Description An account of the resource As a plaintiff in the 1967 Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia, Mildred Jeter Loving helped legalize interracial marriage in Virginia and the United States. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014 Virginia Women in History Honoree Civil Rights and Reform Government and Law https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/changemakers/files/original/ae95b349cbb61b507208ed31fd0dd3d3.jpg 494b01578bddce0d7af2040624eccb85 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Emergence of Modern America Description An account of the resource The idea of a “Modern United States” begins with the advent of the Progressive era. The Progressive movement focused on reforms they viewed as necessary after drastic increases in industrialization, immigration, urbanization and corruption in the business and political realms. One of the most successful reform movements of the time periods is the women’s suffrage movement. Other movements that gained traction on a new scale during this era were the labor movement, including the rise of unions, and the Harlem Renaissance and northward migration of the African American population. The time also saw a resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in direct retaliation to increased immigration and shifting roles for African Americans. With all of the changes on the home front of America, this era also saw the emergence of the United States as a major world power. The Spanish-American War pitted the United States against a European power other than Great Britain for the first time, and battles spanned the Atlantic and Pacific. The war also led to the rise of Theodore Roosevelt, an increase in propaganda and marketing of a war, both through yellow journalism and war slogans and ephemera encouraging citizens to “Remember the Maine!” Soon after, the United States would come to find itself embroiled in World War I, despite strong isolationist tendencies. Along with a large death toll, World War I led to the development of the failed League of Nations, ultimately pushing the United States even further into an isolationist standing that would last for decades. The immediate postwar period of the “Roaring 20s” saw a domination in politics and economics by big business and its supporters, which would all come crashing down in less than a decade. Learn more in the National U.S. History Content Standards. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1890-1930 Person An individual. Birth Date 1870 Death Date 1936 Occupation Writer and Suffragist Biographical Text While growing up, Mary Johnston (November 21, 1870–May 9, 1936) read widely and developed a deep love of Virginia's history and landscape. She used the setting of 17th-century Virginia for her first two novels, Prisoners of Hope (1898) and To Have and to Hold (1900), which became a best seller that was twice made into silent movies. Her Civil War novels, The Long Roll (1911), and Cease Firing (1912) were critically acclaimed. A popular author of almost two dozen novels, Johnston purchased property at Warm Springs, in Bath County, and built a large house there in 1913. As one of the most successful female authors early in the 20th century, Johnston used her fame in support of the woman suffrage movement. She joined the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia when it was founded in 1909 and published several essays advocating voting rights for women. She regularly spoke on behalf of suffrage throughout the state and was often a featured speaker at national suffrage conventions and events, including the March 1913 parade in Washington, D.C. When she spoke to the nation's governors at a 1912 convention, she expressed her belief that the "indestructible" movement for women's rights "is going to revolutionize the world." The progressive ideals that she presented in her pioneering feminist novel Hagar (1913) generated controversy and her popularity began to decline. Johnston retired from most political activity about 1915, but she continued to express her keen interest in social reform through her writing until her death. <a href="https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/changemakers/va-women-2005" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2005</a> Virginia Women in History honoree, Virginia Foundation for Women. Learn more about <a href="http://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/dvb/bio.asp?b=Johnston_Mary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mary Johnston</a> in the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. Bibliography Image Courtesy of the Library of Congress. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Mary Johnston Subject The topic of the resource Virginia Women In History Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2005 Virginia Women in History Honoree Description An account of the resource Best-selling author Mary Johnston was a leader in the fight for woman suffrage in Virginia. Arts and Literature Civil Rights and Reform